What Is AIA-Style Billing?
By the PayAppPro Construction Billing Team · Last reviewed August 2026
AIA-style billing is progress billing that follows the structure and math of the AIA G702/G703 forms — without using the official licensed AIA® documents themselves. Same summary application, same continuation sheet tied to a Schedule of Values, same retainage and carry-forward calculations. The “-style” means the layout and the math are replicated; the licensed AIA paper is not.
How the billing process works month to month → Construction Progress Billing (Explained). What the G702 and G703 documents actually are → AIA Application & Certificate for Payment. How to fill one out line by line → How to Fill Out a G702/G703.
AIA-style vs. official AIA documents: the actual difference
The AIA G702 (Application and Certificate for Payment) and G703 (Continuation Sheet) are copyrighted forms published by the American Institute of Architects. Using the official documents means licensing them from the AIA — historically as pre-printed paper forms, today through AIA Contract Documents software.
AIA-style documents replicate the structure contractors and reviewers already know — the same summary fields, the same continuation-sheet columns, the same Schedule of Values logic, the same retainage math — produced independently rather than on the licensed forms. The calculations on a correctly built AIA-style pay application are identical to the official version, because the math is not what the AIA owns. The copyrighted asset is the document itself.
| Official AIA® Documents | AIA-Style Documents | |
|---|---|---|
| What they are | Licensed, copyrighted G702/G703 forms from the AIA | Independently produced documents following the same layout |
| The math | Standard pay application calculations | The same calculations — the math is not licensed |
| How you get them | Licensed from the AIA (documents software or pre-printed forms) | Generated by billing software or built in a spreadsheet |
| When required | When the contract specifically calls for original AIA Contract Documents | Accepted on many jobs where the contract doesn’t require the licensed forms |
The one thing to check: your contract. Some owners and lenders specifically require original AIA Contract Documents; many GCs accept a complete, correctly tied-out AIA-style package. The format question is settled by the contract language, not by preference.
What an AIA-style pay application includes
Whether official or AIA-style, a complete pay application package carries the same parts — and gets rejected for the same reasons when they don’t tie together:
- A G702-style summary — contract sum, change orders, completed and stored to date, retainage, previous certificates, and current payment due.
- A G703-style continuation sheet — the line-item breakdown tied to the Schedule of Values, showing prior billing, this period, stored materials, and balance to finish per line.
- Retainage that accumulates correctly across periods.
- Carry-forward — this month’s “previously billed” must equal exactly what was approved last month.
- Backup as the contract requires — lien waivers, stored materials documentation, change order approvals.
The format is the easy part. The reason pay applications bounce is almost always the period-to-period math, not the paper.
Why you’re seeing “AIA-style” everywhere in 2026
The term used to live mostly in software fine print. In 2026 it went mainstream: Intuit’s construction beta for Intuit Enterprise Suite and QuickBooks Online Advanced is named “AIA-style invoicing” — the same careful phrasing, for the same reason. It tracks contract value and draws at the phase level, but does not produce G702/G703 forms, handle retainage, or track stored materials.
So when a product says “AIA-style,” it’s telling you two things: it follows the familiar structure, and it is not distributing licensed AIA documents. The useful follow-up question isn’t about the label — it’s whether the tool actually handles the parts that get pay applications rejected: retainage accumulation, stored materials, change orders, and the carry-forward.
AIA-Style Billing FAQ
What is AIA-style billing?
AIA-style billing is progress billing that follows the structure and calculations of the AIA G702 and G703 forms — a summary application, a continuation sheet tied to a Schedule of Values, retainage tracking, and period-to-period carry-forward — without using the official licensed AIA Contract Documents themselves.
What is the difference between AIA-style and official AIA documents?
Official AIA Contract Documents (G702, G703) are copyrighted forms licensed from the American Institute of Architects. AIA-style documents follow the same layout, fields, and math but are independently produced. The calculations are identical; the difference is the licensed paper. Whether AIA-style is acceptable depends on your contract.
Do GCs accept AIA-style pay applications?
Very often, yes. Most GCs and owners care that the package is complete, ties out period to period, and follows the familiar G702/G703 structure. Some contracts specifically require original AIA Contract Documents — check your contract language before assuming either way.
Why do software products say AIA-style instead of AIA?
Because AIA, G702, and G703 are registered trademarks, and the official forms are copyrighted. Software that generates its own documents describes them as AIA-style to be accurate: same structure and math, not the licensed AIA paper. Intuit uses the same term for QuickBooks’ 2026 construction billing beta.
Need to produce an AIA-style pay application?
PayAppPro generates complete AIA-style G702/G703 packages with the retainage, stored materials, and carry-forward handled automatically. Try it on one real project for $7.99.