AIA Document G702 (Application and Certificate for Payment) and G703 (Continuation Sheet) are the two-part payment-application form most U.S. construction projects use to bill the owner or lender for work in place. G702 is the cover page that states the total amount being requested. G703 is the line-item schedule that proves how that total was calculated. This guide walks through every field on both forms, with a worked example from a residential build.
The worked example
Throughout this guide, the example project is the seed project we use across BuilderGrid: 926 Stratford, a 1,784-square-foot single-family build in Sweetwater, TN, contract value $430,250. The example is the third draw on this project, four months into a nine-month schedule.
Filling in G703 first
Most builders write G702 last. The cover sheet totals come from G703, so finishing G703 prevents copy-paste errors that lenders catch and bounce back.
Column A: Item number
Sequential identifier for each line. Use whatever numbering convention the contract uses. Do not renumber between draws; the lender cross-references item numbers across periods.
Column B: Description of work
Trade or division name (Sitework, Foundation, Framing, MEP rough, Drywall, Finish carpentry, Finishes, Final). Match the contract’s schedule of values exactly. New lines mid-project trigger a change order, not a relabel.
Column C: Scheduled value
The contract dollar amount for this line. The total of column C across every line equals the contract sum. On 926 Stratford, the framing line is $48,200. That figure does not change between draws unless a change order modifies it.
Column D: Work completed from previous applications
Cumulative dollars billed against this line in all prior draws. Carries forward from the prior G703’s column G. On the third draw of 926 Stratford, framing column D is $33,740 (the cumulative total from draws one and two).
Column E: Work completed this period
Dollars of work completed against this line during this billing period. On framing, the third draw shows $14,460 of work completed (framing is now 100% complete). E plus D should never exceed C.
Column F: Materials presently stored
Dollars of material on site, paid for, and not yet incorporated into the work. Drywall delivered to the site but not yet hung is the canonical example. Lenders almost always ask for invoice and photo support before approving F.
Column G: Total completed and stored to date
Sum of D + E + F. This is the cumulative billable on this line through the current period. On framing at draw three: $33,740 + $14,460 + $0 = $48,200, equal to the scheduled value. Framing is closed out.
Column H: Percentage complete
G divided by C, expressed as a percentage. Framing on draw three: 100%.
Column I: Balance to finish
C minus G. The remaining contract value on this line. Framing: $0.
Column J: Retainage
Total retainage held against this line through the current period. If the contract specifies 10% retainage, framing line J is $4,820 (10% of $48,200). Retainage releases on substantial completion, not when the line itself finishes.
Totals row
Sum each column. The total of column G is the cumulative work in place across the entire project. The total of column J is the cumulative retainage held. Both numbers move to G702.
Filling in G702
The cover sheet has nine numbered fields above the signature block.
- Original contract sum. The contract value before change orders. On 926 Stratford: $430,250.
- Net change by change orders. Sum of approved change orders to date. Reference the change-order log. If there are no change orders, write $0.
- Contract sum to date. Line 1 plus line 2.
- Total completed and stored to date. Pulls from G703 column G total. On the third draw of 926 Stratford: $213,400.
- Retainage. 5a (retainage on completed work) plus 5b (retainage on stored materials). Pulls from G703 column J total: $21,340.
- Total earned less retainage. Line 4 minus line 5: $192,060 on this draw.
- Less previous certificates for payment. Cumulative dollars paid through prior draws. On the third draw, the sum of certified amounts from draws one and two: $148,500.
- Current payment due. Line 6 minus line 7. The wire amount requested this period: $43,560.
- Balance to finish, including retainage. Contract sum to date minus line 6: $238,190.
The signature block
The contractor signs and dates the application. Many lenders require notarization on residential projects, especially private and hard-money lenders. The architect (on AIA contracts) or the owner’s representative countersigns once the work is verified, certifying the amount the owner or lender approves for payment. The certified amount can be lower than the applied amount; the difference shows on a separate line.
Common errors that bounce a draw
- Column G total on G703 does not match line 4 on G702. Almost always a copy-paste error from a prior draw template.
- Column D forgets to roll forward column G from the prior draw. The line shows zero prior billing on a draw that is not the first.
- Stored materials in column F without invoice and photo support attached. Lenders bounce these on sight.
- Retainage rate inconsistent with contract. Contract says 10%, draw shows 5%. Common when a template was reused from a prior project.
- Line item billed past 100% complete. Column G exceeds column C. The math allows this; the contract does not.
What automating this looks like
Once a project’s schedule of values is captured in a structured system and transactions are coded against line items as they happen, every column on G703 is derivable. Column D rolls forward from prior periods automatically. Column E is the sum of transactions in the current period. Column F is the sum of stored-material transactions with photo support attached. Column G is D + E + F. The totals roll up to G702 fields 4 and 5 without retyping.
The work that remains is reading the photos, walking the site, and confirming that the work in place matches the percentage complete. That work cannot be automated; the form-filling part can.