AIA G702 vs G703: What's the Difference and When You Need Both

If you're billing a general contractor or owner on a commercial project, you've likely been asked to submit a pay application using AIA forms. Most contractors know they need a G702 and a G703 — but fewer understand what each one actually does, why they exist as separate documents, and when you need one versus both.

This guide explains both forms clearly, how they work together, and what mistakes to avoid when submitting them.

What is the AIA G702?

The G702 is the Application and Certificate for Payment. It's the cover sheet of your pay application — the summary document that shows the top-line numbers for the billing period.

The G702 contains:

• Contract sum (original contract amount)
• Change orders approved to date
• Total contract value including change orders
• Work completed this period
• Total work completed and stored materials to date
• Retainage amount being withheld
• Previous payments received
• Current amount due
• Balance to finish

The G702 is signed by the contractor and typically certified by the architect or owner's representative before payment is released. It functions as a formal invoice — but it only summarizes the numbers. The actual line-by-line breakdown lives in the G703.

What is the AIA G703?

The G703 is the Continuation Sheet. It's the line-by-line backup for the numbers on the G702 — the schedule of values that shows exactly how the contract amount is broken down and how much of each line item has been completed.

The G703 contains:

• Each line item from the schedule of values (e.g., Mobilization, Labor, Materials, Equipment)
• The scheduled value (contract amount) for each line item
• Work completed in previous periods
• Work completed this period
• Materials stored on site
• Total completed and stored to date
• Percentage complete for each line item
• Balance remaining per line item
• Retainage per line item

How G702 and G703 work together

The two forms are designed to be submitted as a package. The G703 provides the detailed backup, and the totals from the G703 flow up to the G702 summary. If the numbers don't match between the two documents, the pay application will be rejected.

Think of it this way: the G702 is what the owner signs and what triggers payment. The G703 is what the GC reviews to verify that the percentage complete claimed on each line item is accurate before they pass the G702 up to the owner for approval.

When do you need G702 only vs. both?

Situation	What you need
Lump sum commercial contract with a GC	G702 + G703
Contract requiring AIA billing per spec section 01 29 00	G702 + G703
Simple single-line-item subcontract	G702 only (sometimes acceptable)
Time and materials billing	G702 + T&M backup (not G703)
Residential project, no AIA requirement	Neither required — standard invoice

In practice, if you're doing commercial work and billing a GC, assume you need both unless they explicitly tell you otherwise. GCs who require AIA billing almost always want the full package.

The schedule of values — the foundation of the G703

Before you can fill out a G703 on your first billing, you need an approved schedule of values. This is the breakdown of your contract into individual line items with assigned dollar values that add up to your contract sum.

Getting the schedule of values right matters more than most contractors realize. A front-loaded schedule of values (putting more value on early line items like mobilization and materials) improves cash flow. A poorly structured schedule creates billing disputes and payment delays later.

The schedule of values is submitted early in the project — often before the first pay application — and must be approved by the GC or architect before billing begins.

Common mistakes contractors make with G702/G703

• Submitting without an approved schedule of values. If your schedule of values hasn't been approved, your pay application will be sent back.
• Totals not matching between G702 and G703. The math has to be exact. A single discrepancy and the whole application gets rejected.
• Overbilling percentage complete. Claiming a line item is 90% complete when it's 70% complete is a fast way to lose trust with a GC and create retainage disputes at closeout.
• Not including stored materials properly. Materials stored on site but not yet installed can be billed — but they require documentation (invoices, delivery receipts) and need to be listed separately in the G703.
• Missing the billing deadline. Most GCs have a fixed billing cutoff — usually the 25th of the month for the following month's payment. Missing it by a day means waiting 30 more days for payment.

How to automate G702/G703 generation

The most painful part of AIA billing isn't understanding the forms — it's building them from scratch every billing cycle. If you're on JobTread, your job data already contains the schedule of values, cost tracking, and invoicing history needed to populate both forms automatically.

An AIA invoice generator built on top of JobTread pulls your job's contract amount, schedule of values, work completed percentages, and previous billing data to populate the G702 and G703 in minutes rather than hours. The result is a properly formatted pay application that's ready to submit — no spreadsheet required.

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