The AIA G702 Application and Certification for Payment and its companion form G703 Schedule of Values are the most widely used billing documents in commercial construction. Produced by the American Institute of Architects, they are accepted by virtually every construction lender as the standard pay application format. Yet they cause more draw rejections than almost any other element of the package — not because they are complicated, but because small errors in how they are filled in create inconsistencies that inspectors and lenders catch immediately.
This guide walks through every field on both forms, explains what reviewers look for, and lists the errors that trigger the most rejections.
What Is AIA G702?#
The AIA G702 is a one-page summary form. It captures the total contract sum, all change orders, the cumulative work completed and stored materials to date, retainage withheld, prior payments received, and the net amount due in the current application. The form requires certification by the architect of record and, on many projects, notarization by the contractor.
G702 is the face sheet. It is the number the lender uses to determine the disbursement amount. Every other document in the draw package — the G703, the invoices, the lien waivers — is backup that supports the number on G702.
Field-by-Field: AIA G702#
Application No. — Sequential number starting at 1. Never reuse a number. If you void an application, skip to the next number and note the void.
Period to: — The billing period end date. This should be consistent with your lien waiver dates and invoice dates. Mismatches here create audit flags.
Contract Date: — The original contract execution date, not the start-of-work date.
Project: — Full project name and address as shown on the contract. Use this exactly, not a nickname.
Contract Sum (Line 1): — Original contract amount before any change orders. This number never changes across applications.
Net Change by Change Orders (Line 2): — Cumulative net amount of all approved change orders through this application period. This increases or decreases line 1.
Contract Sum to Date (Line 3): — Line 1 plus Line 2. This is the total authorized contract value including all approved change orders.
Total Completed and Stored to Date (Line 4): — From Column G of the G703. This is the total of all work in place and stored materials through the current billing period.
Retainage (Lines 5a and 5b): — The percentage and dollar amount withheld on work completed and stored materials separately. Confirm these match your contract retainage provisions. Many contracts allow retainage to reduce after a certain percentage of completion — check whether your project has hit that threshold.
Total Earned Less Retainage (Line 6): — Line 4 minus Lines 5a and 5b. The total amount earned net of retainage.
Less Previous Certificates for Payment (Line 7): — The cumulative certified and paid amounts from all prior G702 applications. This must match your payment history exactly.
Current Payment Due (Line 8): — Line 6 minus Line 7. This is the net amount you are requesting in this application. It must match the draw amount in your cover letter and draw request form.
Balance to Finish, Including Retainage (Line 9): — Line 3 minus Line 6. This is what remains to complete the project including all withheld retainage.
What Is AIA G703?#
The G703 is the Schedule of Values continuation sheet. It breaks down the total contract into individual cost codes or line items, then tracks work completed, materials stored, retainage, and net due for each line separately. The column G totals on G703 flow directly into Line 4 of G702.
The G703 is the document lenders and inspectors scrutinize most carefully. An on-site inspector will compare the percentage-complete figures on each SOV line against what they observe on the project. Inflated percentages are the fastest way to damage your lender relationship on a construction loan.
Field-by-Field: AIA G703 Columns#
Column A — Item No.: Sequential line item number for cross-referencing with your internal cost codes.
Column B — Description of Work: Trade or work category. Group by CSI division where possible. Avoid overly granular line items that make the SOV unreadable; avoid overly broad items that make it hard to verify percentage complete.
Column C — Scheduled Value: The portion of the total contract value allocated to this line item. All Column C values must sum to the Contract Sum on G702. Never change a scheduled value mid-project without a change order. Rebalancing SOV values between line items without a change order is a red flag.
Column D — Work Completed From Previous Application: The cumulative amount certified through the prior application for this line item. This carries forward from the prior G703 and never changes.
Column E — Work Completed This Period: The amount of work completed on this line item during the current billing period. This is what your invoices and site observations should support.
Column F — Materials Presently Stored: Dollar value of materials purchased for this line item that are stored on-site or in approved off-site storage but not yet incorporated into the work. Materials stored must be supported by invoices and, for off-site storage, by insurance and a storage agreement.
Column G — Total Completed and Stored to Date: The sum of Columns D, E, and F. This is the total earned on this line item through the current period. The sum of all Column G values must equal Line 4 on G702.
Column H — Percentage: Column G divided by Column C. This percentage-complete figure is what an inspector will compare to observed field conditions. It should never exceed what can actually be verified on site.
Column I — Balance to Finish: Column C minus Column G. What remains to complete this line item.
Retainage columns: If your G703 format includes retainage by line, these show the retainage withheld on completed work and stored materials separately for each line item.
Common G702/G703 Errors That Cause Rejections#
- Column G total on G703 does not equal Line 4 on G702
- Line 7 (previous certificates) does not match the actual prior payment history
- Line 8 (current payment due) does not match the draw request form or cover letter
- Change orders approved after the prior draw are not reflected in Line 2
- Percentage complete on a line item exceeds what the inspector can verify on site
- Stored materials claimed without backup documentation
- Retainage rate applied inconsistently across line items or changed without contract authority
- Application number is out of sequence or duplicated from a prior period
G702/G703 and Your Construction Draw Package#
The G702 and G703 are the mathematical core of your draw package. Every other document either proves or supports the numbers on these forms. Your lien waivers should cover the vendors whose invoices support the Column E amounts. Your COIs should be valid for every subcontractor with work in Column E. Your change order log should account for every dollar in Line 2.
When you run a gap audit before submission, start with G702 Line 8 and work backward: does Line 7 match payment history, does Line 4 match Column G totals on G703, and does each G703 line item have the invoice backup, lien waiver, and COI to support it?
The River construction draw workflow performs this reconciliation automatically — extracting invoice amounts, mapping them to SOV lines, and flagging every G703 line that has a discrepancy or missing document before you submit.