Free Contractor Payment Protection Checklist
25+ specific actions to protect your payment from quote to final invoice. Most contractors get burned not because they did bad work — they got burned because they skipped a single step. Lien notice late. Material delivery undocumented. Verbal change order. This checklist is the playbook for not getting burned.
What's inside
1
Before the job
Contracts, deposits, lien notices, retainage, insurance, permits — everything you need to lock down before the first nail goes in.
2
During the job
Change-order discipline, daily logs, photo cadence, milestone billing, material receipts — the actions that protect you every single day on site.
3
After the job
Punch lists, retainage release, mechanics-lien deadlines, final lien waivers — the critical steps that make sure you get paid in full.