Insights · guide
Prompt payment and holdback under Ontario's Construction Act — what owners and sub-trades should know
Ontario's Construction Act sets the clock on payment. An owner pays a proper invoice within 28 days unless it gives a notice of non-payment, and a general contractor pays its sub-trades within 7 days of being paid. Ten percent holdback is retained and, since 2026, released annually on phased projects rather than only at the end.
The payment clock
- Proper invoice to the owner, monthly unless the contract says otherwise.
- Owner pays within 28 days, or issues a notice of non-payment within 14 days.
- The contractor pays sub-trades within 7 days of receiving payment.
- Disputes go to adjudication: fast and interim-binding.
How Everstrong runs it
Sub-trade invoices come in with their documentation, accounting checks them against progress with the project manager, and payment goes back out on the statutory clock. Holdback is tracked line by line, so release is a scheduled step, not a chase.
Projects that prove it
Talk to us
Project enquiries and bid invitations: [email protected] · 905-878-7295.
Prompt payment and holdback under Ontario's Construction Act — what owners and sub-trades should know
Ontario's Construction Act sets the clock on payment. An owner pays a proper invoice within 28 days unless it gives a notice of non-payment, and a general contractor pays its sub-trades within 7 days of being paid. Ten percent holdback is retained and, since 2026, released annually on phased projects rather than only at the end.