CANADIAN CONSTRUCTION INVOICES · UPDATED OCTOBER 2, 2026
An unpaid construction invoice? Protect lien rights and follow up in parallel.
A customer may pay after a clear reminder or a voluntary plan. A construction lien is a separate legal right with a separate clock. Do not wait for automated follow-up, a promised payment or a plan negotiation before checking the applicable deadline.
What to do first
If a lien may matter, ask a construction lawyer or other qualified professional to identify your filing and enforcement dates from the project documents now. Your invoice due date, the last day you attended the site, and the date a customer says they will pay are not reliable substitutes for that review.
RemitRight does not calculate lien deadlines, send legal notices, file or enforce a lien, or preserve a claim. Voluntary payment discussions do not necessarily extend statutory deadlines.
Bring these records to the deadline check
Identify the project and contracting chain
Record the legal owner, project address, prime contractor, your direct customer, and every subcontract or purchase order. The party you invoice may not be the land owner.
Find the legal trigger, not just the due date
Keep certificates or declarations of substantial performance, completion notices, dates work or materials were last supplied, and any abandonment or termination record. Which event matters depends on your province and role.
Reconcile the payment claim
Keep approved progress claims, change orders, field tickets, holdbacks, credits, deposits, payment receipts and the remaining balance together. Ask accounts payable what has been approved or is missing.
The provinces do not share one lien deadline
These examples explain why a national “wait a few weeks” rule is unsafe. They are starting points for checking the current law, not a calculation for your project.
British Columbia
The Builders Lien Act can require filing within 45 days of a certificate of completion or another specified completion, abandonment or termination event. The invoice due date is not the general filing trigger.
BC Builders Lien Act, sections 20–22Ontario
The Construction Act has 60-day preservation periods tied to different events for contractors and other lien claimants. The earliest applicable event matters; preserving a lien and later perfecting it are separate steps.
Ontario Construction Act, sections 31–37Alberta
Prompt-payment, adjudication and construction-lien rules work together. The applicable contract, work, land and statutory filing period need their own review.
Alberta prompt-payment and lien guidanceOther provinces and territories have their own legislation. Identify the project location and your role before relying on any time period shown here.
Where a payment conversation still helps
Once the legal timeline is being handled, confirm whether the customer agrees with the balance. A missing purchase order, progress certificate or holdback explanation may be the real accounts-payable hold. If the amount is agreed and the customer needs time, RemitRight can help you request full payment or offer a voluntary 3- or 5-month plan. You authorize the first customer message.
There is no RemitRight business subscription, setup fee or collection commission. A customer who chooses a plan sees its total 3% or 5% plan fee before checkout; standard card processing fees apply. RemitRight does not guarantee payment, and each installment must succeed.
See the BC construction invoice walkthroughHave an agreed balance to follow up?
Check any lien or other legal deadline independently, then review the invoice and customer contact before authorizing a message.
Review one overdue invoiceGeneral information, not legal advice. Lien eligibility, triggers, filing and enforcement vary by jurisdiction and project. Verify the current law and get project-specific advice promptly.