Saskatchewan's prompt payment rules turn invoicing into a clock: an owner must pay a proper invoice within 28 days or issue a notice of non-payment within 14, and a contractor paid by the owner has 7 days to pay its subcontractors. Contractors who track those dates by hand miss the windows that protect them. Software that issues proper invoices, timestamps them and counts the days turns the legislation into cash flow instead of paperwork.
The Rules in Brief
The Builders' Lien (Prompt Payment) Amendment Act, 2019 came into force on March 1, 2022, according to the Government of Saskatchewan, and applies to contracts entered into from that date. The Saskatchewan Construction Dispute Resolution Office (SCDRO), which the province designated as the official adjudication authority, describes the timeline like this:
This is a summary, not legal advice. For a specific contract, read the Act and talk to a construction lawyer. What follows is about making sure your systems keep up with the rules.
- An owner must pay a proper invoice within 28 days
- An owner has 14 days to issue a notice of non-payment for all or part of the invoice
- Once the prime contractor is paid, it must pay its subcontractors within 7 days
- Payment disputes can go to adjudication through the SCDRO, as an alternative to court
Proper Invoices Are the Trigger
Every one of those clocks starts with a proper invoice: one that carries the contents the legislation requires, such as the contractor's name and address, the date, the period the work covers, a description of the work and the amount payable. An invoice missing a required element invites an argument about whether the clock ever started.
Invoice templates that build those fields in, from the job record, mean every invoice meets the requirements without anyone checking a list.
Count the Days Automatically
Once a proper invoice is issued, the system should know three dates without being told: when the owner's notice window closes, when payment is due, and, when payment arrives, when your subcontractors must be paid. It should flag each one before it passes.
- Day 14: no notice of non-payment received means the owner has not disputed it
- Day 28: payment due; anything unpaid is flagged to the office
- Payment received: the 7-day clock to your subcontractors starts and shows on the dashboard
Notices and Adjudication Paperwork
When something goes wrong, the paperwork matters: notices in the prescribed forms, the invoice history, the contract, change orders and correspondence. When all of that is already attached to the job, preparing for adjudication is assembly, not a search through inboxes. The SCDRO publishes its forms and an adjudicator directory on its website.
The Same Discipline Across the Prairies
Alberta's Prompt Payment and Construction Lien Act has applied to new construction contracts since August 29, 2022, with the same 28-day, 14-day and 7-day structure, per the Government of Alberta. Manitoba's prompt payment regulation came into force on April 1, 2025. A contractor working across provinces needs the invoice rules and deadlines set per job location.
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