How long does an owner have to pay a contractor in Ontario?

Twenty-eight days from the day the contractor gives them a proper invoice. If the owner is not paying, they have to deliver a notice of non-payment in the prescribed form within fourteen days of that invoice.

What happens if the owner says my invoice was not proper?

They had seven days from receiving it to say so in writing. If they did not, the invoice is deemed to be a proper invoice and the twenty-eight days have been running from the day you gave it to them.

Can a general contractor tell me they pay when they get paid?

No. Pay-when-paid does not survive the prompt payment regime. A contractor who has not been paid by the owner still owes their subcontractors within thirty-five days of the proper invoice unless they served the prescribed notice down the chain in time.

Which form is the notice of non-payment?

The prompt payment notices are Forms 1.1 to 1.5 and have been since 1 October 2019. Form 1.1 is the owner disputing a contractor proper invoice. Form 6 is a different document entirely: it is the notice of annual release of holdback.

We use cookies to keep you signed in and to see what's working and what breaks. No advertising cookies, nothing sold. Details in our Cookie Policy.

Ontario, Canada

Ontario prompt payment calculator

One date in: the day you gave them a proper invoice. Out comes the day they have to pay, the day they had to dispute it, the seven days they had to object it was not proper, and the day you owe your own subs whether or not you were paid.

Your dates

Date you gave them the proper invoice

The day it reached the payer, not the day you wrote it. Everything on this page is counted from here.

Date you were paid, if you were

Your own seven days to pay subcontractors run from the day the money reached you.

Date their notice of non-payment reached you

If the payer served a notice refusing payment, you have your own notice to serve down the chain, and it is a short window.

Nothing has been counted yet

Enter the date of your proper invoice and every date in the chain appears here. A date you have not given produces no deadline rather than a guess.

The one that surprises people

Pay-when-paid is not a defence in Ontario. If the owner neither pays you nor serves a notice of non-payment, your subcontractors are still owed by day thirty-five from your proper invoice. The only thing that moves that is your own notice, served down the chain within seven days of the owner's, carrying an undertaking to refer the matter to adjudication within twenty-one days.

Before you rely on any of these dates

These dates are counted from the dates you entered using the standard periods in the Construction Act. What counts as a proper invoice, and when last supply actually happened, are questions your contract and a construction lawyer answer, not this page. Confirm before you rely on any of them.

Worked example

A proper invoice you sent a fortnight ago, counted

Proper invoice dated Aug 7, 2026, no notice of non-payment served. Same engine and the same sections of the Construction Act your own date would run through.

They had to object to the invoice by
7 days ago
Aug 14, 2026
A payer who thinks the invoice is not proper has to say so in writing within seven days of getting it. Say nothing, and the invoice is deemed proper and the 28 days have been running since the day you gave it to them.
Counted as 7 days from your proper invoice (2026-08-07).
Construction Act s.6.1(2)
They had to dispute it byForm 1.1
Today
Aug 21, 2026
A payer who is not paying has to deliver a notice of non-payment within 14 days. After that the amount is not properly in dispute.
Counted as 14 days from your proper invoice (2026-08-07).
Construction Act s.6.4(2)
Owner has to pay you by
In 14 days
Sep 4, 2026
Under prompt payment, payment for a proper invoice is due within 28 days unless a notice of non-payment was given.
Counted as 28 days from your proper invoice (2026-08-07).
Construction Act s.6.4

Open this example and change the numbers

Questions this page answers

How long does an owner have to pay a contractor in Ontario?: Twenty-eight days from the day the contractor gives them a proper invoice. If the owner is not paying, they have to deliver a notice of non-payment in the prescribed form within fourteen days of that invoice.
What happens if the owner says my invoice was not proper?: They had seven days from receiving it to say so in writing. If they did not, the invoice is deemed to be a proper invoice and the twenty-eight days have been running from the day you gave it to them.
Can a general contractor tell me they pay when they get paid?: No. Pay-when-paid does not survive the prompt payment regime. A contractor who has not been paid by the owner still owes their subcontractors within thirty-five days of the proper invoice unless they served the prescribed notice down the chain in time.
Which form is the notice of non-payment?: The prompt payment notices are Forms 1.1 to 1.5 and have been since 1 October 2019. Form 1.1 is the owner disputing a contractor proper invoice. Form 6 is a different document entirely: it is the notice of annual release of holdback.

Or have the clock run itself, on every job

Send the invoice from your own jobs and these dates are already counted. Day 28, day 14 and your own day 7 sit on the deal, turn amber inside a week and red once they have gone, so the GC who has gone quiet is a red row on your screen rather than something you remember in the truck three weeks late.

Reply to an email from the jobsite and the invoice goes out with the dates attached. No monthly charge for any of it.

Open the demo business Read the getting paid guide

Other free tools

All free tools All guides

Your dates

A proper invoice you sent a fortnight ago, counted

They had to object to the invoice by

They had to dispute it byForm 1.1

Owner has to pay you by

Questions this page answers

Or have the clock run itself, on every job

Other free tools