---
title: "List the reasons a federal invoice may have to be returned"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/construction-and-infrastructure/draft-the-payment-schedule-and-adjudication-response/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A11-T1-R2-US"
practice_area: "Construction & Infrastructure"
tier: "red"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# List the reasons a federal invoice may have to be returned

> Set the invoice beside any return already in the file and list the reasons the return gives, with the date of receipt if printed. Write no sentence of a return notice.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/construction-and-infrastructure/draft-the-payment-schedule-and-adjudication-response/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Construction & Infrastructure](https://ailawframework.com/practice/construction-and-infrastructure.md) |
| Human involvement | Red: Lawyer writes; AI may check, clarify or collect data |
| How AI is used | Set the invoice beside any return already in the file and list the reasons the return gives, with the date of receipt if printed. Write no sentence of a return notice. |
| What the lawyer must review | Section 3903(a)(7)(B) requires an invoice that is determined not to be a proper invoice to be returned as soon as practicable, and not later than 7 days after receipt, specifying the reasons. The 7 days are the agency's time. They are not a contractor's time to serve a payment schedule, and there is no adjudication in this section. Section 3901(a)(3), which defines a proper invoice, was not opened. You decide whether to return the invoice and you write the reasons. Formal Opinion 512: do not send generated text you have not checked. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Draft the payment schedule and adjudication response](https://ailawframework.com/practice/construction-and-infrastructure/draft-the-payment-schedule-and-adjudication-response.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Set the invoice beside any return already in the file and list the reasons the return gives, with the date of receipt if printed. Write no sentence of a return notice.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- This is the agency's return of an invoice. It is not a security-of-payment schedule.
- Do not treat 7 days as the contractor's deadline.

## Sources

- [31 U.S.C. § 3903, Prompt Payment regulations](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/3903) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512 (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Victorian payment schedule checks](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/construction-and-infrastructure/vic-payment-schedule-checks.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Checks for a Victorian payment schedule: the 10 business day period, what the schedule must state, and the Commission's statement of the consequence of missing it. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*