The whole position, at a glance
Held-to-date, released, approved-not-settled, and still-held sit on one card against the head contract, so the retention balance is current instead of reconstructed at the end.
Pay
Retention you can see, held and released without a spreadsheet
Retention is withheld automatically as your progress claims are certified, tracked held-to-date against the head contract, and released at the milestones you agreed, practical completion and end of defects, with approval kept honestly separate from the cash.
Retention held to date
$128,008.19
5% withheld on $2,560,163.87 certified to date
Released
$0.00
nothing released yet
Still held
$128,008.19
Withheld per certified progress claim
| Claim | Period | Certified | Rate | Retention withheld | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claim #1 | to 30 Apr 2026 | $1,024,187.40 | 5% | $51,209.37 | Held |
| Claim #2 | to 31 May 2026 | $931,276.29 | 5% | $46,563.81 | Held |
| Claim #3 | to 30 Jun 2026 | $604,700.18 | 5% | $30,235.01 | Held |
| Held to date | $2,560,163.87 | $128,008.19 | |||
Release schedule
Practical completion50% released
$64,004.10ScheduledEnd of defectsbalance released
$64,004.09ScheduledRetention is withheld automatically at 5% off every certified progress claim, tracked held-to-date against the head contract, and released at the milestones you agreed — practical completion then end of defects — with approval kept separate from the cash.
Trusted by builders across the country
From custom-home builders to commercial head contractors, teams run their projects on BuildPass.
Retention is real money, so it shouldn't live in a spreadsheet that drifted from the contract
Held automatically as you certify
Retention is withheld at certification on your contract's rate and cap, straight off the certified amount, so the held total is right from the first claim.
Approval kept separate from cash
Approving a release freezes the amount; the money only moves when you record settlement, so approved-but-unpaid is a state you can see, not a gap you find later.
How it works
Everything retention needs, in one register
From automatic withholding to released cash at completion.
Held to date$128,008.19
Released$0.00
Approved, not settled$0.00
Still held$128,008.19
See held, released and still held
Read withheld-to-date, released, approved-not-settled, and still-held on one card against the head contract.
Progress claim #3 certified$604,700.18
Retention rate5%
Withheld this period$30,235.01
Held on the contract's rate and cap · no manual deduction
Withhold automatically
Retention is held at certification on the contract's rate and cap, off the certified amount, with no manual deduction each period.
Practical completion50% released
$64,004.10End of defectsbalance released
$64,004.09Release on the milestones you agreed
A release schedule shows practical completion and the defects liability period with the amount eligible at each, so you release the right slice at the right time.
Practical completion · 50%Approved
Approved, not settled$64,004.10
Approval freezes the amount · cash moves only on settlement
Approve without moving cash
Approving freezes the amount for the record; the held balance only falls when you record settlement, so the approved-but-unpaid position stays visible.
Release approved$64,004.10
Settled this run (part)$45,000.00
Carried forward$19,004.10
Partial settlements carry forward · held balance matches reality
Record settlement, in full or in part
Record the cash paid against a release, with partial settlements carried forward, so the held balance always matches reality.
| Subcontract | You hold |
|---|---|
| 03-100Concrete | $38,420 |
| 16-100Electrical | $27,855 |
| 09-100Finishes | $9,965 |
| Held from subs | $76,240 |
See subcontractor retention too
A live money-out projection shows the retention you hold from subcontractors alongside the retention held from you, so the net position is legible.
Connected to the whole job
Retention is the last piece of the money-in picture
It sits on the money-in side of Win to Pay, built directly on progress claims and the head contract. The rate, cap, and release schedule are set once on the contract; every time a progress claim is certified, retention is withheld off the certified amount and added to the running held-to-date balance. When it's time to get the money back, you release against that same balance at practical completion and end of defects, and record settlement as the client pays. Where bills track the retention you owe subcontractors, this is the retention the client owes you.
Progress claims · certified to date
$2,560,164
Northside Apartments · certified across claims #1–#3
5% withheld
Retention held
$128,008
running held-to-date against the contract
Cash back · released on milestone
$128,008
released at practical completion then end of defects
Trusted by builders who run their projects on BuildPass
From custom-home builders to commercial head contractors, teams across Australia and New Zealand run their projects on BuildPass every day.
The onboarding process and training we received from the BuildPass team was fantastic.
Nick Du Bois
Managing Director, FORA
These checklists ensure our standards are consistently met, no matter the project.
Mark Riley
Site Supervisor, Turn Group
I'd recommend BuildPass to any builder, sub contractor or site manager. It just makes your life easier.
Garath Vella
Director, Lorden Vella
Frequently asked questions
Automatically, when you certify a progress claim. It's held on the rate and cap set on your head contract, calculated off the certified amount, and added to the running held-to-date balance, so the total held is always right without a manual deduction each period.
On the milestones you agreed. The release schedule shows practical completion, a set proportion of what's held, and the defects liability period, which releases the remainder. You can also raise a manual release at any time.
Approving a release freezes the amount, but no cash moves on approval. The money only leaves the held balance when you record settlement, so approved-but-unsettled is retention you've signed off but haven't been paid yet, a state you can see rather than a surprise at the end.
Yes. Eligibility is advisory, not a hard block. You can release ahead of a milestone or above the scheduled amount by adding a reason, which is kept on the record.
All of them. It's the same instrument under different names, security withheld against a contract and returned at completion, and the register reads in your market's language.
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