What is a proper invoice?
A proper invoice is a written request for payment that meets the requirements set by the prompt-payment statute and the underlying contract. It is the single most important document in the framework, because it is the event that starts the owner-payment clock.
Get the proper invoice right and every downstream deadline is anchored and defensible. Get it wrong and a payer can argue the clock never started.
What a proper invoice must contain
While the exact list varies by province and contract, a proper invoice generally identifies the contractor and the payer, describes the work or materials supplied, states the amount payable and the period covered, gives the contract or project reference, and provides the payment terms. Any additional information required by the contract must also be present.
Tiercord validates each invoice against these requirements in real time and generates a PDF whose footer carries a verification hash and QR code.
When an invoice becomes deemed proper
Some provinces have a deeming rule: if the payer does not notify the contractor of a defect within a short review window, the invoice is treated as a proper invoice. Other provinces have no such rule, which makes getting the invoice right the first time even more important.
Why the receipt date is the anchor
Every prompt-payment deadline is measured from the date the proper invoice is received, not the date it is dated or sent. Recording and preserving that receipt date is essential, because it determines when the owner must pay and when every downstream clock expires.
Proper invoice, by province
The model above is common to the provinces that have enacted prompt payment. The law, its status and the exact day-counts, citations and forms are provincial. Pick yours:
Frequently asked questions
Does an invoice have to say 'proper invoice' on it?
In most provinces, no. What matters is whether the invoice contains the information the statute and contract require, not the label. Alberta is the exception: its Prompt Payment and Construction Lien Act, s. 32.1(1)(g), requires the invoice to state that it is intended to be a proper invoice, and without that statement the 28-day payment clock does not start. Tiercord prints the statement automatically on Alberta invoices and asks you to confirm it on uploaded ones.
Can a contract change what a proper invoice must contain?
Yes. A contract can add requirements (for example, supporting documentation), but it generally cannot make payment conditional on the owner first being paid by someone else.