Sub Payment & Waiver Tracker

A free register for sub payments and lien waivers

Log what each subcontractor has been paid and which waivers came back. The register shows the gap — money paid with nothing waived against it — which is the exposure everyone means when they say a job is "not clean".

Why paid and waived have to be tracked together

Paying a sub does not extinguish their lien rights. A waiver does. Track payments alone and you know your cash position but not your exposure; track waivers alone and you know what has been given up but not whether it was paid for. The only number that matters is the difference, and it is the one nobody has to hand when it is asked for.

Conditional and unconditional, in one sentence

A conditional waiver takes effect only when the payment clears — it is what you exchange for a cheque. An unconditional waiver is effective on signature whether or not payment arrives. So a conditional waiver against a payment that has cleared is fine; an unconditional one signed before the money cleared was a gift. This register marks which you have.

The number an owner should be able to state

On any funded job, someone will eventually ask how much has been paid out with no waiver behind it. The answer should take seconds. If it takes a week of emails, that itself is the finding — and it is usually discovered at closing, when it is least convenient.

What it does not do

This is a register you keep by hand. It does not chase anyone, does not verify that a waiver covers the amount it claims to, does not check lower-tier subs and suppliers beneath each sub, and does not know about the payment you made last Tuesday unless you log it. The paid product does all four, which is the actual difference.