How to make sure every sub sends a lien waiver before you pay them
Before a sub gets paid, the agent collects the lien waiver and current COI, checks the amounts, and won't mark the payment ready until both are right.
- Reach it by
- Text
- Web
- Who can use it
- Your project managers, accounts payable and your subs
- Works in
- Procore or your project management system · QuickBooks or your accounting system · DocuSign (on a plan with API access) · Email
The problem
Pay day comes and the waiver isn't in. Or it's in, but it's for last month's amount, or it's the unconditional form when you needed the conditional one. Someone in the office has to catch that on every sub, every draw.
Certificates of insurance expire in the middle of a job and nobody notices until the owner's lender asks. Pay a sub without a valid waiver and you can end up paying twice when their supplier files a lien.
What your agent does
- A sub's pay request comes inApproved amount for this draw
- Your agent checks the paperworkWaiver type, amount, dates and the COI expiration
- Asks the sub for what's missingThe right waiver form, filled in for the right amount
- Requests an updated COIFrom the sub or their insurance agent
- Holds the payment until both are rightOn hold in Procore Pay if you use it; otherwise never marked ready
- Marks it ready for approvalYour AP or PM signs off and payment goes out
What you get
- No sub gets paid without the right waiver for the right amount
- Expired certificates caught before the draw, not after
- A file for every payment: pay request, waiver and COI together
- Fewer calls from the office chasing paperwork
Who approves what
The agent never releases a payment by itself. Once the waiver and COI check out, it marks the payment ready, and your accounts payable lead or PM approves it in your accounting system.
Common questions
- Does it know the difference between conditional and unconditional waivers?
- Yes. You tell us which form you require at each stage, including any state-specific forms, and the agent checks that the waiver it gets matches the form, the job, the period and the amount.
- What if a sub pushes back or says the check is late?
- The agent tells them exactly what's missing and what amount it should show. If they still dispute it, it hands the conversation to your PM or AP with the history attached.
- Can it actually stop a payment in QuickBooks?
- No. QuickBooks doesn't let outside tools hold or release a bill. The agent holds the approval instead: the payment isn't marked ready until the paperwork is complete. If you use Procore Pay, it also puts a hold on the invoice there. Your AP lead or PM still approves every payment.
More for construction
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Warranty callbacks
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What job would you hand to an agent?
Book a free 15-minute call. Tell us the job that eats your week and we'll tell you how an agent would handle it and what it would cost.