15Payment schedules

15 Payment schedules (1) A person on whom a payment claim is served (the ***respondent***) may reply to the claim by providing a payment schedule to the claimant. (2) A payment schedule— (a) must identify the payment claim to which it relates; and S. 15(2)(b) amended by No. 42/2006 s. 17(1). (b) must indicate the amount of the payment (if any) that the respondent proposes to make (the ***scheduled amount***); and S. 15(2)(c) inserted by No. 42/2006 s. 17(2). (c) must identify any amount of the claim that the respondent alleges is an excluded amount; and S. 15(2)(d) inserted by No. 42/2006 s. 17(2). (d) must be in the relevant prescribed form (if any); and S. 15(2)(e) inserted by No. 42/2006 s. 17(2). (e) must contain the prescribed information (if any). (3) If the scheduled amount is less than the claimed amount, the schedule must indicate why the scheduled amount is less and (if it is less because the respondent is withholding payment for any reason) the respondent's reasons for withholding payment. (4) If— (a) a claimant serves a payment claim on a respondent; and (b) the respondent does not provide a payment schedule to the claimant— (i) within the time required by the relevant construction contract; or (ii) within 10 business days after the payment claim is served; whichever time expires earlier— the respondent becomes liable to pay the claimed amount to the claimant on the due date for the progress payment to which the payment claim relates.