Payment Applications & Certificates of Work

The work is done. Getting paid for it shouldn't be a project.

Applications built from what the project already knows: progress from site, approved variations, the certified history to date. Submit on time, defend the claim with records, and track certification, retention and cash due without a spreadsheet.

Get Started

Trusted by construction companies of every size, worldwide

Applications built from measured progress, certified without the argument

Payment application software builds a defensible claim by assembling it from project records instead of memory. Archdesk generates each application for payment from verified site progress, approved variations and the certified history to date, then tracks it through certification, retention and cash due, so the monthly valuation cycle runs on evidence.

Civil engineer holding a tablet with the city skyline behind

The application ready on time, every cycle

Each claim assembles itself from site progress, approved variations and the cumulative certified history, with retention and previous payments calculated automatically.

Claims argued from records, not recollection

Every valuation carries its evidence: cost breakdowns, progress photos, quantity verification and supporting documents, so a certifier who disagrees is answered with dated records.

Certification that does not drift

Multi-level approvals with digital signatures move each certificate through sign-off, and automated notifications stop it waiting in an inbox.

Certified value becomes cash you can see

Once certified, the valuation converts to an invoice automatically and syncs to your accounting software, with retention releases and cash due monitored to the day.

An audit trail from applied to certified to paid

Every application carries its full history: what was applied for, what was certified, what was paid and what retention is still held, so the final account is a record, not a reconstruction.

Two workers in hi-vis reviewing plans on a tablet

Automated Certificate Generation

Valuation certificates calculated from verified site progress, not assembled by hand. Retention, previous payments and approved variations are applied automatically.

Calculations driven by verified progress

Retention (retainage) applied automatically

Previous payments carried forward

Approved variations included in the claim

Automated Certificate Generation screenshot

Valuation Management

Every valuation carries its evidence. Cost breakdowns, progress photos and quantity checks sit on the claim itself, so disagreements are settled from dated records.

Interim valuations and applications for payment

Detailed cost breakdown per valuation

Progress photos attached as evidence

Quantity verification tools

Supporting documents on every claim

Approval Process

Certification moves through configurable approval steps with digital signatures, and automated notifications stop the certificate sitting in an inbox.

Multi-level approval workflows

Digital signature capture

Payment notices and payless notices supported

Notifications keep sign-off moving

Full approval audit trail

Payment Management

Once certified, the valuation converts to an invoice automatically and the money is tracked to the day: retention, release dates and payment history in one place.

Valuations convert to invoices automatically

Retention and release dates monitored

Syncs with your accounting software

Global taxes and deductions supported

Reporting & Analytics

See how certification is running across every project. Valuation trends, forecasts and cash projections come from the same certified data, so there is nothing to reconcile.

Valuation trend analysis across projects

Progress tracking reports

Financial forecasting from certified data

Cash flow projections per project

Applications for payment and retention, defined

An application for payment is a periodic claim, usually monthly, for the value of work delivered under a construction contract to date, which the payer assesses and certifies before paying. Retention is a percentage of each certified amount held back, typically released in stages after completion and the end of the defects period. Together they are the payment mechanics most UK commercial teams live on: the applied, certified and paid amounts per application, the notices that must go with them, and the retention ledger of what is still held on every contract.

Plenty of pages define these terms. The difference here is that Archdesk runs them as records: each application assembles from verified site progress, approved variations and the certified history, retention is calculated, held and tracked to release on the same record, and the whole cycle feeds the monthly CVR (cost value reconciliation), so the commercial position is current rather than reconstructed.

Want the background first? Browse all payments and valuations guides.

Frequently Asked Questions: Payment Applications

What is a payment application in construction?

A payment application (application for payment, or interim valuation) is the claim a contractor submits for the value of work completed in a period. Archdesk builds each application from what the project already knows: verified site progress, approved variations and the certified history to date, so the claim is assembled from records rather than memory.

How does Archdesk build an application for payment?

Valuation certificates are calculated from verified site progress, not assembled by hand. Retention (retainage), previous payments and approved variations are applied automatically, so the application is ready on time, every cycle.

How do you defend a valuation the certifier disagrees with?

With dated records. Every valuation carries its evidence on the claim itself: detailed cost breakdowns, progress photos, quantity verification and supporting documents, so disagreements are settled from what was recorded, not what was remembered.

What happens after a valuation is certified?

The certified valuation converts to an invoice automatically and syncs with your accounting software. Retention and release dates are monitored, and cash due is tracked to the day, with the full history from applied to certified to paid on one record.

Does Archdesk support payment notices and payless notices?

Yes. Certification moves through configurable multi-level approval workflows with digital signature capture, payment notices and payless notices are supported, and the full approval audit trail stays on the record.