The Scheme for Construction Contracts payment timeline, explained

The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (the Construction Act), as amended by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, sets minimum payment rules for construction contracts. If a contract doesn't include compliant payment terms, the Scheme for Construction Contracts fills the gaps. In England the Scheme is the 1998 Regulations as amended in 2011; Wales and Scotland have their own versions with the same structure.

The four dates

Date	Scheme rule (interim payments)
Due date	The later of 7 days after the end of the relevant period (28 days if the contract doesn't set one) and the date the payee makes its claim (para 4).
Payment notice	The payer must give it no later than 5 days after the due date (para 9 and section 110A).
Final date for payment	17 days after the due date (para 8).
Pay less notice	No later than 7 days before the final date for payment (para 10 and section 111).

For a final payment, the due date is the later of 30 days after completion of the work and the date of the payee's claim (para 5). The other periods are the same.

Which days count

Section 116 of the Act says a period starts the day after the date it runs from, and Christmas Day, Good Friday and bank holidays in the relevant part of the UK are not counted. Weekends do count. That is why the dates move around Christmas and Easter, and why Scotland (with its 2 January holiday) can differ from England.

Worked example

Period ends Saturday 31 October 2026 and the claim goes in the same day. Due date: Saturday 7 November. Payment notice deadline: Thursday 12 November. Final date for payment: Tuesday 24 November. Pay less deadline: Tuesday 17 November.

Over Christmas, for a period ending Sunday 20 December 2026: 25 December, 28 December (substitute Boxing Day) and 1 January 2027 are skipped. Due date 29 December, payment notice by 4 January, pay less notice by 9 January, final date 16 January.

Your contract probably comes first

Most written subcontracts (JCT, NEC or bespoke) set their own periods, and those apply if they comply with the Act. Only the missing or non-compliant parts are replaced by the Scheme. Use our calculator with "My contract's terms" to enter your own figures.