AIA G702 Instructions: How to Complete the Application for Payment

What Is the AIA G702?

The AIA G702 Application and Certificate for Payment is the summary of your construction billing for a given period. It shows:

• The original contract amount and approved changes
• Total work completed and stored materials to date
• Retainage being held
• Previous payments
• The amount you’re requesting this period

The G702 doesn’t stand alone. Its numbers are driven by the continuation sheet (G703-style), based on your Schedule of Values (SOV). If you want the practical overview + resources, start here: AIA-style G702 hub and AIA-style G703 hub.

Big Picture: How G702 & G703 Work Together

Before diving into the line-by-line instructions, it helps to see the overall flow:

• You build a Schedule of Values (SOV) for your project.
• Each billing period, you update the SOV on the G703 continuation sheet: work this period, stored materials, retainage, balance to finish.
• The totals from the G703 roll up into the G702: original contract, changes, completed & stored to date, retainage, prior payments, current due.

If your G702 numbers don’t match the supporting G703 and SOV, reviewers will notice immediately—and that’s when delays start.

Top Section: Project & Parties

The top of the G702 captures who’s involved and which pay period this is. It’s straightforward, but small mistakes here still cause confusion.

• Owner / Project: Name and address of the owner and the project being billed.
• Contractor: Your company name and address.
• Architect (if applicable): The architect or design professional on the contract.
• Application number: The pay app number (1, 2, 3…). Don’t reset this mid-project.
• Period to: The last date of the billing period (for example, “through 03/31/2025”).

Keep your naming and numbering consistent from one pay period to the next—this is how owners and lenders tie your history together.

Contract Status: Original + Change Orders

Next, the G702 establishes the current contract value. This is where approved change orders come into play.

• Original Contract Sum: The amount in your original agreement, before changes.
• Net Change by Change Orders: The total of all approved change orders (additive and deductive).
• Contract Sum to Date: Original contract plus/minus approved changes.

Reviewers check that your “Net Change by Change Orders” ties to the owner-approved CO log. If your amount includes unapproved changes, expect pushback.

Work Completed & Stored to Date

This is the heart of the pay application. These totals should come directly from your G703 continuation sheet.

• Total Completed & Stored to Date: The sum of all work in place plus stored materials on your G703 (for all SOV line items).
• Retainage: A percentage held back from completed work and (often) stored materials. See What Is Retainage in Construction?

On an AIA-style pay app, retainage is usually broken out so reviewers can see:

• Retainage on work completed
• Retainage on stored materials (if applicable)

The key concept: “Total Completed & Stored to Date” is what you’ve earned so far. Retainage is the portion of that amount the owner is still holding.

Simple Example

The $270,000 is what’s actually eligible for payment so far. The remaining $30,000 in retainage stays on the table until later in the project.

Previous Payments vs. Current Payment Due

After contract value and to-date totals, the G702 walks through how much has already been paid, what’s being requested now, and what will remain after this billing period.

• Less Previous Certificates for Payment: The total amount that has already been certified and paid on prior applications.
• Current Payment Due: Earned less retainage minus previous payments.
• Balance to Finish (Including Retainage): The contract sum to date minus the total earned to date.

When these numbers don’t tie to the project’s billing history, reviewers will stop and dig, which is never good for cash flow.

Certification & Signatures

The bottom of the G702 includes the contractor’s certification and the architect/owner certification. While the exact language is provided by the AIA form, the intent is straightforward:

• You (the contractor) certify that the work claimed is accurate and in line with the contract.
• The architect or owner’s representative reviews and certifies the amount approved for payment.

Make sure your internal review is solid before signing—once this documents hits the owner’s hands, you’re effectively saying “this is our official billing for this period.”

Practical Tips for Clean G702 Forms

Over time, the same patterns keep causing problems. A few contractor-friendly best practices:

• Keep your application numbers consistent. Don’t skip or duplicate numbers.
• Match your “period to” dates to the contract schedule.
• Make sure change order totals match the owner’s log.
• Verify that G703 totals match the G702 “completed & stored” values.
• Double-check retainage math. Reviewers look at these lines quickly.
• Document stored materials clearly. Use invoices, photos, and lien waivers as required.

A little extra discipline here can shave days or weeks off payment timelines.

How PayAppPro Handles the G702 Math for You

With PayAppPro, you’re not staring at a static form trying to make everything line up. Instead, you:

• Set up your Schedule of Values (SOV) once
• Update progress and stored materials by line item each billing period
• Let the software calculate retainage, prior payments, and current payment due
• Generate AIA-style G702 and G703 PDFs from the same source of truth
• Attach lien waivers and backup documents directly to each pay app

That means fewer spreadsheet formulas, fewer revisions, and a much smoother conversation with your GC or owner.

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