What is the difference between an interim valuation date and a due date?
The interim valuation date identifies when work is valued; the due date identifies when payment becomes due. Keep both separate from the application deadline and final date for payment.
Updated: 14 September 2026. By Jack Butler-Kettle, Quantity Surveyor & Claims Consultant.
The answer
The interim valuation date identifies the date at which work is valued under the relevant contract. The due date is the date the contract provides for the payment to become due. They are separate concepts and can be different dates. The final date for payment is the later deadline by which the payment must be made.
Keeping the dates separate also answers a common valuation question: a later due date does not by itself authorise including extra work completed after the valuation date. Use the actual valuation provisions to identify what belongs in the application.
Does a subcontractor follow the main contractor's dates?
JCT's published interim-payments explanation describes an approach that can align assessment dates through the supply chain. Nevertheless, the subcontractor must find its own application deadline, due date, recipient and service requirements in its subcontract. A main contractor's internal request for figures is not, by itself, proof of the subcontractual due date. Record an earlier commercial reporting date separately if one is requested.
Does a late application always move the due date?
No universal answer applies across the forms. JCT's explanation of Design and Build 2016 describes a payment application which triggers the payment process, including a due date seven days after receipt when the application is late. Its explanation of Standard Building Contract 2016 describes a different certificate-based arrangement. Identify the exact form, edition and amendments before borrowing either rule. Link to the existing missed-application-date FAQ for the next steps.
| Date | What it answers |
|---|---|
| Valuation date | Up to which date do we value the work, materials and other permitted items? |
| Application deadline | By when must the application reach the required recipient? |
| Due date | On what date does the payment become due under this mechanism? |
| Payment-notice deadline | By when must the required notice or certificate be given? |
| Pay less notice deadline | What is the last date for an effective notice of an intention to pay less? |
| Final date for payment | By when must the required payment be made? |
Example
The situation
A contract is let on the unamended JCT Standard Building Contract With Quantities, and the dates in each payment cycle run from the interim valuation date as JCT's published explanation sets them out.
What happens
- The interim due date falls seven days after the interim valuation date.
- The interim certificate is issued within five days after the due date.
- The final date for payment falls fourteen days after the due date.
- The Pay Less Notice deadline falls five days before that final date.
The outcome
The cycle runs valuation date, due date, certificate, Pay Less Notice deadline, final date. The timetable belongs to that named form and edition and is not a timetable for every JCT contract or subcontract.
Use the Payment Calendar & Tracker to record separate dates and actual contract references. For help with the cycle, see payment application preparation and notice checking.