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 change orders, the certified history to date. Submit on time, defend the claim with records, and track certification, retainage and cash due without a spreadsheet.

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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, whether your contracts call them pay apps, progress billing or AIA-style payment applications (G702/G703). Archdesk generates each pay application from verified site progress, approved change orders and the certified history to date, then tracks it through certification, retainage and cash due, so the monthly pay application cycle runs on evidence.

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The application ready on time, every cycle

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

Claims argued from records, not recollection

Every pay application 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 pay application converts to an invoice automatically and syncs to your accounting software, with retainage 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 retainage is still held, so final billing is a record, not a reconstruction.

Two workers in hi-vis reviewing plans on a tablet

Automated Certificate Generation

Pay application certificates calculated from verified site progress, not assembled by hand. Retainage, previous payments and approved change orders are applied automatically.

Calculations driven by verified progress

Retainage applied automatically

Previous payments carried forward

Approved change orders included in the claim

Automated Certificate Generation screenshot

Pay Application Management

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

Interim pay applications and certified progress billing

Detailed cost breakdown per pay application

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

Notifications keep sign-off moving

Full approval audit trail

Payment Management

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

Pay applications convert to invoices automatically

Retainage and release dates monitored

Syncs with your accounting software

Global taxes and deductions supported

Reporting & Analytics

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

Pay application trend analysis across projects

Progress tracking reports

Financial forecasting from certified data

Cash flow projections per project

Pay applications and retainage, defined

A pay application is a periodic request, usually monthly, for the value of work delivered under a construction contract to date, which the payer assesses and certifies before paying. Retainage is a percentage of each certified amount held back, typically released in stages after completion. Together they are the payment mechanics most commercial teams live on: the applied, certified and paid amounts per application, the notices that go with them, and the retainage 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 change orders and the certified history, retainage is calculated, held and tracked to release on the same record, and the whole cycle feeds work-in-progress (WIP) reporting and the CVR (cost value reconciliation), so the commercial position is current rather than reconstructed.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Payment Applications

What is a payment application in construction?

A payment application (pay application) 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 change orders and the certified history to date, so the claim is assembled from records rather than memory.

How does Archdesk build a payment application?

Pay application certificates are calculated from verified site progress, not assembled by hand. Retainage, previous payments and approved change orders are applied automatically, so the application is ready on time, every cycle.

How do you defend a pay application the certifier disagrees with?

With dated records. Every pay application 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 pay application is certified?

The certified pay application converts to an invoice automatically and syncs with your accounting software. Retainage 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.

How are approvals and certification handled?

Certification moves through configurable multi-level approval workflows with digital signature capture, automated notifications keep sign-off moving, and the full approval audit trail stays on the record.

How do lien waivers fit into the payment application cycle?

In US practice, each pay application typically travels with an exchange of lien waivers alongside the retainage cycle: a conditional waiver before the money moves, an unconditional waiver once payment has cleared. Documents, approvals and payment records live on the same project record in Archdesk, so the paper trail sits with the numbers.