How to Fill Out AIA G702 and G703: A Line-by-Line Guide for GCs

By Adam Hicks, CooperBuild AI · November 1, 2026

How do you fill out AIA G702 and G703? Fill out the G703 Continuation Sheet first, one row per line of your approved schedule of values, then carry its totals onto the G702 Application and Certificate for Payment. The G702 is nine lines of arithmetic: contract sum, change orders, work completed and stored, retainage, previous certificates, and the current payment due. Most rejected pay apps come from numbers that don't tie between the two forms, not from the work itself.

That order (continuation sheet first, summary second) is what AIA Contract Documents itself recommends in its guide to completing payment applications (opens in a new tab). Below is a plain-English walkthrough of every column and line, a worked example, and the mistakes that send a pay app back to you.

#What are the AIA G702 and G703 forms?

The G702–1992 is the Application and Certificate for Payment. It's the one-page summary the contractor signs and the architect certifies. The G703–1992 is the Continuation Sheet, which breaks the contract sum into portions of the work based on the schedule of values you submitted at the start of the job.

According to AIA's instructions for the G702 (opens in a new tab), the pair has to show the contract sum to date, the work completed and stored to date, retainage, previous payments, a summary of change orders, and the amount you're asking for now. The contractor signs the G702, has it notarized, and submits it with the G703 to the architect, who certifies it or certifies a different amount and initials what changed.

The AIA forms are copyrighted and licensed through AIA Contract Documents, so many owners and GCs use the AIA forms themselves while others accept a lookalike in the same layout. Check your contract for which one is required.

#How do you fill out the G703 Continuation Sheet?

Start here, because every number on the G702 comes from this sheet. Here's what each column holds:

• Column A, Item No. and Column B, Description of Work. These match your approved schedule of values, broken out by section of work or by subcontractor. Keep the same rows for the life of the job.
• Column C, Scheduled Value. The dollar value of each line. On day one the total equals the original contract sum.
• Column D, From Previous Application. Work completed on earlier pay apps (columns D and E from the last application). Don't carry stored materials into this column.
• Column E, This Period. Work completed during this pay period, including stored materials from last month that are now installed.
• Column F, Materials Presently Stored. Materials on hand but not yet installed that you're billing for. Recalculate this every period, and move items to column E as they're installed.
• Column G, Total Completed and Stored to Date. D + E + F. Divide G by C for percent complete.
• Column H, Balance to Finish. C minus G.
• Column I, Retainage. Only needed when the contract allows a different retainage rate by line item. If retainage is one flat rate, you can leave it blank.

Sales tax can be included in each line or listed as its own line. Either way it ends up in column G.

#How do you fill out the G702 Application for Payment?

Once the G703 is done, the G702 is mostly transfers and subtraction:

1. Original Contract Sum. From the signed contract.
2. Net Change by Change Orders. From the change order summary at the bottom of the form.
3. Contract Sum to Date. Line 1 plus or minus Line 2.
4. Total Completed and Stored to Date. The column G total from the G703.
5. Retainage. Your retainage percentage applied to completed work and stored materials, or the column I total if retainage varies by line.
6. Total Earned Less Retainage. Line 4 minus Line 5.
7. Less Previous Certificates for Payment. Line 6 from your last certified application.
8. Current Payment Due. Line 6 minus Line 7.
9. Balance to Finish, Including Retainage. Line 3 minus Line 6.

#What does a completed G702 look like? A worked example

The numbers below are example figures for illustration only, not from a real job. Say you have a $500,000 contract with $20,000 in approved change orders and 10% retainage:

• Line 1, original contract sum: $500,000
• Line 2, net change by change orders: $20,000
• Line 3, contract sum to date: $520,000
• Line 4, total completed and stored to date (G703 column G): $208,000
• Line 5, retainage at 10%: $20,800
• Line 6, total earned less retainage: $187,200
• Line 7, less previous certificates: $126,000
• Line 8, current payment due: $61,200
• Line 9, balance to finish including retainage: $332,800

If Line 4 doesn't match the column G total to the penny, or Line 7 doesn't match last month's Line 6, expect a call from the architect.

#How should change orders show up on a pay app?

AIA's guidance is to list change orders separately rather than rewriting the original schedule of values. Add each approved change order as its own line at the bottom of the G703 (or on a separate continuation sheet), then fill in the change order summary on the G702 so it feeds Line 2. A deductive change order goes on the G703 with a minus sign and in the deductions column of the G702 summary.

Only bill executed change orders. Pending or disputed changes belong in your change order log, not on the pay app, until they're signed.

#How is retainage calculated on a G702?

On a flat-rate job, retainage is the contract percentage times completed work, with stored materials handled however your contract says. On a variable-rate job, you calculate it line by line in column I and carry the total to Line 5.

Retainage terms are set by your contract and limited by state law. CFMA notes (opens in a new tab) that states cap how much can be held and for how long, often at 5% or 10%, with release timing that ranges from substantial completion to final acceptance. Read the retainage clause before your first pay app, especially any step-down at 50% complete.

#What are the most common G702/G703 mistakes?

• Retainage that doesn't tie. A subcontractor on r/electrical (opens in a new tab) described a GC rejecting their pay app because the retainage on the G702 didn't match the continuation sheet, and said it took three weeks to get paid.
• Stored materials double-counted. Material billed as stored last month has to move from column F to column E once it's installed, not show up in both.
• A schedule of values that changes shape. Renaming or regrouping lines midway through the job makes the architect re-check everything. We wrote about why that happens in Bill from the scope you won.
• Front-loading too hard. Weighting early line items helps cash flow, but owners and architects notice when percent complete runs ahead of the work in place.
• Billing unsigned changes. Pending change orders on Line 2 are a fast way to get the whole application kicked back.
• Missing backup. Many owners also want lien waivers, stored-material invoices, and certified payroll on public jobs. Ask for the full package list before the first billing.

#Should you do pay apps in Excel or software?

Plenty of GCs run pay apps in Excel, and a well-built spreadsheet with locked formulas works. The risk is that it's a separate copy of your scope. Every month someone re-keys percent complete, re-checks retainage, and hopes the totals still match the estimate and the books. That's the same rebuild we describe in The Procore + Excel + QuickBooks stack.

Whatever tool you use, the test is simple. Can you trace every number on the G702 back to the schedule of values, the signed change orders, and last month's certificate in under a minute?

#Where CooperBuild AI fits

CooperBuild AI keeps estimating, the job, and billing in one workspace, so your pay app starts from the scope you actually won instead of a new spreadsheet. Assistants do the paperwork, such as drafting the monthly billing from the job, and you approve every change before anything goes to an owner. You still review and sign what you bill.

If pay apps eat a day of your month, start a 14-day free trial, no credit card needed, and run next month's billing on one live job.

#FAQ

#What is the difference between AIA G702 and G703?

The G702 is the one-page Application and Certificate for Payment that summarizes the contract sum, retainage and payment due, and that the contractor signs and the architect certifies. The G703 is the Continuation Sheet that lists each schedule of values line with its scheduled value, work completed, and stored materials.

#Do you fill out the G702 or G703 first?

Fill out the G703 first. AIA Contract Documents recommends completing the Continuation Sheet first because the G702's completed-and-stored total comes straight from G703 column G.

#Does the AIA G702 have to be notarized?

AIA's instructions say the contractor should sign the G702 and have it notarized before submitting it with the G703. Your contract or owner may have additional or different signing requirements, so check them.

#How do you show stored materials on a G703?

Enter materials on hand but not yet installed in column F, Materials Presently Stored. When they're installed, move their value into column E for that period so they aren't counted twice.

#Can I use Excel for AIA pay applications?

Yes, many contractors do, as long as the owner accepts the format. Use locked formulas so column G, retainage and the G702 lines tie out, and check whether your contract requires the licensed AIA forms.