Try a month
Be the client for one month.
You play a made-up drywall company, Example Drywall Co, through the six things a client really does in a month, and see what comes back at each step. It takes about four minutes.
Every company, job, crew and number here is made up. Nothing on this page asks for your files, your email or money, and nothing you open sends anything.
Step 1 of 6 · made up
Save the month's four reports
Your bookkeeper saves four QuickBooks reports into one shared folder. In QuickBooks each one is Reports, then the report's name, then Export, then CSV. No QuickBooks login is ever shared.
Transaction List by Vendor
The first rows, as the report saves them
| Date | Type | Num | Account | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew 1 Framing | ||||
| 03/06/2026 | Bill Payment (Check) | 5512 | Operating Checking | -18,400.00 |
| 04/03/2026 | Bill Payment (Check) | 5560 | Operating Checking | -22,100.00 |
| Crew Two Tapers | ||||
| 06/12/2026 | Bill Payment (Check) | 5655 | Operating Checking | -14,200.00 |
| 07/10/2026 | Bill Payment (Check) | 5702 | Operating Checking | -12,800.00 |
Transaction List by Customer
The first rows, as the report saves them
| Date | Type | Num | Memo | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Builder A:Medical office shell (Overland Park) | ||||
| 02/25/2026 | Invoice | 1002 | Progress billing | 121,600.00 |
| 03/25/2026 | Invoice | 1003 | Progress billing | 121,600.00 |
Sales by Customer Detail
The first rows, as the report saves them
| Date | Num | Product/Service | Memo | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Builder A:Medical office shell (Overland Park) | ||||
| 02/25/2026 | 1002 | Drywall labor and material | Pay app progress billing | 128,000.00 |
| 02/25/2026 | 1002 | Retainage | Retainage withheld | -6,400.00 |
Retainage Receivable QuickReport
The first row, as the report saves it
| Date | Num | Name | Memo | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/25/2026 | 1002 | Builder A:Medical office shell (Overland Park) | Retainage withheld | 6,400.00 |
What was read: 9 payments to 4 crews and suppliers, 9 jobs, and $168,000 still held back by the general contractors.
In real life: about five minutes a month for your bookkeeper. Next: step 2
Step 2 of 6 · made up
Forward a new subcontract and a crew's certificate
When a new subcontract or a crew's insurance certificate comes in, you forward it. Open each one to see what comes back.
Subcontract: Medical office shell, Overland Park
The parts that matter, as written ([…] marks words left out)
4.1 Contractor shall retain five percent (5%) of each progress payment.
4.5 Retainage shall be paid to Subcontractor thirty (30) days after Owner's final payment to Contractor, provided […]
9.2 Subcontractor shall give Contractor written notice of any claim for additional compensation or extension of time within seven (7) calendar days after the occurrence of the event giving rise to the claim. Failure to give such notice within that time shall constitute a waiver of the claim.
12. This Subcontract shall be governed by the laws of the State of Kansas.
What comes back
| What the reader found | Section | Its quoted words |
|---|---|---|
| Retainage is released 30 days after the owner's final payment to the GC | 4.5 | "Retainage shall be paid to Subcontractor thirty (30) days after Owner's final payment to Contractor" |
| Written notice of a claim: within 7 calendar days after the event | 9.2 | "written notice of any claim for additional compensation or extension of time within seven (7) calendar days after the occurrence of the event giving rise to the claim" |
| Governing law: Kansas | 12 | "This Subcontract shall be governed by the laws of the State of Kansas." |
Each subcontract is read once, with an AI tool, and every quote is checked word for word against the page: here 3 quotes found, 0 not found. The notice window is shown as the clause says it, never judged.
Certificate of insurance: Crew 2 Tapers
The certificate (a plain made-up layout)
| Insured | Crew 2 Tapers, Kansas City, KS |
|---|---|
| Agent | Example Insurance Agency, Olathe, KS |
| Workers' comp insurer | Example Mutual Casualty |
| Policy number | WC-DEMO-0601 |
| Workers' comp effective | 06/01/2025 |
| Workers' comp expires | 06/01/2026 |
| General liability | none shown |
What comes back
- "Crew 2 Tapers" on the certificate is matched to "Crew Two Tapers" in your books.
- Its workers' comp ended June 1, 2026: ask for the renewal.
- 2 payments to Crew Two Tapers after it ended (Jun 12 to Jul 10). Ask for the certificate covering them. Step 6 shows what that gap could cost at the audit.
In real life: forward each one as it comes in. brandon checks every quote against the page before anything uses it. Next: step 3
Step 3 of 6 · made up
Answer one question
QuickBooks shows a job 100% billed, so one short email asks whether it's finished. Pick an answer.
Subject: Is Apartment podium (North KC) finished?
Hi Alex,
One quick question for your retainage statement about Apartment podium (North KC) for Builder D. QuickBooks shows it 100% billed. Has the project reached substantial completion? Just reply with the date, or "not yet".
Reply with a date
That date starts the job's release clock, and the job joins the money owed on next month's statement with its release date.
Reply "not yet"
Nothing changes. The same question comes back next month. Nothing else is asked.
In real life: one reply with one date, only when a job shows 100% billed. Next: step 4
Step 4 of 6 · made up
Read the statement
The month's statement arrives by the 10th. Here is its top and its first page, as of Nov 1, 2026.
Page 1. Money owed to you, in the order to ask for it
| Job | Held | Due | Days late | Interest | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School additionOlathe USD · Builder A · public job | $24,000 | Aug 31, 2026 | 62 days late | $734 | Past due. Letter drafted (step 5). K.S.A. 16-1904(h)-(i) |
| Retail centerLee's Summit MO · Builder C | $39,000 | Sep 27, 2026estimated · owner to GC | 35 days late | n/a | The owner's release is 35 days overdue. Ask Builder C if it has been paid, and send your retainage request and closeout papers. Letter drafted, facts and dates only. |
| Clinic remodelKansas City MO · Builder B | $17,500 | Oct 30, 2026owner to GC | 2 days late | n/a | The owner's release is 2 days overdue. Ask Builder B if it has been paid, and send your retainage request and closeout papers. Letter drafted, facts and dates only. |
| Medical office shellOverland Park · Builder A | $32,000 | Nov 1, 2026your subcontract's date | Due today | $0 | Due today. Letter drafted. K.S.A. 16-1804(c), (j); 16-1803(f)-(g) |
| City libraryIndependence MO · Builder C · public job | $13,000 | Nov 19, 2026owner to GC | Due in 18 days | n/a | Nothing yet. |
| Warehouse fit-outLenexa · Builder B · tenant's job | $10,500 | n/a | 0 | $0 | A tenant's contract: the subcontract's own date governs. |
| Apartment podiumNorth KC MO · Builder D | $26,000 | n/a | 0 | n/a | Waiting for the completion date (the question in step 3). |
| Dental clinicShawnee · Builder A · new this month | $6,000 | n/a | 0 | $0 | No date yet: its subcontract is asked for first. |
Page 1B. What your subcontract says vs what the law says
| Job | Your subcontract | Contract date | Which date counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical office shell (Overland Park) | 30 days after owner's final payment to GC | Nov 1, 2026 | Your share is due 7 business days after the GC is paid and you have billed it (K.S.A. 16-1803(f)); 18% runs from whichever date, the law's or the subcontract's, is missed first (K.S.A. 16-1804(j)). The GC's payment date isn't on file, so the contract date is the one on file. |
What brandon checked before it reached you
One new job turned up in the books: Dental clinic (Shawnee). Its state, county and release terms come from its subcontract, so that's asked for before the job gets a date.
Why the totals differ from the Sample page
The Sample statement page is a fuller month for the same made-up company, $162,000 on 7 jobs. This demo is a different made-up month: $168,000 on 8 jobs.
In real life: read it by the 10th, about ten minutes. Next: step 5
Step 5 of 6 · made up
Decide on a letter
Every job past its release date gets a letter, written in your name. Here is the one for the School addition. Read it, then pick what you'd do.
To Pat at Builder A · Subject: Retainage release request: School addition (Olathe USD)
Hello,
We are writing about the retainage Builder A is holding on School addition (Olathe USD). Our records show $24,000 held, and the project reached substantial completion on August 1, 2026.
Under Kansas law (K.S.A. 16-1904(h)), the owner, the contractor and every subcontractor on a public project must release all remaining retainage on undisputed amounts within 30 days after substantial completion of the project. On that schedule our share was due by August 31, 2026.
Kansas law provides interest at 18% a year on retainage not paid when due (K.S.A. 16-1904(i)); as of November 1, 2026 that comes to about $734 on this job.
To our knowledge our work on this job is complete and none of it is in dispute. If you see it differently, please tell us what is open.
Please release the $24,000, or let us know by return email what you still need from us to close out the job.
Thank you,
Alex Rivera
Owner
Example Drywall Co
Open it in my email
The letter comes to you as a ready email file in your name. It opens in your own email, addressed to Builder A, and nothing goes until you press send. If you gave us a standing yes instead, it goes from your email three business days after your statement unless you stop it.
Change a line
Edit anything before you send it. The letter is yours: it goes from your email, under your name.
Don't send
Then it stays out, and so does its follow-up. The fee doesn't change with letters or with what gets paid.
The two jobs on the Kansas City, Missouri side with an overdue release got letters too. Those state the job's facts and dates only.
This demo sent nothing. In real life: a minute a letter, one letter and one follow-up per job. We never write to or talk with your GC ourselves. Next: step 6
Step 6 of 6 · made up
Close an insurance gap before the audit
Two crews were paid on dates with no workers' comp certificate on file. At the year-end audit, that pay can be charged as your own payroll.
| Crew | Paid with no coverage on file | Dates | Could add |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crew 1 Framing | $40,500 in 2 payments | Mar 6 to Apr 3 | $1,240 |
| Crew Two Tapers | $27,000 in 2 payments | Jun 12 to Jul 10 | $919 |
Together: $67,500 paid, about $2,159 an auditor could add to your workers' comp premium.
The certificate to ask for
Ask Crew Two Tapers' agent for workers' comp covering Jun 12, 2026 to Jul 10, 2026. It had a policy before, so this is most likely a missed renewal: the renewed certificate, if the policy never lapsed, clears these payments in full.
The state's free search
Kansas has a free workers' comp coverage search for one date at a time. Only your own office may run that search, so we never do it for you; the statement lists which crew and which payment dates to type in.
In real life: one email to a crew's agent, and a few minutes a crew on the state's search. Next: what it costs
That was one month
What it costs, and what you do
What it costs
$349 a month and $400 setup, month to month. If you only want the insurance side, the audit-prep packet is $395.
What you do each month
The first three steps: save the reports, forward new papers, answer a question when a job is finished. About fifteen minutes.
What we never ask for
Your QuickBooks or bank logins, or any payment details.
Your own numbers
Want to see it on your own numbers? Ask brandon when you talk.
Every company, job, crew and number on this page is made up.