How Much Is 10% Retainage on a $30,000 Contract?
Retainage held at 10%
$3,000.00
10% retainage, shown at 100% completion so the figure is the full amount held by the end of the job.
How that number is worked out
These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.
- Contract amount30000 $
- Retainage10 %
- Work completed to date100 %
- Already paid to you0 $
Payable on this application$27,000.00
| Contract amount | $30,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Work completed | 100% |
| Earned to date | $30,000.00 |
| Retainage held at 10% | $3,000.00 |
| Less already paid | $0.00 |
| Due on this application | $27,000.00 |
| Retainage held at completion | $3,000.00chase this at closeout |
Work completed compared
Retainage accumulates as the work does, so each progress application leaves a little more of your own money behind.
| Work completed | Payable on this application | Retainage held at 10% | Due on this application |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25% | $6,750.00 | $750.00 | $6,750.00 |
| 50% | $13,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $13,500.00 |
| 75% | $20,250.00 | $2,250.00 | $20,250.00 |
| 100% | $27,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $27,000.00 |
What else matters here
Ten percent of $30,000 is $3,000 held and $27,000 paid across the progress applications.
Here is the timing problem that catches people out. Unpaid retainage is usually a lienable amount, but in most states the lien clock starts running from the last day you furnished labor or material, not from the day the retainage was supposed to be released. Closeout can easily take longer than the deadline.
Which means the date to write down is not the release date, it is the lien deadline, and it should go in the calendar the week the work finishes. Some states extend the deadline for retainage specifically and most do not. If the money is still out as the deadline approaches, filing is a normal commercial step rather than a hostile one, and it is a great deal cheaper than discovering the right was gone.
What this calculator assumes
- Retainage is money you have earned that is held back until the job closes out. It is not a discount and it is not a deposit.
- Most states cap retainage on public work, commonly at 5 or 10 percent, and several require it to be released or reduced at substantial completion. Private contracts are freer and often worse.
- Retainage is usually the last money a contractor sees and the first thing forgotten at closeout. Track it separately from the invoice balance.
Questions people ask
How much is 10 percent retainage on a $30,000 contract?
$3,000 held and $27,000 payable across the job, with the $3,000 released at closeout.
Can I lien unpaid retainage?
Usually yes, but the deadline generally runs from your last day of furnishing labor or material rather than from the date the retainage was due.
What date should I put in the calendar?
The lien deadline, counted from the last day of work, not the expected release date. Closeout frequently takes longer than the deadline allows.
The retainage calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.