Invoicing & payment — United States
9 posts for this country. We write our own posts per country instead of translations — the source and the date it was checked sit under every one.
Invoicing & payment
Invoicing for contractors: the billing run, in order
Billing a construction job: the schedule of values, percent complete, retainage on its own line, the lien waiver that gates the check, and what actually starts the payment clock.
Zirko Redaktion4 min readInvoicing & payment
California mechanics lien: three deadlines, two set by the owner
Serve the preliminary notice late and the lien covers only the last 20 days of work. Record within 90 days of completion, then sue within 90 days of recording.
Zirko Redaktion10 min readInvoicing & payment
Mechanics lien deadlines: four states, four different calendars
California counts 90 days from completion, Texas to the 15th of a month, Florida wants notice within 45 days of starting, New York gives eight months — four on a house.
Zirko Redaktion10 min readInvoicing & payment
Federal prompt payment: 14 days, and only for a proper invoice
Progress payments are due 14 days after the billing office receives a proper payment request, and the prime must pay subcontractors within 7 days of being paid.
Zirko Redaktion9 min readInvoicing & payment
Retainage in construction: 10 percent in Texas, 5 in New York
Texas makes the owner hold 10 percent. New York caps private retainage at 5 percent, and since 2026 California caps private-work retention at 5 percent too.
Zirko Redaktion9 min readInvoicing & payment
Sales tax on construction: one job, three states, three answers
Texas taxes office repair labor but not home repair. New York exempts a capital improvement but taxes your materials. California taxes the fixtures you install, never the labor.
Zirko Redaktion9 min readInvoicing & payment
Prompt Payment Act by state: California, Texas and New York
California, Texas and New York each give a prime contractor seven days to pass payment down. What differs is the owner's deadline, the penalty, and who pays attorney's fees.
Zirko Redaktion10 min readInvoicing & payment
Texas mechanics lien: stop counting days, count months
Texas measures every lien deadline to the 15th day of a month — the third, the fourth, the second for residential. Plus statutory 10 percent retainage and the five-day copy rule.
Zirko Redaktion9 min readInvoicing & payment
Texas sales tax: home repair labor untaxed, office repair taxed
The same remodel is untaxed in an apartment and fully taxed in an office. New construction labor is untaxed unless remodeling exceeds five percent and is not stated separately.
Zirko Redaktion8 min read
