Pay application checker
Open a pay application spreadsheet from any source. The checker finds the schedule of values, recomputes completed and stored, balance to finish, and retainage on every row, re-adds the columns, and lists each difference between the sheet and the math.
The spreadsheet is read on this device. Nothing is uploaded, and nothing from the file is stored or sent.
The file is opened in this browser tab and is not uploaded.
Columns and retainage rates
Each field below was matched to a column by its heading. Change any that are wrong.
Findings
Recomputed totals
Rows not read as schedule lines
Verification
Every line, sheet beside recomputed
What gets checked
- Each row: completed and stored on the sheet equals previous work plus this period plus materials stored.
- Each row: balance to finish on the sheet equals scheduled value minus completed and stored.
- Each row: retainage on the sheet equals the retainage rates you enter applied to completed work and to stored materials.
- Every subtotal and totals row on the sheet equals the sum of the lines above it, column by column. A row counts as a subtotal or total only when its label is exactly that word.
- A row with amounts below the last totals row fails a check that names the row, until the sheet is corrected or you mark the row as not a schedule line (recorded as a warning).
- Every row with amounts could be read. A row that could not is listed with the reason and is never skipped silently.
- Warnings name lines billed in the negative, percent cells that disagree with the math, amounts with more precision than a cent, rows with no amounts that were left out as headings or notes, and rows you marked as not schedule lines.
How it works
- Open the spreadsheet. Drop an .xlsx or .csv file on the page. It is read in the browser tab; no copy is sent anywhere.
- Confirm the columns. The checker finds the header row and matches columns by their headings: item, description, scheduled value, previous work, this period, materials stored, completed and stored, percent, balance to finish, and retainage. Each match can be changed from a dropdown.
- Enter the retainage rates. Type the rate for completed work and the rate for stored materials. The sheet's retainage column is compared with these rates.
- Read the findings. Every row is recomputed with the same math as the pay application builder. Each difference shows the row, what the sheet says, what the math gives, and the amount it is off by.
- Export. Download a findings workbook or CSV with every line shown beside its recomputed values, plus the certificate that lists each check.
Worked example
A made-up schedule of values at 10% retainage, as it arrived in a spreadsheet. Three cells and one total are off.
| Row | Item | Scheduled value | Previous work | This period | Stored | Completed and stored | Balance to finish | Retainage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 Demolition | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $12,000.00 | $0.00 | $1,200.00 |
| 3 | 2 Framing | $48,000.00 | $20,000.00 | $14,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $36,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $3,600.00 |
| 4 | 3 Drywall | $26,500.00 | $5,000.00 | $8,250.00 | $0.00 | $13,520.00 | $12,980.00 | $1,325.00 |
| 5 | 4 Paint | $9,000.00 | $0.00 | $2,000.00 | $0.00 | $2,000.00 | $7,000.00 | $100.00 |
| 6 | Totals | $95,500.00 | $37,000.00 | $24,750.00 | $1,500.00 | $63,250.00 | $31,980.00 | $6,225.00 |
Four findings. Row 4: completed and stored on the sheet is $13,520.00 but previous + this period + stored is $13,250.00 (off by $270.00), and balance to finish is $12,980.00 where the math gives $13,250.00. Row 5: retainage is $100.00 where 10% gives $200.00. Row 6: the completed and stored total says $63,250.00 but that column's lines add to $63,520.00. Recomputed totals are $63,250.00 completed and stored, $32,250.00 balance to finish, and $6,325.00 retainage.
The example uses made-up names and numbers.
Questions
Which spreadsheet layouts can it read?
Any .xlsx or .csv with a header row that names the scheduled value and either previous work or work this period. Headings are matched by wording, so column order does not matter, and two-line headings are read. If the header row is not found, the page says why and has a link to request support for the format.
What if a column is matched to the wrong heading?
Every field has a dropdown listing the sheet's columns. Change the match and the rows are recomputed at once. The header row number can be changed the same way.
Which rows are treated as totals, and can a row be skipped?
A row is a subtotal or a total only when its item or description cell is exactly Total, Totals, Grand total, Subtotal, or Sub-total, with nothing after it but punctuation. Those rows are compared with the lines above them. A line such as "Total station layout" is a schedule line like any other, and lines that come after a first totals row (change orders under a base contract total, for example) are read and checked too. No row that holds an amount is skipped quietly: a row with amounts below the last totals row fails a check until you mark it as not a schedule line, and the page says "No differences found" only when every row with amounts was checked.
How are spreadsheet numbers turned into cents?
Stored numbers are converted digit by digit, never through floating point, so 0.1 + 0.2 noise in a file does not create a false difference. Text such as $1,234.50 or (500.00) is read strictly. A cell with real precision beyond the cent is rounded and named in a warning.
Why does a row show a one-cent retainage difference?
Retainage is rounded to the cent on each line. When one rate covers both work and stored materials, the checker accepts the rate applied to the line total or to each part. A sheet that rounds only on the grand total can still differ by a cent on a line.
Is my spreadsheet uploaded?
No. The file is opened by the browser on your own computer. The findings and the certificate are built there too, and nothing from the file is sent to a server.
This tool calculates and checks numbers. It is not legal, tax, or medical advice.