Contractor Protection · Free tool

The 50% Deposit Test: is the deposit your contractor wants safe?

The single discipline that prevents most contractor disasters is simple: your money should never get materially ahead of the completed work. This free test takes your project cost, the deposit being asked for, and the shape of the payment schedule, and tells you — in plain English, using rules of thumb, not fake precision — whether the money would be tracking the work or running ahead of it.

Total project cost ($)

Deposit being requested ($)

What does the rest of the payment schedule look like? Half now, half at the end Thirds — start, midpoint, end Milestone draws — payments tied to completed phases Pay as you go — pay after work is done Some other split / not sure yet

Has work already started? No — nothing signed or started yet Yes — the project is underway

Educational rule-of-thumb tool, not professional advice. This test applies general money-ahead-of-work logic to the numbers you enter. It is not legal, financial, or construction advice, it is not tailored to your state or your contract, and it cannot see the parts of your deal that matter most — the contract terms, the contractor, the scope. Verify anything you intend to rely on, and consult a licensed professional in your state about your specific situation.

This test checks one number. The full Safe-Payment Calculator builds your entire draw schedule — and shows your exposure before every single payment.

The Contractor Protection Package includes the calculator plus the contract-review checklist, the lien-protection explainer, vetting scripts, a change-order letter, and the project-gone-wrong action plan.

Get the Contractor Protection Package — $39 Instant download · Yours forever · All sales final

Educational information, not legal advice. Laws and practices vary by state and change over time; verify anything you intend to rely on, and consult a licensed professional in your state for advice about your specific situation.