A progress payment (also known as a “partial payment”) is made to a contractor for work they have performed up to a certain point. As the name implies, the contractor is receiving a portion of the total payment they’ll receive for the project. Progress payment waivers remove the contractor’s right to file a lien for the payment they received until the “through date” written on the contract.
Final payment waivers, on the other hand, are used after the contractor has received their last payment on a project. These waivers do not have a “through date,” as they waive a contractor’s ability to file a lien on the property indefinitely.