What Is the AIA G703 Continuation Sheet and How Does It Work With the G702?

Updated

The AIA G703 is the continuation sheet that itemizes the schedule of values behind a payment application. It lists each line item of work with its scheduled value, the value completed to date, materials stored, and the remaining balance. Those line totals roll up into the AIA G702, the one-page summary cover that states the total amount due. In practice, the G702 is what the owner or lender signs; the G703 is the backup that proves the number. You need both when a contract or lender requires the AIA format, and you can substitute a custom Excel template or CCDC-style form when the contract allows an alternative.

How the G702 and G703 divide the work

Form Role What it contains Who relies on it
AIA G702 Summary cover / application for payment Contract sum, change orders, total completed and stored, retainage, amount due, certification and signature blocks Owner, lender, architect for approval and payment
AIA G703 Continuation sheet / detailed backup Line-by-line schedule of values: item number, description, scheduled value, work completed, materials stored, balance to finish Quantity surveyors, architects, auditors checking the math

The G702 cannot stand alone: its "total completed and stored to date" line is a sum of the G703 line items. The G703 cannot stand alone either: it has no certification or amount-due statement. Together they form one application for payment.

What the G703 columns mean

A standard G703 line carries these fields:

  • Item number — a reference you keep stable across billing periods so reviewers can track a line over time.
  • Description of work — the trade or task, e.g. "Concrete slab, Level 2."
  • Scheduled value — the full contract value allocated to that line in the schedule of values.
  • Work completed (previous applications) — cumulative value billed before this period.
  • Work completed (this period) — the value earned in the current billing cycle.
  • Materials stored — value of materials delivered to site or stored off-site but not yet installed, if the contract allows billing for them.
  • Total completed and stored — previous plus this period plus stored materials.
  • Balance to finish — scheduled value minus total completed and stored.
  • Retainage — the percentage held back, often shown per line or as a single figure on the G702.

The bottom of the G703 totals each column. The "total completed and stored" total is the figure carried to the G702.

How the totals roll up into the G702

The flow is arithmetic, not judgment:

  1. Each G703 line's total completed and stored is summed.
  2. That sum becomes the G702's "total completed and stored to date."
  3. The G702 then subtracts retainage and previous payments to arrive at the current amount due.
  4. Change orders are added on the G702 (or tracked as separate G703 lines, depending on how the contract handles them).

If the G702 total does not match the G703 total, the application is usually rejected or returned for correction. That is why billing software that generates both forms from one data entry is common: it removes the reconciliation step.

Common uses beyond a single payment application

  • Schedule of values — the G703 structure is essentially a schedule of values, so contractors often build it once at contract award and reuse it every month.
  • Progress billing — the same line items carry forward, with only the "this period" and cumulative columns changing.
  • Alternatives — where the contract permits, contractors use CCDC-style forms in Canada or a custom Excel template. The website paymentapplication.com describes Paymee, an Excel-based tool that creates progress billings and payment applications and can print to AIA G702 paper (the AIA paper form is sold separately by AIA). It also offers American, Canadian (CCDC), and European Union (VAT/tax) templates, and supports unit-price line items entered by quantity and unit price. The tool is described as freeware and requires Microsoft Excel 2000 or later; no formulas need to be written.

Practical points before you fill one out

  • Confirm the required format in the contract or lender's instructions. AIA G702/G703 is standard in the US, but many contracts accept equivalents.
  • Keep item numbers stable across periods so reviewers can compare month to month.
  • Agree the schedule of values early — the G703 is only as good as the allocation behind it, and owners often require it before the first application.
  • Check retainage rules — whether retainage applies to stored materials and completed work can change the amount due materially.
  • Match the totals before submission; a G702 that disagrees with its G703 is the most common cause of a returned application.

If your contract mandates the AIA format, plan on producing both forms every billing cycle. If it allows alternatives, an Excel-based template that generates a summary and detail sheet from one entry can save the reconciliation work — provided the output still satisfies the owner or lender's review requirements.