INTEGRITY
INSTITUTE
PAYMENT SCHEDULE / CHECK EACH INSTALMENT
What makes eachrenovation payment due?
Read the schedule one payment at a time: what does it cover, how is it calculated, and when is it due? A deposit, a materials advance and a progress payment need different supporting details. A percentage alone will not tell you what is missing.
This guide helps clarify the paperwork. It does not prescribe a safe percentage or decide whether to pay or withhold. For a disputed demand, seek case-specific legal advice with the complete records.
Illustrative wording · not a real case
“Second payment on delivery.” Delivery of what?
- The original wording
- The second instalment is payable when materials arrive.
- Scope and amount
- Which batch, rooms and work items does it cover, and for how much?
- Confirmation
- Check the brand, model, quantity and delivery record. Who confirms them?
- When payment is due
- All materials or part deliveries? When is the request sent, and how long is allowed to pay?
These are clarification prompts, not a ready-to-use payment clause. Confirm the actual arrangement separately.
Six checks for every instalment.
Keep the contract, quotation, schedule and agreed changes together. Find the existing terms first; ask about gaps without treating your expectations as an agreement.
01How is this amount calculated?
Please list each instalment’s amount, calculation, tax treatment and purpose or work scope. If it is a percentage, does it use the original or revised contract total? When and how are advances credited against later payments?
Keep the answer withKeep the schedule, quotation revision and payment records together. Reconcile the instalments and check that materials or variations are not billed twice.
If the reply is vague“We just split the total”: ask which total, the amount of each instalment and how advances are credited.
02Is payment tied to a date, an event, or both?
Please identify each payment clause, due date or triggering event, notice procedure and time allowed to pay. Is the request tied to a date, purchasing, a work stage or a deliverable? If both dates and progress are listed, how do they work together?
Keep the answer withRetain the clause and payment request. Confirm any newly proposed condition or deadline separately; a date-based payment or advance is not inherently a problem.
If the reply is vague“The next payment is due next week”: ask for the agreed basis of that request, not only the date.
03What does the advance buy, and how is it tracked?
For any deposit or materials advance, please explain its purpose and the relevant brands, models, specifications, quantities, amounts, order and delivery records. Who holds and stores the materials? How are shortages, substitutions, cancellations, unused amounts and later credits handled?
Keep the answer withKeep the materials list, purchase and delivery information with the substitution and settlement arrangements. Check actual ownership terms rather than inferring ownership from a payment alone.
If the reply is vague“We need to order materials”: ask for the items and amounts funded by this advance, as well as the reason for it.
04Who confirms that a work stage is complete?
For progress payments, please define the work, locations, quantities or deliverables included in each stage, the confirmation criteria, participants and record. How will unfinished work, pending tests or disagreements be shown?
Keep the answer withConnect the stage name to a specific list, drawing or specification. Keep photos and relevant inspection records. Specialist testing requires suitable professionals, not just a visual impression of completion.
If the reply is vague“It all looks done”: ask which items were checked, against what, and which remain unconfirmed.
05Do changes and delays also change the payment schedule?
For additions, omissions, substitutions or delays, please show the effects on scope, cost, timing and payments, with the confirmation records and revised schedule. Where are delay notices and handling arrangements defined? Please list unresolved points separately.
Keep the answer withRetain earlier and revised versions with correspondence. A revised completion date does not automatically resolve payment dates. Keep disputed amounts separate from confirmed sums.
If the reply is vague“We’ll sort it out at the end”: ask for the current additions, deductions and instalment impacts, distinguishing agreed and unresolved items.
06How does the last payment relate to acceptance and handover?
Please explain the final instalment’s due conditions and how they relate to acceptance, outstanding work, the final account, warranties and handover documents. Which records are due, from whom and when? Please record any differing views on unresolved work and payment arrangements.
Keep the answer withCompare the final account, acceptance record, outstanding-item list and handover register with the payment clause. Neither the label “balance” nor a defect alone determines a right to withhold.
If the reply is vague“Everything is payable on completion”: ask what the agreed clause means by completion, how it is recorded and when payment falls due.
Send one complete set of questions.
All six questions are included, whether or not you have opened them. Copy the text, add your project and schedule revision, remove anything inapplicable, then send it yourself. Nothing is submitted from this page.
Four ways to organise the reply.
- Number the instalments. Keep each amount, purpose, due condition and payment deadline in one schedule.
- Connect the records. Match purchase, progress or delivery information to the relevant instalment and document revision.
- Keep the changes. Record additions, deductions and revised dates or conditions, together with confirmation.
- Separate disagreements. Preserve the questions and replies; get appropriate advice where payment obligations are disputed.
Different payments need different records.
Find the types used in your schedule and open the relevant prompts. One project may use several types. These are categories, not ratings or recommended percentages.
Deposits and materials advances
Purpose and purchase details
Distinguish a signing payment, purchasing advance and payment for completed work. Link materials funding to specifications, quantities, amounts and ordering arrangements—not just “one batch”.
Delivery, storage and substitutions
Check delivery batches, timing, storage responsibilities and replacement approval arrangements. Confirm ownership, returns and cancellation handling against the actual agreement.
Credits and unused amounts
Ask how the advance is credited against later requests, and how unpurchased, unused or changed materials are reconciled and recorded.
Payments on set dates
Dates and time allowed to pay
Distinguish the scheduled date, request date and payment deadline. Read any other conditions alongside them rather than relying on the calendar alone.
Purpose of the instalment
Even for a date-based payment, clarify whether it funds an advance, work or another purpose. Check the total of instalments and credits for earlier payments.
What happens if work is delayed
Find the notice and payment arrangements for delays, suspension or extensions. Do not assume a changed work schedule either postpones or leaves payment dates unchanged.
Progress payments
What the stage includes
Translate “electrical and plumbing complete” into work items, rooms, quantities and deliverables. Stage names may mean different things to different contractors; check the actual list.
Who checks it, and how
Identify the participants, references and recording method. Photos can help match records but do not replace specialist testing or guarantee workmanship.
Part completion and pending checks
Separate completed, unfinished, untested and disputed items. If part-stage requests are proposed, check whether calculation and confirmation arrangements have been agreed.
The final instalment
Acceptance and outstanding work
Compare the final payment conditions with acceptance and repair records. Note responsibility, dates and reinspection arrangements; “covered by warranty” is not an outstanding-item list.
The final account and earlier payments
Reconcile the original amount, payments made, additions, deductions and current request. List unconfirmed sums separately rather than treating a unilateral calculation as agreed.
Handover and warranty dates
List the agreed drawings, equipment information, records and receipts, with delivery dates. Confirm each warranty’s start point; do not assume every warranty begins when the balance is paid.
Questions about payment schedules
What deposit percentage is safe?
A percentage alone cannot answer that. Check its purpose, purchasing needs, payment conditions, later credits and complete documents. Local requirements or the contract form used may impose additional terms. This guide does not treat any percentage as a universal safe threshold.
Is “payment according to progress” enough?
Define the stage, included work, confirmation process and payment timing. For example, “materials delivered” needs a batch, specifications, quantities and delivery records. A clear stage name does not make every condition clear.
Can I stop a scheduled payment because work is late?
Delay alone does not answer that. Check how dates and other conditions interact, how delays are notified and whether a revised arrangement has been confirmed. For a disputed request, seek case-specific legal advice with the contract, payment schedule, progress records and correspondence.
Is a materials advance automatically a red flag?
Not necessarily. Ask for the items, specifications, quantities, amounts, ordering and delivery arrangements funded by the advance. Then clarify credits, storage, substitutions and cancellation handling. The aim is traceable purposes and terms, not labelling every advance as a problem.
How much should I keep as a final balance?
This guide does not recommend a universal retention percentage or establish a right to withhold unilaterally. Check the final payment conditions, acceptance, reconciliation and handover requirements. Propose any revised arrangement clearly for confirmation, taking applicable rules into account.
Will SII tell me whether to make a payment?
No. SII reviews documents to identify missing or inconsistent payment descriptions, scope, amounts and records. It does not rate contractors, make payment decisions, determine legal liability or assess on-site workmanship. Use the relevant professionals for case-specific decisions.
General document-checking information, not legal, financial or engineering advice. Rights and obligations depend on the full documents, facts and applicable local rules. The example and inquiry are not payment instructions or ready-to-use contract clauses.
STANDARD INTEGRITY INSTITUTE
READ → COMPARE → DISCUSS
Turn payment uncertainty into specific questions.
SII reviews documents through Transparency, Consistency, Reasonableness and Executability, using SII-R001–SII-R030 to organise follow-up points. LEVEL 1–5 means Document Maturity only—not a contractor rating, permission to pay or a performance guarantee.