Manitoba's prompt payment rules make every construction invoice the start of a clock: owners must pay a monthly proper invoice within 28 days or give a notice of non-payment within 14, and contractors then have 7 days to pay their subcontractors. The rules only protect you if your invoices qualify and someone is counting. Software that builds proper invoices from the job record and tracks every date turns the legislation into steadier cash flow.
The Rules in Brief
The Government of Manitoba announced that its prompt payment regulation came into force as of April 1, 2025, setting out payment and adjudication details, the non-payment process and an adjudication authority. MLT Aikins' March 2025 summary describes the core timeline:
This is a summary, not legal advice; for a specific contract, read the legislation and talk to a construction lawyer. What follows is about making your systems keep up with it.
- Owners must pay contractors within 28 days of receiving a monthly proper invoice
- An owner can dispute an invoice within 14 days of receiving it by giving a notice of non-payment
- Contractors then have seven days to pay their subcontractors
- Adjudication decisions are interim and binding, and must be paid within 10 days
Monthly Proper Invoices as a Habit
The rules assume a monthly proper invoice. Contractors who bill irregularly, or only at milestones agreed informally, end up with invoices that start the clock late or not at all. Invoicing generated from the job record on a fixed monthly cycle, with the required contents built into the template, makes the habit automatic.
A Manitoba winter makes this matter more: work slows, cash flow tightens, and an invoice that should have gone out in November and went out in January is two months of money you carried yourself.
Count Every Date for the Office
Once a proper invoice is issued, the system should show the office three things without being asked: when the owner's 14-day notice window closes, when the 28-day payment is due, and, when payment arrives, the 7-day deadline to pay subcontractors. Overdue items surface on their own instead of in a month-end review.
Keep the File Ready for Adjudication
If a dispute goes to adjudication, the contractor with the cleanest file is in the best position: the contract, change orders, approvals, invoices, notices and correspondence, all attached to the job. When those records are captured as the work happens, assembling them takes minutes.
The Same Discipline Across the Prairies
Saskatchewan's prompt payment rules came into force on March 1, 2022, and Alberta's on August 29, 2022, both with 28-day payment and 7-day subcontractor timelines. A contractor working in more than one province needs invoice rules and deadlines set by job location.
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