Keep milestone percentages on one agreed budget basis.
Are progress shares percentages of the whole budget or of the remaining balance?
Use the matching calculator
Use this decision sequence
- Identify the agreed whole budget and entered advance share.
- Enter progress shares using the tool’s whole-budget basis.
- Apply the entered retained share only to the entered progress amounts.
- Keep unassigned budget visible instead of silently scaling incomplete milestones to 100%.
Keep the quantities distinct
| Quantity or assumption | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Advance | A separate entered share of total budget. |
| Progress percentage | Also a share of total budget in this model. |
| Retained amount | Withheld from entered progress, not automatically from the advance. |
Worked comparison
For an illustrative $1,000 budget, a 10% advance is $100. Entered progress shares of 30% and 40% total $700. At a separately entered 5% retention on that progress, $35 is held and $665 paid. Total cash paid through these milestones is $765, with $200 of budget still unassigned. This is a specified scenario, not a legal entitlement.
Check before using the estimate
Only use agreed supplied terms; tax, statutory retention and contract interpretation are not inferred.
All dimensions, product properties, prices and specifications in this example are illustrative arithmetic inputs. Use the values from your measured plan, selected product data sheet and supplier quote. This guide does not choose construction specifications or certify safety.
Calculation and scope checked 2026-10-04. Methods and scope.
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