Construction Billing Guides
Plain-English answers to how progress billing actually works — written for the subcontractors doing it.
Start here
Pay Application Fundamentals
What pay applications are, what goes in them, and how the documents fit together.
What Is a Pay Application? The Complete GuideThe document that gets subcontractors paid — what's in it, how the math works, and how the monthly cycle runs.Jul 1412 min readComplete guide
Pay Application 101: Every Field, Explained SimplyA picture of every field on the form and what goes in it, in plain words.Jul 2715 min readStart here
What Is a Progress Payment in Construction?Partial payment for work completed so far — how it's calculated, requested, and certified.Jul 2710 min readStart here
Invoice vs. Pay Application: When to Use EachThe differences that matter, the contract signals that decide it, and how to switch from invoicing without losing money.Aug 2011 min readComparison
How to Fill Out a Pay Application, Step by StepA field-by-field walkthrough — from schedule of values to the payment-due line, with a pre-submission checklist.Aug 2014 min readStep by step
G702 vs G703: What Each Form Does and How They Work TogetherThe cover form vs the continuation sheet — what goes on each, how totals flow, and when you need the official forms.Aug 2010 min readComparison
How to Create a Schedule of Values (With Example)Break your contract into billable line items the GC will approve — with a worked $150,000 example and rules for how granular to go.Jul 2112 min read
Progress Billing in Construction, ExplainedBill the job month by month instead of all at once — the cycle, the math against your schedule of values, and a three-period example.Jul 2111 min read
12 Reasons Pay Applications Get Rejected (and How to Avoid Each)A rejected application costs you a full payment cycle. The twelve most common reasons reviewers kick them back — and how to prevent every one.Jul 1412 min readContract money
Retainage & Contract Money
How retainage, stored materials, and change orders affect what you can bill.
What Is Retainage? How It Works and How to Calculate ItThe percentage held back from every payment — why it exists, how to calculate it right, and how you get it back.Aug 2011 min readComplete guide
How to Bill for Stored Materials on a Pay ApplicationWhat stored materials are, the paperwork payers demand, and how to move stored value into work completed without double-billing.Jul 2110 min read
How to Bill Change Orders on a Pay ApplicationOnly bill approved change orders — how COs change the contract amount, where they go on the schedule of values, and how to avoid disputes.Jul 2110 min read
How to Get Your Retainage ReleasedThe held-back money is often your entire profit margin. When retainage becomes payable, what closeout requires, and how to bill for it.Aug 209 min readGetting paid
Getting Paid
Lien waivers, notarization, and what to do when the money doesn't show up.
Conditional vs Unconditional Lien Waivers, ExplainedFour waiver types, one golden rule, and the fine print to check before you trade lien rights for a check.Aug 2110 min read
What to Do When a GC Doesn't Pay Your ApplicationAn escalation ladder for unpaid applications — from a polite follow-up to lien deadlines — with the paperwork that keeps you in control.Aug 2011 min read
Does a Pay Application Need to Be Notarized?The short answer, why payers ask for it, what the notary actually checks, and what happens when a required stamp is missing.Aug 207 min readYour books
Accounting & Bookkeeping
Getting pay applications into your accounting system and keeping the ledger honest.
By state
Lien Waiver Rules by State
Which states mandate statutory waiver forms, what each one requires, and the deadlines that can cost you your lien rights.
Lien Waiver Requirements by StateWhich states mandate statutory waiver forms, and what governs in the roughly forty that don't.Aug 239 min readState rules
California Lien Waiver RequirementsFour mandatory forms, one bold-type notice, and the wording rule that voids anything else.Aug 217 min readState rules
Texas Lien Waiver RequirementsFour prescribed forms, a substantial-compliance standard, and the 2022 notarization change that still trips people up.Aug 217 min readState rules
Georgia Lien Waiver Requirements & the 90-Day RuleA signed waiver can bind you without payment 90 days later — unless you file the affidavit that stops the clock.Aug 218 min readState rules
Arizona Lien Waiver RequirementsFour statutory forms, and the rule that a joint-payee check keeps your waiver conditional.Aug 216 min readState rules
Florida Lien Waiver RequirementsThe forms are optional — but nobody can make you sign anything else. Florida runs a one-of-a-kind middle path.Aug 216 min readState rules
Nevada Lien Waiver RequirementsThe strictest regime in the country: statutory forms required, and a conditional waiver needs actual payment to bite.Aug 236 min readState rules
Utah Lien Waiver RequirementsStatutory forms plus actual payment — and a bounced check voids the waiver no matter what it says.Aug 236 min readState rules
Michigan Lien Waiver RequirementsFour forms on a partial/full axis, an advance-waiver ban, and a verification rule on residential jobs.Aug 236 min readState rules
Massachusetts Lien Waiver RequirementsMost waivers are void here. The one allowed form permits no material deviation — and it's built out of pay application math.Aug 237 min readState rules
Mississippi Lien Waiver RequirementsA signed waiver becomes final 60 days later — paid or not — unless you file an affidavit of nonpayment. The shortest fuse in the country.Aug 236 min readState rules
Missouri Lien Waiver RequirementsNo statutory forms — the waiver's own words govern — and a residential notice-of-rights regime that waives liens by silence.Aug 236 min readState rules
Minnesota Lien Waiver RequirementsNo prescribed forms — the document you sign is the law of your deal, and § 514.07 governs the payment mechanics around it.Aug 235 min readState rules
Wyoming Lien Waiver RequirementsOne statutory form with retainage protection built in, a notary block, and a dishonored-check rule that cuts both ways.Aug 235 min readState rulesReady to bill? Skip the spreadsheet.
Everything these guides explain — the schedule of values, retainage, the roll-forward — is computed for you in the free generator.
Create a pay application free