Lien Waiver Checker

Read the lien waiver before you give up your lien.

Paste the waiver your customer or general contractor sent with the check. The page checks the text for the common ways a waiver costs the person signing it money: an unconditional waiver before the funds clear, a release of all claims or future work, the wrong amount or through-date, retainage and pending change orders not excepted, and indemnity or bond language tucked in. For each one it tells you what to ask for.

The text is read in this browser tab and never leaves your device. It reads wording with fixed rules; it is not a lawyer and does not decide whether a waiver is valid in your state.

1. The waiver

Choose a text file …or paste the waiver text

2. What you know about the payment

All optional, and each one lets the checker catch more. Leave blank what you do not know.

Kind of waiver (blank = read it from the text)

Where is the payment?

Amount you are being paid, dollars

End of the period you billed (YYYY-MM-DD)

Retainage still held, dollars

Pending or disputed change orders and claims, dollars

Your company name, as it should appear

Project name

State of the project (optional)

Paste the waiver, then click Check the waiver.

What it checks, and what it leaves to you

When it takes effect: unconditional before the funds have cleared; a condition that stops at receipt of a check rather than payment.
How much it releases: all-claims wording in a progress waiver, release of future work, a missing through-date, a through-date after the period you billed.
For how much: no dollar amount, or none that matches what you are being paid.
What it leaves out: retainage and pending change orders not excepted.
What else it releases: payment-bond rights, indemnity or hold-harmless wording, jury, arbitration or fee waivers; your name or the project missing.
Not decided: whether the form is valid or required in your state, whether the wording is enforceable, who is liable, and whether you should sign. It reads text and cannot see your contract.

Common questions

What is a lien waiver?

A lien waiver is a document a contractor, subcontractor or supplier signs to give up the right to file a mechanics lien, usually for work paid for through a stated date. Owners, lenders and general contractors ask for one with every payment.

What is the difference between a conditional and an unconditional lien waiver?

A conditional waiver only takes effect once the payment it names has been received. An unconditional waiver takes effect the moment it is signed, whether or not the money ever arrives. The usual safe order is to sign a conditional waiver to get the check and an unconditional one only after the funds have cleared.

What is the difference between a progress and a final lien waiver?

A progress waiver releases lien rights for the work and materials through a stated date. A final waiver releases everything on the job, so it is where retainage, pending change orders and disputed items need to be listed as exceptions.

What should I look for before signing a lien waiver?

Whether it is conditional or unconditional, the through-date, the dollar amount, whether it releases anything beyond lien rights (all claims, future work, bonds, indemnity), and whether retainage and pending claims are excepted. This page checks the text for each of those.

Does this tell me whether the waiver is valid in my state?

No. Some states prescribe the form or wording of a lien waiver by statute, and a waiver that does not follow it may be unenforceable. This page can point at a short list of states commonly cited for that, but it does not decide validity. Check the statute or ask an attorney.

Is the waiver text uploaded anywhere?

No. The text is read in your browser and nothing is sent; a test in the code asserts there are no network calls.