What a back-charge form does
A back-charge is how a general contractor recovers a cost it absorbed because a subcontractor did not. Someone hauls off the drywall scrap that was left behind, patches the slab that got cored in the wrong place, or pays the crew that stayed late covering a missed pour. The GC pays first, then documents the cost and proposes to deduct it from money still owed. This generator produces that document: a numbered, dated, itemized statement from the GC to the sub with a signature block for both parties.
Whether the deduction is permitted, on what notice, and with what effect on payment rights is governed by the executed subcontract and by the law of the state where the project sits. This form records a claim; it does not create the right to make one.
What each field captures
Back-Charge Number is auto-assigned as the next BC sequence from your saved documents, and Issue Date defaults to today. Project Name, GC Name, and Subcontractor Name identify the parties; the GC field auto-fills from your saved business profile. Sub Contract Reference points at the specific agreement being charged against — it is what lets a reader find the clause you are relying on, so it is worth filling even though it is optional.
Reason Category is a fixed picker: Cleanup, Rework, Damage to Property, Missed Schedule, Material Damage, or Other. Reason Descriptionis the required narrative and carries most of the document’s weight — the condition, who observed it, when, and what photos or reports it references.
Cost Backup is the line-item table. Each row takes a description, quantity, unit, and unit price; the row total is quantity times unit price, and the footer sums every row into a Total Back-Charge. Acknowledgment Language is editable text, pre-filled with a default clause proposing deduction from the next payment unless the sub objects in writing within a stated window. Edit it to match your subcontract. Everything prints as a one-page document, and saved back-charges stay in your browser.
What a well-documented back-charge looks like
Vague ones get argued. “Cleanup — $850” invites a fight. “Cleanup labor, 4 hours at $65/hr” plus “dumpster disposal fee, 1 ea at $125” ties the number to something a person can check against a timecard and an invoice. Keep the description narrow: one condition, one date, one crew. Attach the backup you already generate elsewhere — the daily report entry that logged the condition, the photos, the disposal ticket, and the punch list item if the charge is for rework. Transmit it the way the subcontract says notices are transmitted, and keep the transmittal. The deduction then surfaces as a line on the next pay application, which is where the sub will see it and where any mismatch between your documents gets noticed.
What gets disputed
Usually three things. Whether the sub was given a chance to cure the condition before the GC hired someone else. Whether the rate charged is actual cost or a marked-up number. And whether the work fell inside the scope the subcontractor agreementassigned to that sub in the first place — general cleanup is the perennial argument, because “leave the area broom clean” means different things to different trades.
Limitations
This is a form generator, not legal advice. It does not read your subcontract and takes no position on whether a back-charge is permitted, how much notice you owe, what cure period applies, or how a withheld amount interacts with payment and lien rights. Those answers come from your contract documents and applicable state law. The default acknowledgment wording, including its dispute window, is editable placeholder text — replace it with your own terms and have counsel review the template before you rely on it in a live dispute.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a back-charge and a change order?
A back-charge recovers a cost the general contractor already incurred doing work that belonged to the subcontractor — cleanup, rework, repairing damage. A change order prices scope that is being added to or removed from the contract going forward. If the sub is being asked to do something new, it is a change order. If the sub did not do something already theirs and someone else did it at the GC’s expense, it is a back-charge.
Does the tool calculate the back-charge total?
Yes, from the rows you enter. Each line multiplies quantity by unit price, and the footer sums every line into a Total Back-Charge that carries onto the printed document. It does not add markup, overhead, or an administrative fee on its own. If your subcontract allows those, enter each as its own labeled line so the sub can see exactly how the number was built.
Can I change the acknowledgment wording?
Yes — the acknowledgment is a free-text field. The template ships with default language proposing that the amount be deducted from the next payment unless the sub disputes it in writing within a stated period, and it substitutes your GC name where the placeholder sits. Treat that as drafting scaffolding, not a rule. Replace it with wording that matches your executed subcontract.
What should I attach to the form?
Whatever proves both the condition and the cost: timecards or payroll records behind the labor hours, vendor and disposal invoices behind the materials and fees, dated photographs, and the daily report or punch list entry that first recorded the problem. Keep proof of how and when you transmitted the back-charge as well, since a subcontract may specify how notices are to be delivered.