Prompt-Payment Deadlines in British Columbia
Under the Construction Prompt Payment Act, SBC 2025, c. 24
In British Columbia, the prompt-payment clock runs under the Construction Prompt Payment Act (SBC 2025, c. 24), enacted but not yet in force. Once a proper invoice is received, an owner must either pay it within 28 days (BC CPPA s. 9(1)(a) (enacted, not in force)) or deliver a notice of non-payment within 14 days (BC CPPA s. 11(2)(b)(i) (enacted, not in force)).
Payment then has to cascade down the pyramid: 7 days to pass payment to your subcontractors once you are paid (BC CPPA s. 9(1)(b)(i) (enacted, not in force)), and a backstop of 35 days at the first tier and 42 days further down the chain to pay them even if the owner has not paid you (BC CPPA s. 9(1)(b)(ii), s. 9(2) (enacted, not in force)).
British Columbia payment deadlines deadlines
The statutory clocks for this topic in British Columbia, with section citations.
| Clock | Value | Statute |
|---|---|---|
Owner payment due Days from a proper invoice until the owner must pay or deliver a notice of non-payment. BC CPPA Section 9 | 28 days | BC CPPA Section 9 |
Pay your subcontractors After being paid, days to pass payment down to subcontractors. BC CPPA Section 9 | 7 days | BC CPPA Section 9 |
Pay subs even if unpaid If the owner has not paid, subs must still be paid by this day when you are the contractor billing the owner, or 42 days when you are a subcontractor paying your own subcontractor, or the matter referred to adjudication. BC CPPA Section 9 | 35 days | BC CPPA Section 9 |
The British Columbia payment clock
British Columbia gives the owner 28 days from a proper invoice to pay. The only way to hold back payment is to deliver a notice of non-payment inside the shorter 14-day dispute window. Miss that window and the invoiced amount generally becomes payable in full, with interest.
Because every one of these clocks is measured from the date the proper invoice is received, British Columbia contractors should record and preserve that date. Tiercord timestamps it and chains it to a tamper-evident audit trail.
Paying your subcontractors in BC
If the owner has not paid, you must still pay your subcontractors out of your own funds, or deliver your own notice of non-payment together with an undertaking to refer the dispute to adjudication. The deadline depends on where you sit in the pyramid: 35 days if you are the contractor billing the owner, 42 days if you are a subcontractor paying your own subcontractor (BC CPPA s. 9(1)(b)(ii), s. 9(2) (enacted, not in force)).
Both counts run from the same fixed event, the date the proper invoice was given to the owner, not from the date you were invoiced. A 42-day deadline at the second tier is therefore already 7 days into the chain by the time it reaches you.
A single missed clock at the top of a British Columbia project ripples through every tier below it, which is why Tiercord computes each downstream date automatically the moment an inbound payment is recorded.
What "enacted but not yet in force" means for you
British Columbia's Act is not yet in force (commencement by regulation, s. 59), so Tiercord computes these clocks from the Act as passed and flags each one as pending proclamation; the regulations that follow may add prescribed forms and manner-of-giving rules, and Tiercord will adopt them the day they issue.
Payment deadlines in British Columbia: FAQ
How long does an owner have to pay in British Columbia?
28 days from receipt of a proper invoice (BC CPPA s. 9(1)(a) (enacted, not in force)), unless the owner delivers a notice of non-payment within the 14-day dispute window.
Do I still have to pay my subcontractors in British Columbia if the owner has not paid me?
Yes. British Columbia requires payment to cascade down on a backstop of 35 days at the first tier and 42 days further down the chain (BC CPPA s. 9(1)(b)(ii), s. 9(2) (enacted, not in force)), unless you deliver a notice of non-payment down the chain and undertake to refer the dispute to adjudication.
See the full British Columbia guide
Every deadline, notice and adjudication rule in one place.