Certificate of completion construction

Final account
$90,200
Retention held over the contract
$4,510
Retention released at practical completion
$2,255
Held until the end of the defects period
$2,255

Every figure on this page is computed from the inputs you enter, by the method stated below it. The only constants DailyLogDesk supplies are the published reporting clocks and assessment steps, each cited where it is used. The defaults are a worked example to replace with your own.

Your numbers

The figures above start from a worked example ($90,200). Change any input and the answer updates as you type.

Download the Certificate of completion construction worked example (CSV)

This computes the money on a certificate of completion. Enter the contract sum, the agreed variations, the retention percentage, what has been paid to date, the defects liability period and the share of the retention released at completion, and the page returns the final account, the retention held over the contract, the retention released now, the amount held until the end of the defects period, the sum due on this certificate and the defects period itself. A certificate is a document with a number the client has to pay; this is that number, shown.

The final account is the contract plus what was agreed, not what was done

Work done outside the scope without an agreed variation is not in the final account, however real it was. The page adds the agreed variations, positive or negative, to the contract sum, because that is the figure the certificate can be enforced on. The daily log and the change record are where the disputed work lives until it is agreed.

Retention is released in two halves, on two dates

The common shape is half the retention released at practical completion and the other half at the end of the defects liability period, after the snag list is closed. The page splits it at the share you set and prints the amount held until the defects period ends, which is the figure to chase on the date it falls due.

Due now is what gets paid, so put it last and put it big

A certificate that ends in the final account, a retention line and a total, with the payments to date somewhere in the middle, gets queried. One that ends in a single sum due, after the payments to date and the retention still held have come off, gets paid. The page computes it that way for that reason.

Certificate of completion construction: common questions

Is this a free certificate of completion template?

Yes: the final account, the retention split and the sum due are computed here for free with no account, and you can print the certificate figures. DailyLogDesk Pro issues the certificate with your company name and license on it, files it against the project, and reminds you when the held retention falls due.

What is a normal retention on a construction contract?

Three to ten percent is the usual range on small works, with five percent common; the page asks for yours. Check the contract, because the retention and its release dates are contract terms, not customs.

When is the second half of the retention due?

At the end of the defects liability period, once the defects raised in it have been made good. The page prints the period in months; Pro puts the date on the project and reminds you.

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Certificate of completion construction (Final account): $90,200, DailyLogDesk, worked example.

Cite as: "Certificate of completion construction, DailyLogDesk", updated 2026-09-03, https://dailylogdesk.com/tools/completion-certificate/.

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Final account · Certificate of completion construction · September 2026

$90,200

Source: Certificate of completion construction, DailyLogDesk

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