The whole position, at a glance
Held-to-date, released, approved-not-settled, and still-held sit on one card against the prime contract, so the retainage balance is current instead of reconstructed at the end.
Pay
Retainage you can see, held and released without a spreadsheet
Retainage is withheld automatically as your pay applications are certified, tracked held-to-date against the prime contract, and released at the milestones you agreed, substantial completion and end of the warranty period, with approval kept honestly separate from the cash.
Retainage 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 pay application
| App. | Period | Certified | Rate | Retainage withheld | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App. #1 | to 30 Apr 2026 | $1,024,187.40 | 5% | $51,209.37 | Held |
| App. #2 | to 31 May 2026 | $931,276.29 | 5% | $46,563.81 | Held |
| App. #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
Substantial completion50% released
$64,004.10ScheduledEnd of warranty periodbalance released
$64,004.09ScheduledRetainage is withheld automatically at 5% off every certified pay application, tracked held-to-date against the prime contract, and released at the milestones you agreed — substantial completion then end of warranty period — with approval kept separate from the cash.
Trusted by builders across the country
From custom-home builders to commercial general contractors, teams run their projects on BuildPass.
Retainage is real money, so it shouldn't live in a spreadsheet that drifted from the contract
Held automatically as you certify
Retainage 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 retainage 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 prime contract.
Pay application #3 certified$604,700.18
Retainage rate5%
Withheld this period$30,235.01
Held on the contract's rate and cap · no manual deduction
Withhold automatically
Retainage is held at certification on the contract's rate and cap, off the certified amount, with no manual deduction each period.
Substantial completion50% released
$64,004.10End of warranty periodbalance released
$64,004.09Release on the milestones you agreed
A release schedule shows substantial completion and the warranty period with the amount eligible at each, so you release the right slice at the right time.
Substantial 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 retainage too
A live money-out projection shows the retainage you hold from subcontractors alongside the retainage held from you, so the net position is legible.
Connected to the whole job
Retainage is the last piece of the money-in picture
It sits on the money-in side of Win to Pay, built directly on pay applications and the prime contract. The rate, cap, and release schedule are set once on the contract; every time a pay application is certified, retainage 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 substantial completion and end of the warranty period, and record settlement as the client pays. Where bills track the retainage you owe subcontractors, this is the retainage the client owes you.
Pay applications · certified to date
$2,560,164
Northside Apartments · certified across claims #1–#3
5% withheld
Retainage held
$128,008
running held-to-date against the contract
Cash back · released on milestone
$128,008
released at substantial completion then end of warranty period
Trusted by builders who run their projects on BuildPass
From custom-home builders to commercial general contractors, teams across the United States 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 pay application. It's held on the rate and cap set on your prime 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 substantial completion, a set proportion of what's held, and the warranty 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 retainage 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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