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The payment certificate came in lower than we applied for

Contractor side: Payment

We applied for one figure and the certificate is lower. How do we see why, and what do we do about it?

Where the contract stands

The Project Manager makes its own assessment and does not have to adopt your figure, but the certificate should show how the amount was reached (51.1 in NEC4, 50.4 in NEC3). What is certified is what you will be paid this cycle unless a notice changes it, which is a separate point from what you are owed in the end. Note the time limits for disputes in your contract.

Read the guide: PM under certified your payment

This is our plain-English summary, not legal advice. Your own contract, including any Z clauses, decides.

In Contract Status, step by step

  1. Put applied and certified side by side

    The payment application record shows both sets of figures together: the contract value, implemented compensation events, the gross applied and the gross certified, and the nett payment due.

    A payment application with panels for the applied value and the certificate value, showing gross applied 2,318,700 and gross certified 2,297,600

    PA-0002: £2,318,700.00 applied, £2,297,600.00 certified.

  2. Read the certificate details

    Below the figures: who issued it, when, the reply details and any files. If the working is not attached, ask for it.

    The payment certificate panel showing who replied, the status, the reply details and the files

    The certificate is part of the same record.

  3. Ask in writing

    Use General Communications so the question and the answer are dated on the contract, with a reply date if you need one.

    A general communication record with details, a due date, a discussion panel and a reply section

    A general communication from the sample account: same form, different subject.

  4. Get the next application in

    The contract page counts down to the next assessment date and gives the date the certificate is due. Under NEC4, an application missed on that date can limit the amount due.

    The contract page with the next assessment date and countdown above the register tiles and Contract Actions

    The assessment date banner on the contract page.

What it does not do: Contract Status holds the totals and the attached files, not a line-by-line comparison of your activity schedule. It does not run a dispute or adjudication either; those stay outside the app.

All screens are from the upgraded app, using a fictional water company, Kestrel Valley Water, and its made-up contractors.

What happens next on the other side

The Client side issues the certificate on the application and, only if it intends to pay less than the certified sum, a pay less notice with the sum and the basis. Both are kept on the record and shown on the register.

See it on a contract you can click through

The guided tour lets you walk the same fictional account yourself. Or book a demo, and bring the situation you are dealing with.

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More examples