The Cash Recovery Checklist

Section 1. Change orders

The fastest cash is a change order you did the work on but never billed. Walk this list for every open and recently closed job.

• ☐Pull every job from the last 12 months into one list
• ☐For each job, list every change the customer asked for
• ☐Include changes approved by text, email, or a quick yes on site
• ☐Cross-check each change against your invoices: was it billed?
• ☐Flag any extra work you did that is not on a signed change order
• ☐Write up the missing ones and get them signed now
• ☐Invoice every approved change that has not gone out yet
• ☐Add a rule: no extra work starts without a written change order

Section 2. Retainage tracker

Retainage is your money the customer is holding. It ages out and gets forgotten. List every held balance so nothing slips.

Section 3. Under-billing sweep

Under-billing means you earned more of a job than you have billed. It hides real cash you can invoice today.

• ☐For each open job, estimate the percent of work complete
• ☐Compare percent complete to the percent you have billed
• ☐Where earned is higher than billed, you are under-billed
• ☐List the dollar gap for every under-billed job
• ☐Send a progress invoice to close the gap this week
• ☐Check that deposits and draws were applied to the right jobs
• ☐Confirm material and deposit invoices actually went out
• ☐Set a weekly billing review so this never builds up again