Sage Intacct Expands Construction Billing and Retainage Management Capabilities

Sage is expanding the construction-focused capabilities of Sage Intacct, introducing enhancements designed to simplify complex project billing and improve the management of retainage. The updates aim to help construction finance teams reduce manual work, improve billing accuracy and maintain greater control over project-related cash flow.

Announced as part of Sage Intacct’s August 2026 product update, the enhancements address common challenges faced by contractors managing multiple projects, contracts, invoices and payment schedules. Construction billing often involves changing contract terms, staged payments and amounts withheld until specific project milestones are achieved. Managing these processes manually can create administrative overhead and increase the risk of errors.

More Flexible Construction Billing

The enhanced billing capabilities are designed to give construction businesses greater flexibility when managing project contracts and invoicing workflows. Sage Intacct’s updated billing functionality supports more complex billing requirements, helping finance teams manage invoices with improved consistency and oversight.

The release also introduces enhancements to billing workflows across the wider Sage Intacct platform, including on-demand invoice generation and draft invoice review capabilities. These features can help organizations review billing information before invoices are finalized, supporting more controlled processes and reducing avoidable corrections.

For construction companies, improved billing management can be particularly valuable when project costs, contract arrangements and billing schedules change throughout a project’s lifecycle.

Automated Retainage Management

A key element of the update is the expansion of retainage management. Retainage refers to a portion of a payment that is withheld until contractual conditions are met, such as the completion of specified work or the resolution of outstanding project issues.

Sage Intacct’s construction retainage enhancements automate retainage calculations and provide greater flexibility across contract billing workflows. The aim is to reduce the need for manual calculations and separate tracking processes while improving the accuracy and consistency of financial records.

Sage’s 2026 product documentation also describes flexible retainage release capabilities for project contracts. These allow eligible users to release retainage across invoice lines using a percentage-based approach, helping streamline cases where amounts are released in stages rather than individually for every line. Availability and configuration requirements vary by region and workflow.

Improving Financial Visibility and Control

More structured billing and retainage processes can help construction finance teams understand how much has been invoiced, how much remains withheld and when funds may become eligible for release. Better visibility can support cash-flow planning, project reviews and financial reporting.

The improvements also fit into Sage Intacct’s broader focus on industry-specific financial management. Construction businesses can use project-level financial information alongside job-costing and work-in-progress reporting to monitor performance and make better-informed decisions.

Key Takeaways

• Less manual administration: Automated retainage calculations can reduce repetitive work.
• More flexible billing: Enhanced workflows support complex construction contract requirements.
• Greater accuracy: More consistent calculations and invoice reviews can help reduce errors.
• Improved cash-flow visibility: Better tracking of withheld amounts can support financial planning.
• Regional considerations: Availability differs by feature and market, so businesses should confirm eligibility with Sage or their implementation partner.

As construction projects become more complex, effective billing and retainage management remain essential to protecting margins and maintaining predictable cash flow. Sage Intacct’s latest enhancements are intended to help construction organizations manage these financial processes with greater efficiency, consistency and control.