ArtBuild template ArtBuild checklist · All of Canada
Subcontract payment terms checklist
Check your subcontract payment terms before you rely on a date.
- Version
- 2026.1
- Last updated
- October 24, 2026
Prepared by ArtBuild to help you organise your paperwork. It is general information, not legal advice, and it has not been reviewed by a lawyer. Check the rules for your province or territory before you act.
Part of the Pay-When-Paid Protection Kit: start with its guide, and download the whole kit there.
Check the payment machinery
Use this checklist before relying on a due date or an upstream-payment explanation. Keep the complete subcontract and incorporated documents, not just a photographed clause. Mark missing documents as gaps.
- Project subcontract and contracting debtor
- Prepared by review date and invoice period
- Identify the contract version, signatures and subsequent amendments.
- Record invoice recipient, required format, submission channel and attachments.
- Identify certification or acceptance steps and who performs them.
- Locate the payment trigger, timing convention and any owner-payment language.
- Separate progress payment, final payment, holdback and disputed extras.
- Identify set-off, credit, tax, interest and fee terms without assuming validity.
- Read notice addresses, delivery requirements and dispute-resolution provisions together.
Confirm performance of each step
| Step | Required evidence | Actual date / gap |
|---|---|---|
| Work performed | Timesheets delivery and acceptance records | [enter] |
| Invoice submitted | Exact version and delivery receipt | [enter] |
| Deficiency or dispute raised | Itemized reasons and source notice | [enter] |
| Upstream application | Reference and your scope allocation | [enter] |
| Receipt or credit | Your ledger and transaction record | [enter] |
- Do not treat an internal approval delay as a legal extension without review.
- Record competing trigger dates and ask a qualified reviewer which applies.
- Keep statutory and contractual requirements distinct.
- Do not add holdback twice or subtract an unreceived upstream payment.
- Flag releases or waivers requested as a condition of payment for review.
- Outstanding document request
- Clause and statutory applicability questions
- Reviewer owner and next target
This checklist organizes the review and does not certify a proper invoice or validate a pay-when-paid term.
Before you act: this document is general information prepared by ArtBuild to help you organise facts and paperwork. It is not legal advice and has not been reviewed by a lawyer for your situation. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time. Check the official source for your project, and for deadlines, liens, court or insolvency steps, speak with a lawyer licensed where the project is located.