How to fill out an AIA G702 application for payment
The G702 is the one-page summary of what you are owed this period. It only works if every line reconciles to the G703 continuation sheet behind it. Here is the order to fill it in, and the two arithmetic rules that cause most rejections.
What you will do
- Complete each G702 line in order
- Reconcile the summary to the G703
- Apply the right retainage rule
Why the G702 gets kicked back
It is a reconciliation document, not an invoice. The summary has to agree with the continuation sheet: Total Completed and Stored to Date on the G702 must equal the Column G grand total on the G703. If those two numbers disagree by a dollar, expect the whole application back.
Current payment due is incremental, not cumulative. It is calculated against amounts previously certified, so one miscarried figure in an earlier period cascades forward through every application after it.
Retainage is where Florida specifics bite. The percentage you may hold back depends on what kind of project you are on, and a generic invoicing tool has no idea which regime applies to yours.
The forms are copyrighted. AIA licenses its documents, which is why software that is not an AIA licensee reproduces the structure and the math on its own template rather than the official layout.
Filling in the G702, in order
- 1
Fill the G703 continuation sheet first
The summary is derived from the sheet, not the other way round. Each schedule-of-values line carries scheduled value, work completed in previous periods, work completed this period, and materials stored.
- 2
Carry the completed-and-stored total up to Line 4
Line 4 is the Column G grand total from the G703, carried up. If those two numbers disagree by a dollar, expect the application back. Lines 1 to 3 hold the original contract sum, net approved change orders, and the contract sum to date; only executed change orders belong there.
- 3
Apply retainage, then compute current payment due
Line 5 is retainage on completed work and stored materials at the rate your project allows. Lines 6 to 8 take total earned less retainage less previous certificates, which makes Line 8 incremental against what has already been certified. Line 9, balance to finish, is what a lender reads to judge whether the remaining money finishes the remaining work.
- 4
Download the application
FL Permit Pay produces the summary and continuation sheet together on its own template, following the G702 and G703 structure without reproducing the copyrighted AIA layout.
- 5
Send reviewed totals to accounting
Once the schedule and the summary agree, export the reviewed record. The export does not replace your own accounting review.
- 6
Keep it with the job it bills
File the application against the job record so the next reviewer has the customer, the scope, and the prior periods in front of them.
Florida retainage, with the citations
- Private Florida projects: retainage is contract-driven and not capped by statute. Fla. Stat. 715.12 governs prompt payment on private work and sets no maximum percentage, so the contract decides.
- State public construction: retainage is capped at 5% of each progress payment under Fla. Stat. 255.078, which does not apply to projects under $200,000.
- Local public work: 5% under Fla. Stat. 218.735, with a small-entity 10% allowance.
- FL Permit Pay computes the G702 and G703 math on its own template rather than reproducing the copyrighted AIA layout, and checks that the summary total agrees with the continuation sheet before you download. This is decision support, not legal advice; confirm which retainage regime governs your job.
Common questions
What is the difference between the G702 and the G703?
The G702 is the one-page application and certificate for payment, the summary the owner or GC signs. The G703 is the continuation sheet listing every schedule-of-values line with its scheduled value, work completed previously and this period, materials stored, total completed and stored, percentage, balance to finish, and retainage. The G702 summarises the G703, and Total Completed and Stored on the summary must equal the Column G grand total on the sheet.
How much retainage can be withheld in Florida?
It depends on the project. Private work is contract-driven with no statutory cap (Fla. Stat. 715.12). State public work caps at 5% under Fla. Stat. 255.078, which does not apply below $200,000. Local public work caps at 5% under Fla. Stat. 218.735 with a small-entity 10% allowance. Confirm which applies before you bill.
Why does my current payment due look wrong?
Almost always because it was calculated cumulatively instead of incrementally. Line 8 is total earned less retainage less previous certificates for payment, so any earlier period that was certified for a different amount than you recorded will throw off every application after it.
Put the guide to work.
Prepare an AIA-style pay application whose summary and continuation sheet cannot disagree, then send it with the retainage rule your project actually sits under.