CALIFORNIA & TEXAS · PRIVATE CONSTRUCTION
The GC got paid. You didn't.总包收到钱了。你没有。
When a general contractor sits on your progress payment or your retention past the statutory deadline, California law puts 2% a month on the withheld amount and Texas puts 1.5%. Most subs never invoice for it because nobody hands them the number. Enter your dates; the statute sits beside every figure.
Free, no sign-up, nothing uploaded. Every rate and deadline below was read off the statute and carries its citation. This is an information tool, not legal advice.
What are you owed
Add each payment that is late. The trigger date is the day the clock started — for a sub that is the day the general contractor got paid by the owner; for retention it is the day the GC received the retention.
| Type | Amount withheld | Trigger date | Paid on (blank = still unpaid) | Remove |
|---|
Every number, and where it comes from
Read them yourself. A tool that will not show you its source is asking you to trust arithmetic you cannot check.
| Who owes whom | Deadline | Counted from | Rate | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA · Owner → direct contractor, progress payment | 30 days | from notice demanding payment under the contract — not from your invoice | 2% /month | Civ. §8800 |
| CA · GC → subcontractor, progress payment | 7 days | from the GC receiving the owner's payment · a written contract may change this | 2% /month | B&P §7108.5 |
| CA · GC → subcontractor, retention | 10 days | from the GC receiving the retention · this one cannot be waived by contract | 2% /month | Civ. §8814 · §8818 · §8820 |
| TX · Owner → contractor | 35 days | from the owner receiving the payment request | 1.5% 1.5% /month | Prop. §28.002(a) |
| TX · Contractor → subcontractor | 7 days | from the contractor receiving the owner's payment · interest runs from the day after it is due | 1.5% 1.5% /month | Prop. §28.002(b) · §28.004 |
Four things this table cannot tell you.
· Your contract may move some of these dates. The seven-day rule in B&P §7108.5 opens with “unless otherwise agreed to in writing”, so read your subcontract. The retention rule is different — Civ. §8820 makes it non-waivable.
· Attorney’s fees are not the same in both states. California is mandatory: §7108.5(c) and §8818(b) say the prevailing party shall be entitled to fees. Texas is discretionary: §28.005(b) says the court may award them as it finds equitable. Do not carry a California expectation into a Texas letter.
· Good-faith disputes are handled differently. California lets an owner withhold up to 150% of the amount reasonably in dispute; Texas allows 100% on commercial work and 110% on one-to-four family residences (§28.003).
· Newer California law may also apply. For private contracts entered into on or after 1 January 2026, Civ. §8850 (SB 440) adds its own change-order claim process — also 2% per month, plus stop-work rights. This calculator covers §8800 / §7108.5 / §8814, not §8850.这张表答不了的四件事。
· 你的合同可能改动其中一些日期。B&P §7108.5 的七天规则开头就写着「除非另有书面约定」，所以先读你自己的分包合同。质保金那条不同——民法典 §8820 明确不得放弃。
· 两州的律师费口径不一样。加州是强制的：§7108.5(c) 和 §8818(b) 写的是胜诉方应当获得律师费。德州是裁量的：§28.005(b) 写的是法院可以酌情判给。别把加州的预期带进德州的信里。
· 善意争议的处理方式不同。加州允许业主就合理争议金额扣留至多 150%；德州商业工程是 100%，一至四户住宅是 110%（§28.003）。
· 加州还有更新的法。2026 年 1 月 1 日及之后订立的私营工程合同，另适用民法典 §8850（SB 440）的变更单索赔程序——同样是每月 2%，并附停工权。本计算器覆盖 §8800 / §7108.5 / §8814，不含 §8850。
The demand pack
The free calculator tells you the figure. The pack turns it into the letter you actually send, with the arithmetic attached so it cannot be waved away.
What generates when you unlock
- A demand letter that cites the statute
Dated, addressed to the party holding your money, listing each late payment with its trigger date, its statutory due date and the penalty accrued. It goes out under your name — it is your claim, not our service.
- The arithmetic, line by line
Principal, days late, rate, and the interest on each line, so the other side's bookkeeper can check it instead of arguing with it.
- A running ledger you can reuse
Interest keeps accruing while they stall. Re-open the pack later, move the as-of date, and the figure updates — same job, new number.
- What to do if the letter is ignored
The escalation path in your state, in order: the statutory notice, the lien or bond claim deadline that runs in parallel, and when attorney's fees become the bigger lever.
$29ONE-TIME · ONE JOB
FreeWHILE WE LAUNCH
The pack is free while we launch. Build it as many times as you need — nothing to enter, nothing to sign up for.发售期内催款包免费。想生成几次就几次——不用填任何东西，也不用注册。
On a $50,000 progress payment held one month, California's penalty alone is $1,000. The pack costs less than one day of that interest.一笔 $50,000 的进度款被压一个月，仅加州罚息就是 $1,000。这份包的价格不到那笔利息一天的量。
Unlocks the moment payment clears and generates right here — no queue, no email, nobody sends you anything.
Generated right here in your browser — no queue, no email, no account, nobody sends you anything.
Your demand pack
Run the calculator above first, then fill these in. Everything is generated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Questions subs actually ask
Do I really get 2% a month, or is that just a threat letter number?
It is in the statute, not in a contract you have to negotiate. California Business and Professions Code §7108.5 puts a 2% per month penalty on a general contractor who fails to pay a subcontractor within seven days of being paid, and Civil Code §8818 does the same for wrongfully withheld retention. Whether you collect it still depends on the other side paying or a court ordering it — but the rate is not something they get to set.
What is the trigger date, exactly?
For a subcontractor it is the day the general contractor received the owner's payment that covers your work — not the day you invoiced, and not the day you finished. That is what starts the seven-day clock in both California and Texas. For retention in California it is the day the GC received the retention. If you do not know that date, ask for it in writing: the answer is itself useful evidence.
They say there is a dispute. Does that kill the penalty?
Only for the disputed part, and only if the dispute is in good faith. California lets an owner withhold up to 150% of the amount reasonably in dispute — which also means the rest should still have been paid on time. A blanket refusal to pay anything because one line item is contested is a different situation from a good-faith withholding, and the statutes are written with that distinction in mind.
How is the interest actually computed here?
Monthly rate times days late divided by 30. We say so plainly because there is no single settled convention: a court may count calendar months instead, which moves the figure slightly. The pack shows the days, the rate and the arithmetic on every line, so if the other side computes it differently you can see exactly where you differ instead of arguing about a total.
Is this legal advice, and do you see my numbers?
No to both. This reports what published statutes say, with citations and the date each was read, and does arithmetic you could do yourself. It does not assess your case, does not represent you, and is not a law firm. The calculation runs entirely in your browser — the amounts and dates you type never reach our servers. Our servers only handle sign-in and payment for the pack.
Which states does this cover?
California and Texas private construction, verified line by line against the statute. Both states also have separate rules for public works with different deadlines, and this tool does not cover those. Other states are added only when the rates and deadlines have been read off the statute the same way.