How to Fill Out AIA G702 and G703 Step by Step (Contractor's Guide)

If you're a subcontractor or general contractor in the United States, sooner or later someone will ask you to submit an AIA G702 — Application and Certificate for Payment along with its AIA G703 — Continuation Sheet to process your payment. Filling them out correctly is the difference between getting paid on time and spending two weeks arguing by email with the general contractor.

In this guide I'll walk you through how to fill them out, the most common mistakes, and how to handle retainage and change orders without losing money.

What are the G702 and G703

They're two standard forms from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) that most general contractors and owners use to process progress payments on construction projects.

• G702 (Application and Certificate for Payment): the "cover" of the package. Summarizes how much work has been completed, how much has been paid, how much is retained (retainage), and how much is being requested in this application.
• G703 (Continuation Sheet): the line-by-line detail. Each item from the schedule of values shows its original value, how much was completed before, how much was completed this period, materials stored, and percent complete.

Think of it this way: the G703 is the itemized list, the G702 is the signed and certified total summary.

What you need before you start

Before opening the form, gather these:

1. The signed contract with your client (general contractor or owner).
2. The approved Schedule of Values (SOV) — the list of work items with their pricing.
3. The billing period you'll invoice ("from" and "to" dates).
4. The actual percent complete for each item in that period.
5. All approved change orders to date (each with its number and amount).
6. The agreed retainage (typical: 10% during construction, released at the end).
7. Materials stored on-site or off-site if applicable.

If you don't have an SOV signed by both parties, don't send any application yet. The SOV is the foundation. Without it, your G702 may be rejected.

Step by step: filling out the G703 (do this first)

Even though the G702 is the cover sheet, in practice you fill out the G703 first because its totals feed into the G702.

Column A — Item No.

Numbering for each item. Usually 1, 2, 3... following the order of the contract.

Column B — Description of Work

Description of each SOV item. Be specific: "Framing — second floor" is better than just "Framing".

Column C — Scheduled Value

The original contract value for that item. This column doesn't change month to month (unless you have a change order that modifies it).

Columns D and E — Work Completed (From Previous Application + This Period)

• D: what you've already invoiced in previous applications.
• E: what you're invoicing in this new period.

If it's your first application, D = 0.

Column F — Materials Presently Stored

Materials you've already purchased but haven't installed yet. Only count those stored under secure, documentable conditions (most owners require photos and invoices).

Column G — Total Completed and Stored to Date

G = D + E + F

This is the sum of everything you're claiming to date on that item.

Column H — Percent (G / C)

H = G / C expressed as a percentage. Indicates how complete the item is.

Column I — Balance to Finish

I = C - G

What's left to work and invoice on that item.

Column J — Retainage

Amount retained in this application. If your contract says 10% retainage:

J = G × 0.10

Step by step: filling out the G702

Once the G703 is complete, the totals roll up to the G702. The key fields:

1. Original Contract Sum — Original contract value.
2. Net Change by Change Orders — Net sum of approved change orders (can be positive or negative).
3. Contract Sum to Date — Original + Net change orders. This is the updated total contract value.
4. Total Completed & Stored to Date — Comes directly from the total column G of the G703.
5. Retainage — Sum of the total column J of the G703.
6. Total Earned Less Retainage — Total completed - Retainage.
7. Less Previous Certificates for Payment — Total you've already collected in previous applications.
8. Current Payment Due — Total earned less retainage - Previous certificates. This is the check you're requesting in this application.
9. Balance to Finish, Including Retainage — What's left of the contract.

Sign, date, and submit with the G703 attached.

How to handle change orders

Each approved change order is added to the G703 as an additional line, not mixed in with the original lines. This is important for traceability.

Example:

Item	Description	Scheduled Value
1	Framing	$50,000
2	Drywall	$20,000
3	CO #1 — Extra framing 2nd floor	$5,000

If the change order modifies an existing item (for example, changes the scope of framing), the amount goes on a separate line and is noted in the description. Never modify the original "Scheduled Value" — that breaks the audit trail.

Common mistakes (that will delay your payment)

1. Math errors in the totals between G702 and G703.
2. Forgetting to include retainage or calculating it wrong.
3. Billing more than 100% of a line item (% complete > 100).
4. Stored materials without documentation (no photos, no invoices, no bill of sale).
5. Not signing and dating the G702.
6. Claiming work that hasn't started yet — the owner catches it on inspection and rejects the application.
7. Not including approved change orders in the updated contract sum.
8. Confusing Net Change Orders with Total Change Orders — they're different things.

What if the GC requires a different format?

Many general contractors use platforms like Textura, GCPay, Sage Paperless or proprietary variants of the AIA. The logic is the same: schedule of values, % complete, retainage, change orders, net payable. Only the screen changes.

What matters: your schedule of values must align with the one both parties signed. If you submit a G702 with line items different from the original SOV, it gets rejected.

When does it make sense to outsource your G702/G703?

If:

• You have more than 2 active projects at once.
• You spend more than 3 hours a month preparing these applications.
• You've had applications rejected in the last 3 months.
• You'd rather spend that time selling more work, not doing paperwork.

It's worth outsourcing. At 3DK Multi Services we prepare monthly G702/G703 per project, with professional handling of retainage and change orders.

Have specific questions about your application? Get in touch — the first consultation is free.