Runs on your device. Information, not legal advice.Nothing you type is sent anywhere or stored, and there are no cookies. This page sets out what the Construction Contracts Act 2002 says. It doesn't decide whether a claim is valid: that's a legal question. If you need advice, talk to a lawyer.
- Step 1
Check what the claim contains
Tick what you find against section 20 and Form 1, and see what the Act provides.
Check the claim - Step 2
Work out your serve-by date
The payment schedule and payment due dates, in working days, with the Christmas break and your anniversary day.
Check the dates - Step 3
Build the payment schedule
Word and PDF, checked against section 21 before you can download it.
Build a schedule
What the claim contains
Tick each item you can find in the claim you received. Section 20 of the Act sets out what a payment claim must contain and what must go with it.
What the Act requires of you, in short
- s21: the payment scheduleIn writing, identifying the claim, and stating the amount you'll pay. If that's less than claimed: how you calculated it, the reasons for the difference and, if you're withholding payment on any basis, the reasons for withholding.
- s22: the timeWithin the time the contract requires or, if it doesn't say, 20 working days after the claim is served. If no schedule is provided in time, the payer becomes liable to pay the claimed amount on the due date.
- ss 23 and 24: not payingNot paying in full by the due date lets the payee recover the unpaid part as a debt in court and serve notice of intention to suspend work.
- s24A: suspensionIf the amount still isn't paid within 5 working days after the date of that notice, the payee has the right to suspend work.
The full detail, section by section: Received a payment claim: what the Act requires of you.
Want your schedule checked before it goes?
Schedule Check $195 (plus GST if applicable): the section 21 contents, the serve-by date, and every reason against the claim and your contract. Invoiced after delivery, due on the 20th of the month after the invoice.
Where the rules come from (checked 1 Nov 2026)
- Claim contents: Construction Contracts Act 2002, s20(2)(a) to (f). What must go with it: s20(3) and (4), and Form 1 in Schedule 1 of the Construction Contracts Regulations 2003.
- Payment schedule: s21(1) to (3). Time and liability: s22. Not paying: s23(1) and (2), s24(1) and (2). Suspension: s24A(1).
- Read word for word on legislation.govt.nz (Act version as at 5 October 2023, the latest). Many contracts set their own periods and procedures: check yours.