FIDIC Interim Payment Certificate Template: A Sample You Can Adapt
It is the last working day of the month, and the QS is staring at a spreadsheet, trying to work out what to actually send the Engineer. The search that brought most people here is "interim payment certificate template" — but there is a mix-up worth clearing up before anything else: the Contractor does not write the certificate. This guide gives you the document the Contractor does write, a worked example, and the two clocks that decide when the money actually lands.
Certificate vs Statement — Who Actually Writes What
Under the FIDIC 1999 Red Book, two documents get called "the IPC" in Site conversation, and mixing them up is where most confusion starts. Sub-Clause 14.3 requires the Contractor to submit a monthly Statement — an application setting out what it considers itself entitled to for that period. Sub-Clause 14.6 then requires the Engineer to issue the Interim Payment Certificate — its own, independent assessment of what is actually due, based on that Statement.
So the template a Contractor actually needs is the covering Statement — the application that starts the process. The certificate is the Engineer's document, and the certified figure can come back lower than what was applied for. A Statement makes a case; a certificate makes a determination.
Key Takeaway: The Contractor submits a monthly Statement applying for payment. The Engineer issues the Interim Payment Certificate deciding what is actually due. They are not the same document, and the certified amount can be less than the amount applied for.
What the Contractor's Statement Must Contain
A Statement that gets processed without delay covers the same ground every month, broken into clear categories rather than one lump number:
- The estimated value of work executed to date, including the Contractor's Documents, valued in line with the measurement rules in Clause 12.
- Additions and deductions for instructed Variations under Clause 13, priced or provisionally estimated where a final rate is not yet agreed.
- The retention deduction, at the percentage and up to the limit set in the contract particulars.
- Advance payment repayment — the amortisation instalment due that period, and the advance itself if this is the very first Statement.
- Plant and Materials delivered but not yet built in, where the contract allows payment for these under Sub-Clause 14.5.
- Any other addition or deduction arising under the Contract, with amounts relating to a Clause 20 claim identified separately from ordinary contract value.
That last item matters more than it looks. Folding a delay cost into the general Statement without flagging it invites the Engineer to net it off against something else. Keep claim-related amounts on their own labelled line.
Key Takeaway: Six categories make a complete Statement — work executed, Variations, retention, advance repayment, unfixed Plant and Materials, and any other items. Keep claim-related amounts on their own line so they cannot get lost in the total.
Interim Payment Statement Template — Copy and Adapt
Here is a covering letter skeleton for the monthly Statement. It sits in front of the priced breakdown and supporting records — the Engineer needs both, but this is the part that frames what is being applied for.
Two notes on the placeholders. The retention percentage and any minimum certified amount are set in the contract particulars — use the project's actual figures, not a default. And list every supporting document by appendix reference; an Engineer who has to hunt for the backup is an Engineer who certifies late.
Key Takeaway: The covering letter frames the application; the priced breakdown and records prove it. Use the contract's actual retention percentage, and reference every supporting document by appendix number so nothing gets held up in the search for backup.
Worked Example: A Filled-In Statement
Here is the same template filled in for a mid-programme monthly application on a highway package.
Notice the claim line: it states an amount and points back to a separate notice already served on 14 July, rather than trying to raise the claim for the first time inside the Statement. That separation is what keeps a Clause 20 entitlement alive alongside routine payment.
Key Takeaway: A real Statement is a priced breakdown with references, not a narrative. The worked example shows six numbered lines and a pointer to a claim notice already sent — never the claim's first appearance.
What Comes Back: The Engineer's Certificate
Knowing the shape of the document coming back makes it easier to check. A compliant certificate states the amount the Engineer considers due, and — where that differs from the Statement — the basis for the difference:
That disclaimer line is standard, not hostile — a certificate is provisional and does not close off later adjustment. If the certified figure is short, query it in writing against the specific line item rather than resubmitting the whole Statement.
The Payment Timeline: 28 Days to Certify, 56 Days to Pay
Two clocks run from the same starting point — when the Engineer receives the Statement — and they are not sequential add-ons.
- 28 days — under Sub-Clause 14.6, the period the Engineer has to issue the Interim Payment Certificate after receiving the Statement.
- 56 days — under Sub-Clause 14.7, the period the Employer has to pay the certified amount, also counted from when the Engineer receives the Statement.
The trap is assuming these stack — 28 days to certify, then a further 56 to pay, for roughly 84 days total. They do not stack. The 28-day certification window sits inside the 56-day payment window. If the Engineer uses all 28 days, the Employer only has the remaining 28 to actually pay. And if the Engineer is late certifying, the Employer's clock keeps running regardless — a late certificate does not buy more time.
Key Takeaway: Both clocks start on the same date — when the Engineer receives the Statement. The Engineer has 28 days to certify; the Employer has 56 days to pay, not 56 days after certification. A late certificate does not extend the payment deadline.
Common Mistakes That Delay Payment
- Sending one lump figure. A Statement without the category breakdown gives the Engineer nothing to check against, and unchecked figures get queried, not certified.
- Missing the minimum certified amount. Many contracts set a minimum in the Appendix — a Statement below it can be carried to the next period rather than certified on its own.
- Burying supporting records. An unindexed folder of receipts and measurement sheets is the single biggest cause of a Statement sitting unread past the 28-day mark.
- Treating the Statement as the claim notice. Listing a Clause 20 amount in the Statement is not a substitute for the separate notice Sub-Clause 20.1 requires — both are needed, and the notice has its own deadline.
- Missing the monthly cut-off. Submitting a few days late does not just delay that Statement — it can push the whole 28/56-day sequence into the following period.
Key Takeaway: Most delayed payments trace back to a Statement that was unclear, under the minimum, poorly referenced, or late — not to a dispute over the money itself. A clean Statement on time removes most of the friction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an Interim Payment Certificate the same as an invoice?
No. An invoice is simply the Contractor's own demand for money. Under FIDIC, the Contractor submits a monthly Statement applying for payment, and the Engineer then issues the Interim Payment Certificate — an independent assessment of what is actually due. The certified amount can be, and often is, lower than the amount applied for.
What happens if the Engineer does not issue the certificate within 28 days?
Raise the failure in writing and keep pressing. Under FIDIC 1999 Sub-Clause 14.7, the Employer's 56-day payment deadline runs from when the Engineer receives the Statement, not from when the certificate is issued — so a late certificate does not extend the payment deadline. The Contractor's remedies for late payment, such as financing charges under Sub-Clause 14.8 and the right to suspend work under Sub-Clause 16.1, still apply.
Does including a cost item in the Statement satisfy the Sub-Clause 20.1 notice requirement?
No. Amounts relating to a Clause 20 claim must be separately identified in the Statement, but listing a cost item in a monthly payment application is not a substitute for serving a valid notice of claim within the deadline set by Sub-Clause 20.1. The two documents do different jobs and both are needed.
Is the 56-day payment period counted from the Statement or from the Certificate?
From the Statement. Under FIDIC 1999 Sub-Clause 14.7, the Employer must pay within 56 days after the Engineer receives the Statement and supporting documents. The Engineer's 28-day window to issue the certificate sits inside that 56-day period, not in addition to it — a common source of confusion.
Can this template be used for the Final Payment Certificate too?
Only as a starting structure. The reference, period covered, and category breakdown carry over, but the Final Statement under Sub-Clause 14.11 covers the whole contract, includes a discharge, and follows a more detailed procedure than a monthly interim application. Treat this template as the model for a monthly Statement, not the final account.
Authoritative Sources
This guide reflects the FIDIC Conditions of Contract and established construction-law commentary. For the primary materials, see:
- FIDIC Conditions of Contract — the official contract suite published by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, which sets out the Clause 14 payment machinery referenced throughout this guide.
- FIDIC 2017 Suite: Commentary on Clause 14 — Contract Price and Payment, Victoria Tyson, Howard Kennedy — a detailed clause-by-clause commentary on the interim payment and certification procedure and how the 2017 Second Edition changed it.
About the Author
Muhammad M. Jiwani is a Project Director with 15 years' experience on major infrastructure and energy projects administered under FIDIC contracts. He writes from first-hand experience serving notices and managing contractual claims on live projects.