Subcontractor Pay Application Checklist
Steps a project engineer or project accountant runs to process a subcontractor pay application from receipt through funding, including SOV reconciliation, lien waiver collection, and certified payroll verification on prevailing-wage jobs.
Pay Application Intake
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Confirm pay app received by cutoff
Most subcontracts set a monthly cutoff (typically the 25th) for pay app submission. Late submissions get held to the next cycle. Verify the AIA G702 / G703 (or owner-required form) arrived through the contracted channel — Procore Invoicing, GCPay, Textura, or email.
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Verify subcontract and exhibits are current
Pull the executed subcontract, latest change orders, and bonding documentation. Pay app values cannot exceed the contract sum plus approved COs — a common rejection reason is billing against an unsigned PCO.
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Capture pay application metadataCollects text Collects date Collects number Collects file
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Confirm prevailing-wage status
Federal Davis-Bacon and state "little Davis-Bacon" jobs require certified payroll (WH-347) tied to each pay period. If this project carries a wage determination, the certified-payroll review path activates downstream.
Collects list
Schedule of Values Reconciliation
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Reconcile G703 line items against the SOV
Confirm each G703 line matches the approved schedule of values — no new line items, no reallocation between codes without a written SOV revision. Front-loading is the most common dispute on early pay apps.
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Verify percent complete with the superintendent
Walk the work-in-place with the area super or foreman. Compare to last month's reported percent complete and the three-week look-ahead. If billed percent exceeds observed install, kick back for revision before routing.
Collects list -
Return pay app for revision
Issue a written rejection in Procore / GCPay with the disputed line items and observed percent. The sub resubmits; the pay-period clock restarts per the subcontract's terms.
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Validate stored materials documentation
Stored materials require bill of sale, photos, off-site storage agreement (if applicable), insurance rider naming the owner, and segregation/tagging on site. Owners commonly reject stored materials lacking any one of these.
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Confirm retainage held per contract
Verify retainage rate (commonly 5% or 10%, with reduction at 50% complete on some contracts) and that it is calculated on this period's billing plus stored materials per the subcontract language.
Lien Waiver Collection
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Collect conditional partial waiver for current period
Use the state's statutory form where required (CA Civil Code 8132 conditional progress, FL 713.20, TX statutory). Conditional partial waiver is required with this pay app; unconditional partial covers the prior period now being paid.
Collects file -
Collect unconditional waiver for prior payment
The unconditional partial covers funds the sub has now received. Do not release the current pay app's check without the prior period's unconditional in hand — this is the gotcha that creates double-payment exposure.
Collects file -
Collect lower-tier sub and supplier waivers
Cross-reference the sub's preliminary notice list (20-day notices in CA, NOC parties in FL, etc.) against waivers received. Any noticing party without a waiver this cycle is an open lien-rights exposure — flag for joint check or bond claim review.
Compliance Verification
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Verify certificate of insurance is current
Check GL, WC, Auto, and any project-specific endorsements (additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory). A lapsed COI mid-project is a stop-payment trigger and a contract default event.
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Review WH-347 certified payroll for the period
On Davis-Bacon and state prevailing-wage jobs, verify each worker's classification matches the wage determination, fringe rates are correct, and the Statement of Compliance is signed. Missing or wrong-classification certified payroll is the most common DOL audit finding.
Collects file -
Confirm OSHA 10/30 and site-access training
Federal projects and many states (NY, CT, MA, MO) require OSHA 10 for workers and OSHA 30 for supervisors within the last 5 years. Confirm rosters in HammerTech / ISNetworld match the workers on the certified payroll.
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Apply pending back-charges and offsets
Review open back-charges in the project log: cleanup, damaged work, missed schedule milestones, hoisting, dumpster usage. Notice of back-charge must have been issued in writing per the subcontract before deduction; tally the period's offset against this pay app.
Approval and Funding
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Route to project manager for approval
PM reviews the reconciled G703, COR adjustments, retainage calculation, and any back-charges. Approval routes to project executive on amounts above the PM's authority threshold (commonly $100K or contract-defined).
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Issue final approval decisionCollects list Collects signature Collects paragraph
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Submit owner pay app and request funding
Roll the approved sub pay app into the consolidated owner G702 / G703. Most owner contracts have a 25th-of-month submission and 30-day net pay; confirm the funding draw aligns with the prime contract's prompt-pay schedule.
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Release payment to the subcontractor
Release ACH or check after owner funds clear. Most state prompt-pay statutes require pay-when-paid releases within 7-10 days of GC receipt. Issue joint checks where lower-tier waivers are still outstanding and a noticing party is at risk.
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