| Subcontractor | Pay app | Conditional waiver | Unconditional waiver | Insurance expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northside Concrete | No. 4 | Received | Received | Mar 31 Current |
| Ridgeline Steel | No. 3 | Received | Requested | Nov 2 22 days |
| Bright Electric | No. 3 | Requested | Not due | Oct 4 Expired |
| Harbor Finishes | No. 1 | Received | Received | Jun 15 Current |
Compliance documents decide who gets paid
On a construction project a lien waiver or an insurance certificate is not filing. It is a condition of payment. The owner wants your waiver before releasing your draw, and you want every sub and supplier waiver before you pass the money down. A missing one is a lien risk on the property and a reason for the owner to hold your next payment.
That is why EZBilling keeps compliance documents in the same system as the payables, not in a shared folder.
All four lien waiver types
EZBilling tracks the four waivers used on progress and final payments.
- Conditional waiver on progress payment: effective once the stated payment is received.
- Unconditional waiver on progress payment: effective when signed, for payment already received.
- Conditional waiver on final payment: releases all lien rights once final payment is received.
- Unconditional waiver on final payment: releases all lien rights, effective when signed.
Waivers are requested from the vendor by email, tracked from requested to received, linked to the payment they cover, and stored on the record.
Insurance certificates with expiration dates
Each certificate of insurance is recorded with its coverage details and expiration date, so a lapsed policy is visible on the vendor before work continues or a payment goes out. Certificates can be linked to the projects they apply to.
Less chasing
On the Professional plan, the follow-up work is taken off your desk.
- Automated reminders go out before a certificate expires, at 30, 14, 7 and 1 day.
- Subs and vendors sign in to their own portal to upload a renewed certificate.
- Lien waivers can be sent for e-signature and come back as a sealed PDF with an audit certificate.
- AI extraction reads an uploaded certificate or waiver and fills in the record for you to check.
Closeout affidavits and consent of surety
Final payment brings its own documents: the contractor affidavit of payment of debts and claims, the affidavit of release of liens, and the consent of surety to final payment. EZBilling generates these in the formats used alongside AIA G706, G706A and G707. Notarized originals signed on paper can be uploaded back onto the record as the executed copy.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a conditional and an unconditional lien waiver?
A conditional waiver takes effect only when the payment it names is actually received. An unconditional waiver takes effect when it is signed, whether or not payment has cleared. Sign unconditional waivers only for money already in the bank.
When should a general contractor collect lien waivers from subcontractors?
With every payment. Collect a conditional progress waiver with each sub pay application, exchange it for an unconditional progress waiver once the payment has cleared, and collect final waivers with final payment.
What does COI stand for in construction?
COI stands for certificate of insurance: the document a subcontractor or vendor provides to prove they carry the insurance the contract requires, with policy limits and expiration dates.
Can subcontractors upload their own insurance certificates?
Yes, on the Professional plan. Subs and vendors sign in to the vendor portal and upload their certificate there.
See it on your own jobs
We will walk through a pay application on a job like yours, from schedule of values to payment.
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