What payment terms does the Construction Act give a subcontractor?

Most UK subcontracts are construction contracts under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996. Here is what that gives you. The timetable: section 110 says your contract must set out what is due and when, with a due date and a final date for payment for each payment. The Payment Notice: your main contractor must send a notice stating the sum due and how it was worked out. It must arrive within the contract's period after the due date, under section 110A. If it does not, your application can stand as the notice under section 110B. The notified sum: if your main contractor wants to pay less, it must send a Pay Less Notice in time, stating the sum and the reason. Otherwise it must pay the notified sum in full, under section 111. No pay when paid: a clause making your payment depend on your main contractor being paid is ineffective, except in narrow insolvency cases, under section 113. Suspension: if the notified sum is not paid by the final date, you can suspend work under section 112 after giving the required notice. Interest is not in this Act: it comes from your subcontract or from the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Adjudication: you can refer any dispute to adjudication at any time under section 108, usually with a decision within 28 days of referral. How each applies on your job depends on the actual wording and dates. Anything beyond the commercial position is for your solicitor.