How to fill out a G702-style pay application, line by line

A G702-style payment application is the one-page summary your GC reads first. Every number on it is derived from your continuation sheet (the G703-style line-by-line breakdown), and the whole page has to tie, if line 3 minus line 6 doesn’t equal line 8, it comes back. Here’s each line in plain English.

The header

Project, application number, billing period, and contract dates. The application number matters: your “previous certificates” figure must match the running total of everything certified on applications 1 through N-1.

The money lines

1. Original contract sum. What you signed for. This never changes, change orders get their own line.
2. Net change by change orders. Approved change orders only, additions minus deductions. Pending COs don’t belong here.
3. Contract sum to date. Line 1 + line 2.
4. Total completed and stored to date. The grand total from your continuation sheet: all work completed through this period, plus materials suitably stored. This is a cumulative number, not this month’s amount.
5. Retainage. Usually a percentage of line 4 (commonly 5–10%, per your contract, sometimes different rates for completed work vs stored materials). This is money you’ve earned but the owner holds until completion.
6. Total earned less retainage. Line 4 − line 5.
7. Less previous certificates for payment. Everything already certified on prior applications. Not what you applied for, what was certified. If the GC cut your last application, use the cut number.
8. Current payment due. Line 6 − line 7. The number everyone cares about.
9. Balance to finish, including retainage. Line 3 − line 6.

The three places pay apps go wrong

• Line 7 doesn’t match the certified history. The most common rejection. Keep a certified-amounts log, separate from what you applied for.
• Retainage drifts. If the rate changed mid-project (say, reduced at 50% completion), the cumulative retainage calculation has to reflect when the change took effect.
• The summary doesn’t tie to the continuation sheet. Every summary figure is the sum of a column. If you round line-by-line, the totals must reconcile to the penny.

Do it once with a safety net

Our free Excel template has this exact structure with every formula locked and machine-verified, so the sheet ties by construction. Enter your lines; the summary computes itself.

G702 and G703 are trademarks of the American Institute of Architects. This guide describes the general format; it is not affiliated with AIA, and your GC’s required form controls.