California

Getting paid on California jobs

California gives a subcontractor prompt payment deadlines, a lien, a stop payment notice and a bond claim, and most of the ones who go unpaid reach for none of them. These guides cover invoicing that gets approved first time, the deadlines that start running the day you finish, and what to do the week a client goes quiet.

3 ways to move forward

Practical guidesGet paid in 30 daysThe owner owes the direct contractor within 30 days under Civ. Code s.8800 and the prime owes you within 7 days of receipt under BPC s.7108.5, with a disputed line capped at 150 percent of the amount actually in question.Practical guidesInvoicing and payment applicationsWhat each line on a California billing does: the license number under BPC s.7030.5, the jobsite address that sets the tax rate, retention as a deduction rather than a discount, and cumulative columns. Includes a $184,000 payment application that recovers a lost month.Practical guidesWhen a client will not payFive rungs in order, each with a California deadline: the dated demand, the stop payment notice, the lien at 30, 60 or 90 days from completion, and the 90 days to bring suit to foreclose under Civ. Code s.8460. Worked with real dates on one Riverside file.

Count it instead of estimating it

California prompt payment and retention calculatorTwo clocks, not one. Progress payments run from the payment demand; retention runs from completion, not from your final invoice. Enter both dates and see which one is actually late.Free, no signup.
Every calculator

The rest of the California library

Getting and keeping a CSLB licensePreliminary notices and mechanics liens in CaliforniaRetention on California jobsPrevailing wage and public works in CaliforniaBuilding standards on a California siteSales tax for California contractorsCalifornia franchise tax for contractors
Every guideThe whole California libraryPractical guides