AIA G702 and G703 Forms Explained: A Subcontractor's Guide

DEFINITION

G702

AIA Document G702, Application and Certificate for Payment — the pay application cover page signed by the sub and certified by the architect. It summarizes total contract value, work completed to date, materials stored, retainage, and amount due this period.

DEFINITION

G703

AIA Document G703, Continuation Sheet — the line-by-line Schedule of Values breakdown supporting the G702. Each line shows the original value, work completed in prior periods, work completed this period, materials stored, total to date, and retainage.

DEFINITION

stored materials

Materials on-site but not yet installed — listed separately on the G703 and subject to GC approval for billing. Most GCs require proof of delivery (vendor invoices or delivery tickets) before approving stored materials billing.

DEFINITION

notarization

Some GCs require G702 forms to be notarized — the sub's signature confirmed by a notary public. Confirm requirements before the first pay application submission; submitting an un-notarized form to a GC who requires notarization delays payment by an entire billing cycle.

G702 — What Every Field Means

The G702 has 14 numbered fields. Most subcontractors who fill them out manually get one or two wrong consistently, which creates a revision cycle with the GC’s project manager and delays payment by weeks.

The fields that cause the most trouble:

Contract sum to date (Field 6): This is your original subcontract value plus all approved change orders. Not pending change orders — approved and executed ones. If you include unapproved change orders in this field, the GC will reject the application.

Total completed and stored to date (Field 7): This number comes directly from the G703 continuation sheet. Do not calculate it independently on the G702 — fill the G703 first and transfer the total. A discrepancy between G702 Field 7 and the G703 sum is the most common reason for kicked-back pay applications.

Retainage (Field 8): Apply the retainage percentage from your subcontract, not what you think the GC is holding. Some contracts have tiered retainage — 10% until 50% completion, then reduced to 5%. Know your contract terms before filling this field.

Balance to finish (Field 14): Contract sum to date minus total earned less retainage. This field tells the GC and architect how much is left on the contract. Architects use it to verify the payment application is reasonable relative to work remaining.

G703 — The Line-Item Backup That Makes or Breaks Your Payment

The G703 is where pay applications succeed or fail. Every line on the G703 corresponds to a line in your Schedule of Values — the document you submitted at the start of the project breaking down your subcontract into billable phases or cost categories.

For each line, the G703 tracks:

• Description of work (matches your Schedule of Values line item)
• Scheduled value (the original allocation to that line)
• Work completed in prior periods (cumulative through last billing cycle)
• Work completed this period (what you’re billing now)
• Materials stored (on-site but not yet installed, with GC approval)
• Total completed and stored to date (the running sum)
• Percentage complete (total to date divided by scheduled value)
• Balance to finish
• Retainage held on that line

The architecture matters: a GC project manager reviewing a G703 looks at the percent complete column for each line and compares it to physical progress in the field. A G703 showing 90% complete on rough-in when site inspection shows 60% complete causes problems. Bill accurately to scheduled values — overbilling on the G703 is a fast way to damage trust with a GC.

Common G702/G703 Mistakes That Delay Payment

Including unapproved change orders. A change order you submitted is not an approved change order. Only executed, signed change orders go into Field 6 and the G703. Unapproved change order amounts get a separate continuation sheet or a separate billing once approved.

Billing stored materials without documentation. Most GCs require vendor invoices or delivery tickets to approve stored materials billing. Show up to the pay application deadline with a stored materials line and no documentation and the GC cuts it.

Submitting after the GC’s billing deadline. Every GC operates on a monthly billing cycle with a hard cutoff date — miss it and you wait until next month. Find out the deadline before the first billing cycle and build your internal workflow to hit it consistently.

Mismatched totals between G702 and G703. A single arithmetic error on the G703 that doesn’t match Field 7 on the G702 gets the whole application kicked back. Total the G703 before you fill the G702. Every time.