Commercial & Contract · Best Practice · Construction

Daywork Sheet

A sheet recording labour, plant, and materials used on daywork.

Last reviewed: 29 March 2026 — This guide reflects UK law as of this date. RICS Definition / JCT remains current with no amendments enacted as of 29 March 2026. Next scheduled review: 29 March 2027.

Legal basis	RICS Definition of Prime Cost of Daywork + JCT Standard Building Contract 2024 (Clause 5.7) + Express contract terms
Purpose	Daywork is used to record and value variation work that cannot reasonably be valued by measurement — the work is recorded at prime cost and valued using agreed percentage additions
Submission deadline	JCT Clause 5.7 requires daywork sheets to be submitted to the Contract Administrator within 7 business days of the work being carried out
Percentage additions	Typical percentage additions are 50–100% on labour, 20–30% on plant, and 15–20% on materials — actual percentages are stated in the contract
Signature	The supervisor's signature on a daywork sheet confirms the accuracy of the records (hours, plant, materials) — it does not confirm agreement to pay the claimed amount

1. The Daywork Sheet

A daywork sheet is the prime cost evidence document used to record variation work that cannot reasonably be valued by measurement. Where the nature of the varied work is such that it is not possible to measure it accurately and apply rates — for example, work in restricted areas, investigative work, making good following discovery of unforeseen conditions, or work of an intermittent nature — the work is recorded on daywork sheets at prime cost and valued using percentage additions agreed in the contract.

The RICS Definition of Prime Cost of Daywork carried out under a Building Contract establishes the standard framework for daywork valuation. It defines what constitutes prime cost for labour, plant, and materials, and sets out the basis on which percentage additions are applied. Under JCT 2024, Clause 5.7 provides that where variation work cannot be properly valued by measurement, it shall be valued on a daywork basis in accordance with the definition of prime cost stated in the contract.

It is essential to understand that the supervisor's signature on a daywork sheet confirms the accuracy of the records — that the labour hours, plant, and materials recorded on the sheet were actually used on the work described. The signature does not mean that the employer agrees to pay the amount claimed, that the work is properly valued as daywork rather than measurement, or that the percentage additions are accepted. The valuation of daywork and whether daywork is the appropriate basis of valuation remain matters for the Contract Administrator to determine.

Submit daywork sheets within 7 business days

Under JCT Clause 5.7, the contractor must submit daywork sheets to the Contract Administrator within 7 business days of the work being carried out. Late submission may result in the Contract Administrator refusing to verify the records, leaving the contractor without the contemporaneous evidence needed to support the daywork claim. In practice, daywork sheets should be submitted daily or at the end of each working week at the latest. The 7 business day deadline is a contractual requirement, not a guideline.

2. Content

A daywork sheet must record all resources used on the variation work with sufficient detail to enable verification and valuation. The following table sets out the essential content of a daywork sheet.

Field	Detail
Sheet number	Unique sequential reference number for the daywork sheet (e.g. DW-001). Must be consistent with the project numbering system and cross-referenced to the variation instruction.
Date	The date the daywork was carried out. Each daywork sheet should cover a single day. If the same variation work extends over multiple days, a separate sheet is required for each day.
Project reference	Project name, number, and contract reference to identify the project and link the daywork sheet to the correct contract.
Description of work	A clear description of the work carried out on daywork, including the location on site, the nature of the work, and why it is being recorded as daywork rather than measured work. The description must be specific enough for the Contract Administrator to verify what was done.
Variation instruction ref	The reference number of the variation instruction under which the daywork is being carried out. Daywork must always be linked to a variation instruction — it is not a standalone document.
Labour	Names, trades, and hours worked for each operative engaged on the daywork. Hours should distinguish between normal time and overtime. The labour rate per hour should be the prime cost rate as defined in the contract or the RICS Definition of Prime Cost.
Plant	Description of each item of plant used, including hire rates, hours of use, and any transport or fuel costs. Plant should be recorded at actual hire rates or the RICS schedule of plant charges where applicable.
Materials	Description, quantity, and cost of all materials used. Material costs should be supported by delivery tickets or invoices. Include any wastage but exclude trade discounts.
Total prime cost	The total prime cost of the daywork (labour + plant + materials) before any percentage additions. This is the base figure to which the contract percentage additions are applied.
Percentage additions	The percentage additions applied to labour, plant, and materials as stated in the contract. Typical ranges are 50–100% on labour, 20–30% on plant, and 15–20% on materials. These percentages cover overheads, profit, and incidental costs.
Total daywork claim	The total value of the daywork sheet including prime cost and all percentage additions. This is the amount the contractor is claiming for the work recorded on this sheet.
Supervisor signature	Signature of the employer's site representative or Contract Administrator's representative confirming the accuracy of the recorded resources. The signature confirms records, not valuation. The sheet should be signed on the same day the work is carried out.

3. Common Mistakes

Late submission of daywork sheets

JCT Clause 5.7 requires daywork sheets to be submitted within 7 business days of the work being carried out. Late submission undermines the credibility of the records because the Contract Administrator cannot verify the resources used if too much time has passed. In practice, a daywork sheet submitted weeks or months after the work was done is almost impossible to verify — the supervisor may not remember the work, site conditions will have changed, and there is no contemporaneous record to cross-check against. The Contract Administrator is entitled to refuse to verify late daywork sheets, and the contractor may lose the entitlement to daywork valuation entirely. The best practice is to submit daywork sheets daily or at the end of each working week, and to obtain the supervisor's signature on the same day the work is carried out.

Not getting same-day signature from the supervisor

The supervisor's signature on a daywork sheet should be obtained on the same day the work is carried out. This is because the signature confirms the accuracy of the records — the labour hours, plant, and materials recorded on the sheet. If the sheet is presented for signature days or weeks later, the supervisor may not remember the details, may refuse to sign, or may qualify their signature with a note that they cannot verify the records. An unsigned daywork sheet has no evidential value — it is simply the contractor's own record with no independent verification. If a dispute arises, an unsigned daywork sheet will carry far less weight than one signed by the employer's representative on the day the work was done. Obtaining the signature on the same day is a non-negotiable discipline.

4. Frequently Asked Questions

Does the supervisor's signature on a daywork sheet mean the employer agrees to pay?▾

No. The supervisor's signature on a daywork sheet confirms only the accuracy of the factual records — that the labour, plant, and materials listed on the sheet were actually used on the work described, on the date stated. The signature does not constitute agreement to pay the amount claimed, agreement that daywork is the appropriate basis of valuation (as opposed to measurement), or acceptance of the percentage additions applied. The decision on whether work is properly valued as daywork, and the final valuation of that daywork, remains with the Contract Administrator under JCT or the Project Manager under NEC4. However, a signed daywork sheet is powerful contemporaneous evidence — if the Contract Administrator later determines that daywork is the correct basis of valuation, the signed sheet provides verified records of the resources used, which significantly reduces the scope for dispute over quantum.

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