AIA G702 — Application and Certificate for Payment
Updated May 18, 2026
AIA G702 is the standard one-page Application and Certificate for Payment used across U.S. construction — the document a contractor signs and submits to the owner or owner's architect to request payment for work completed during a billing period.
What AIA G702 actually is
The AIA G702 form, formally titled "Application and Certificate for Payment," is published by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and is the most widely used payment application document in U.S. construction. It originated in the 1960s and has been updated periodically — the current version most projects use is G702-1992.
G702 is a one-page summary form. It rolls up totals across several fields: original contract sum, net change by change orders, contract sum to date, total completed and stored to date, retainage, total earned less retainage, less previous certificates for payment, and current payment due. The contractor signs it, the architect or owner's representative certifies it, and it becomes the formal authorization for that period's payment.
G702 is almost always accompanied by the AIA G703 Continuation Sheet, which provides the line-by-line breakdown of the schedule of values. The G702 totals tie back to the G703 column totals.
Fields you need to verify on every G702
When a G702 lands on your desk, eight fields determine whether the payment is correct:
- Original Contract Sum: Matches the original signed contract.
- Net Change by Change Orders: Sum of all approved COs — must match your change order log.
- Contract Sum to Date: Original + net changes. Arithmetic check.
- Total Completed and Stored to Date: Pulled from G703 column G. Should equal column G total.
- Retainage: Percentage withheld (typically 5–10%). Must match contract terms.
- Total Earned Less Retainage: Completed minus retainage. Arithmetic check.
- Less Previous Certificates for Payment: Sum of every prior G702. Off-by-one errors are common here.
- Current Payment Due: The bottom line. Should reconcile to all of the above.
Catching errors in any one of these is a manual exercise that takes 20–45 minutes per draw on a typical residential build — longer on commercial. Kiron's Ella does it in seconds.
Where G702 review usually goes wrong
Three patterns we see across hundreds of G702s:
1. Retainage math drifts. Retainage is usually a flat percentage of work completed, but contracts sometimes call for retainage to be reduced after a milestone (e.g., 50% completion) or released on stored materials. Manual G702s frequently fail to reflect those reductions, leaving cash trapped.
2. Prior payments don't reconcile. The "Less Previous Certificates" field should equal the sum of every prior payment. On a 12-draw project, one transcription error compounds across every subsequent draw.
3. Change orders don't match the log. The "Net Change by Change Orders" total on the G702 is supposed to match your approved CO log exactly. When a CO is approved late or the G702 is filled out before it's signed, the numbers diverge.
How Kiron verifies every G702 automatically
When a G702 arrives in your project inbox, Ella reads it the moment it lands. She extracts every numbered field, pulls the matching G703 continuation sheet, matches the change order total to your approved CO log, and runs every arithmetic check above. If anything doesn't tie, she surfaces the specific field and the expected value — with the source document attached as evidence.
The result: G702 review goes from a 30-minute manual chore to a 30-second decision. The decision still belongs to your team — but it's backed by every check that used to happen on paper, run automatically.
Frequently asked
Is AIA G702 required by law?
No. G702 is a private-industry form, not a legal requirement. But most commercial contracts and many residential lending agreements require G702 (or a similar payment application) as the format for draw requests. If your contract says 'AIA standard payment application,' it means G702.
What's the difference between AIA G702 and G703?
G702 is the one-page summary cover sheet certifying payment. G703 is the multi-page continuation sheet showing the line-by-line schedule of values, work completed by line item, retainage, and totals. They are submitted together — G702 totals are pulled directly from G703 column totals.
Can a G702 include change orders that aren't fully approved?
It shouldn't. The 'Net Change by Change Orders' field is supposed to reflect only approved, signed change orders. Including pending change directives that haven't been signed inflates the contract sum and is one of the most common sources of G702 disputes. Kiron's Ella flags any CO that appears in the G702 total but isn't in your approved CO log.
How is retainage shown on G702?
G702 has a dedicated retainage section near the bottom that distinguishes retainage on completed work from retainage on stored materials (some contracts treat them differently). The retainage amount is subtracted from the total completed to give 'Total Earned Less Retainage.' Common error: applying the full retainage percentage when the contract calls for reduced retainage after a milestone.
How long does it take to review a G702 by hand?
A clean G702 with a clean G703 takes 20–45 minutes on a typical residential build, longer on commercial. The work involves: comparing every line item to the schedule of values, validating arithmetic at each line, reconciling the previous-payments column against your prior draws, and matching the change order total to your CO log. Kiron's Ella runs every check in seconds.
Verify your next G702 in 30 seconds
Forward your next AIA G702 to Ella. She'll run every check above and surface anything that doesn't tie — backed by source documents.