Payment Application Business Process
Use the Payment Application business process to submit and approve payments to a commitment with a vendor (Contract). Usually only one Payment Application record for a specific Contract can be in process at any time.
Special Behaviors
For more information about using this business process (BP), such as working with Base Commits and Change Commits or importing and exporting information, see Payment Application Business Processes in the Unifier Essentials Business Processes Reference Guide.
Characteristics
This is a Project-level business process with a workflow, provided in the system template.
Record Statuses
Approved | terminal status |
|---|---|
Canceled | terminal status |
Rejected | terminal status |
Awaiting_Review | non-terminal status |
Pending_Approval | non-terminal status |
Sent_for_Revision | non-terminal status |
Workflow
The default workflow for the Payment Application business process is set up in a certain way; however, it may be used differently by your organization. Typically, a user with the necessary permissions can create the record and either move it directly to the end step or send it to others for review or approval. The recipients in the second step can approve or reject the record or send it on to others.
Creating a Payment Application Record
Create a Payment Application record by navigating to Actuals / Payment Application on the Project/Shell tab, or from the Tasks log on the Home tab or relevant Project/Shell tab. Act on an existing Payment Application task that has been assigned to you from the Tasks log.
Complete the Payment Application form and attach related documents, if needed. After completing the form, click Send and select an action in the Workflow Actions list to determine the next step in the workflow. Click Send to route the form to the next assignee.
Note: You must enter a value in all required fields (*) before you can save the form.
- Go to your Project tab and switch to User mode.
- In the left Navigator, select Actuals, and then select Payment Application.
- On the Payment Application page, click Create. Refer to the tables below to complete the form. You can click Save at any time to save a draft version of the form. Draft versions are stored under Drafts.
- To add attachments, click Attach Files
on the Attachments tab. - After completing the form, click Send.
- On the Workflow Action Details tab, select who should receive this Payment Application.
- If permitted, you can add users to the CC list. These users will receive a notification about this Payment Application but are not assigned a task.
- If permitted, you can adjust task due dates for all users, or set individual task due dates for each assignee.
- Click Send.
- In the Notification window, review the content and click OK.
The record moves to the next step in the workflow.
Completing the Payment Application Form
Key Information
Key information about this Payment Application is provided below.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Title | Required | Enter a title for the record. |
Reference Commit | Required | Select the reference commitment (Contract) for this transaction. |
Vendor Pay App No | Required | The vendor Payment Application number |
Amount | Read-Only | Amount of this record or line item |
Due Date | Editable | Target completion date for this record. A default duration has been set by your administrator but can be overridden here for this record. |
Payment Application Details
Details about this Payment Application.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Invoice Date | Required | Indicates the last date of the billing period covered by the payment application (also known as the Period To) |
Payment Due Date | Editable | The date the payment is due |
Period Start | Editable | The start date for the Payment Application being billed |
Period End | Editable | The end date for the Payment Application being billed |
Payment Application Version | Editable | This field is optional. If a previous Payment Application has been rejected or canceled, you can increment the version in this field. |
Financial Summary
Financial snapshot of the Contract and the impact of this Payment Application. It will be updated after the Payment Application Lines are updated.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
A. Original Commitment | Read-Only | The amount of the original contract |
B. Total Approved Change Orders | Read-Only | The total amount of all approved Change Orders |
C. Revised Commitment (A+B) | Read-Only | The revised Contract amount |
Percentage Complete to Date (D / C) | Read-Only | The Total Completed and Stored to Date divided by the Revised Commitment |
D. Total Completed and Stored to Date | Read-Only | The Payment Application total value for the Completed and Stored to Date, including the line items |
Work Retainage % | Read-Only | The percentage retained for work or services. The default value is set in the project setting. Can be changed at the Contract level or Contract line-item level. |
E. Total Work Retainage | Read-Only | The Payment Application total value for the Work Retainage, including the line items |
Stored Materials Retainage % | Read-Only | The percentage retained on stored materials. The default value is a project setting. Can be changed at the Contract or Contract line item level. |
F. Total Stored Materials Retainage | Read-Only | The Payment Application total value for the Stored Materials Retainage, including the line items |
G. Total Retainage (E + F) | Read-Only | The Payment Application total value for the Retainage, including the line items |
H. Total Earned Less Retainage (D - G) | Read-Only | The total amount that is earned, after subtracting the retainage |
I. Total Previous Payments | Read-Only | The total of all previous payments against this contract |
J. Current Payment Due | Read-Only | The current payment due date, from the line items of the Payment Application |
K. Balance to Finish Including Retainage (C - I - J) | Read-Only | The balance to finish, including the retainage for this Contract |
Description
Enter the description of this Payment Application. This information might appear in any formal printouts of this Payment Application.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Short Description | Editable | Enter a description of 250 characters or fewer. |
Detailed Description | Editable | The detailed information about the short-description field. The field size can be expanded. |
Reference Contract Details
Details about the referenced contract are shown below.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Contract Number | Read-Only | The unique number for the contract, which might come from a corporate financial system |
Vendor Name | Read-Only | The name or nickname for this vendor. This field must be unique to each vendor. This name will be the primary way this company is identified in the system. |
Contract Type | Read-Only | The type of contract |
Payment Terms | Read-Only | The payment terms (in days) for this contract |
Original Contract Completion Date | Read-Only | The target completion date of the original contract, prior to any change orders |
Revised Contract Completion Date | Read-Only | The latest contract-completion date, based on all approved change orders |
Change Order Details
Summary of the Change Orders against this Contract
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Add Change Orders | Read-Only | The sum of any positive Change Orders since the last Payment Application |
Deduct Change Orders | Read-Only | The sum of any negative Change Orders since the last Payment Application |
Previous Add Change Orders | Read-Only | The sum of previous positive Change Orders |
Previous Deduct Change Orders | Read-Only | The sum of previous negative Change Orders |
This Period Add Change Orders | Read-Only | The sum of the Add Change Orders minus the Previous Add Change Orders |
This Period Deduct Change Orders | Read-Only | The sum of the Deduct Change Orders minus the Previous Deduct Change Orders |
Vendor Information
Details of the Vendor for this Payment Application. If the Vendor has Unifier Essentials users, be sure to select them here so that they can see the contract.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Legal Vendor Name | Read-Only | Lists the legal vendor name if the vendor name is different from the vendor full legal business name, the vendor has a name longer than 50 characters, or both. |
Vendor ID | Read-Only | If Unifier Essentials is integrated with an external system, this field contains the ID that corresponds to the vendor in the external system. Populates based on the selected Vendor. If not integrated with an external system, leave blank. |
Vendor a Unifier User? | Required | Indicates whether or not the vendor should be CCed when the contract is approved. CCing the vendor allows the vendor to see the contract, with some restrictions, as well as to access the contract when creating Change Orders, Payment Applications, or other business processes. |
Vendor User | Editable | Indicates whether the vendor is a user in the system |
Vendor Contact First Name | Editable | First name of the main vendor contact |
Vendor Contact Last Name | Editable | Last name of the main vendor contact |
Vendor Contact Phone | Editable | Phone number of the main vendor contact |
Contact Email | Editable | Contact email address for the main vendor |
Vendor Address
Vendor address from the Contract
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Address | Read-Only | The street address, P.O. box, apartment, suite, unit, building, floor, and so on. Do not include contact name |
City | Read-Only | City |
State/Province | Read-Only | The state or province |
State/Province - Other | Read-Only | If selecting a country without defined states, provinces, or regions, this field provides additional information. |
Country | Read-Only | Country |
Zip/Postal Code | Read-Only | ZIP Code or postal code |
MWBE Tracking
Tracks the Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) eligible amount for this Payment Application
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Eligible Designations | Read-Only | MWBE designations eligible for this contract |
MWBE Eligible Amount | Editable | Amount eligible for MWBE designation |
Payment Processing
Information about the actual payment to the Vendor. This information might come from a corporate financial system.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Payment No. | Editable | Indicates the payment number, which might include the check number, wire number, electronic funds transfer (EFT) number, and so on. |
Payment Date | Editable | Date of the payment |
Payment Processed Date | Editable | Date the payment was processed by the finance department |
Record Information
System information about this record
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Record Number | Read-Only | System-assigned record number |
Status | Read-Only | Record status for a workflow BP record is based on the workflow action preceding the current workflow step. |
Creator | Read-Only | Creator of this record |
Creation Date | Read-Only | Date that the record was created |
Record Last Update Date | Read-Only | Date that the record was last updated |
Business Process Record URL | Read-Only | A shareable link to this record, for anyone with the necessary permissions |
Project Number | Read-Only | Unique Project Number |
Project Name | Read-Only | Name of the project |
Additional Information
The Payment Application Additional Information block is reserved for future use by your organization.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Payment Application Date Picker UDF 1 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Date Picker UDF 2 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Decimal UDF 1 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Decimal UDF 2 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Date Only Picker UDF 1 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Date Only Picker UDF 2 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Currency Amount UDF 1 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Currency Amount UDF 2 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Picker UDF 1 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Picker UDF 2 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Additional Notes
The Payment Application Additional Notes block is reserved for future use by your organization.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Payment Application Text 255 UDF 1 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Text 255 UDF 2 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Text 255 UDF 3 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Text 255 UDF 4 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Long Text UDF 1 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Payment Application Long Text UDF 2 | Disabled | Reserved for future use by your organization |
Currency
If the currency of this Payment Application is different from the project currency, specify it here.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Transaction Currency | Editable | If there are multiple currencies defined, use this field to specify a currency other than the project currency. |
Rate in Project Currency | Read-Only | Exchange rate that will be used to calculate the Project Currency Amount. This will be set after the record is saved, submitted, or sent forward in the workflow. After it is set for a record, it cannot be changed. |
Project Currency Amount | Read-Only | This field shows the amount of the transaction, according to the project currency. |
Completing the Payment Application Lines tab
Primary Section
Lists all the key information typically needed on a Payment Application continuation sheet.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
B1. Description (from Commitment) | Read-Only | The description of this Payment Application |
C. Scheduled Value | Read-Only | The scheduled value of this Payment Application. This comes from the original contract and includes any adjustments coming from approved change orders. |
D. Work Previously Completed | Read-Only | The sum of completed work covered by the previous payment application (columns D & E from the previous application). Values from column F (Materials Presently Stored) from the previous application may have been automatically moved here. |
E. Work Completed this Period | Required | The work performed during the current pay period, including the value of materials incorporated in the project that were listed on the previous payment application under Materials Presently Stored (column F). |
F. Materials Presently Stored | Editable | The value of materials presently stored for which payment is sought. This value covers both materials newly stored for which payment is sought and materials previously stored that are not yet incorporated into the project. Mere payment by the Owner for stored materials does not result in a deduction from this column. Only as materials are incorporated into the project is their value deducted from this column and incorporated into column E. |
G1. Tot Compl & Stored to Date (D+E+F) | Read-Only | The total value of all previously completed work, work completed this period, and materials presently stored |
G2. Percentage Complete (G1 / C) | Read-Only | The Total Completed and Stored to Date divided by the Schedule of Value (SOV) |
H. Balance to Finish (C-G1) | Read-Only | The Schedule of Value (SOV) minus the Total Completed and Stored to Date (column G1) |
Work Retainage % | Editable | The percentage retained for work or services. This value is inherited from the SOV and should only be changed with approval from the Owner. |
Stored Materials Retainage % | Editable | The percentage retained on stored materials. This value is inherited from the SOV and should only be changed with approval from the Owner. |
Retainage Details
Information about the Retainage on this Payment Application line item
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Total Retainage to Date | Read-Only | The total Retainage to date, including this transaction (Work and Stored Materials) |
Previous Retainage Released | Read-Only | The retainage previously released, from the Schedule of Value (SOV) |
Retainage Released (This Period) | Editable | Total value of retainage being released in the current Payment Application |
Retainage Balance | Read-Only | The sum of the Total Retainage to Date minus the Total Retainage Released, including this period |
Additional SOV Data
Remainder of the SOV fields
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Total Earned Less Retainage | Read-Only | The sum of the Total Completed and Stored to Date minus the Retainage Balance |
Total Previous Payments | Read-Only | The total Previous Payments against this Contract, from the Schedule of Value (SOV) |
Current Payment Due | Read-Only | The current payment due date, based on the Total Earned Less Retainage minus the Total Previous Payments |
Balance to Finish including Retainage | Read-Only | The balance to Finish including Retainage, based on the Scheduled Value minus Total Earned Less Retainage |
Remarks
Additional remarks about this item.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Additional Comments | Editable | Any additional comments about the payment being requested this period |
Owner Information
Information used by the Owner to track costs.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Cost Code | Required | For owner use only. Enter a cost code for this line item. |
Code Name | Read-Only | Populates the code name of the selected cost code |
Change Order # (Manual) | Read-Only | If not using the automatically numbered change orders, tracks a change order number here. |
Effective Date | Required | Enter the date this record takes effect. |
Breakdown | Editable | Any breakdowns provided at the SOV level for each referenced Contract line item |
Stored Materials Moved / Not Moved
Displays whether any stored materials were automatically moved over to Work Previously Completed, based on the "Keep Stored Materials" setting.
Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
Stored Materials (Moved) | Read-Only | Displays the value of Materials Presently Stored (column F) from the previous period that were automatically moved to the Work Previously Completed (column D) in this period. |
Stored Materials (Not Moved) | Read-Only | Displays the value of Materials Presently Stored (column F) from the previous period that were carried over to the current period. The value of any materials that have been incorporated into the Project should be manually deducted from Materials Presently Stored (column F) and added to Work Completed this Period (column E). |
Last Published Monday, April 14, 2025
Last Published Monday, April 14, 2025