The CNESST holdback on your subcontractors, explained simply

If you hire subcontractors for construction work, the CNESST can hold you jointly liable for their unpaid premiums. The protection: require a compliance certificate, and hold back payment until it's provided.

The mechanism

• Before paying a construction subcontractor, request their CNESST compliance certificate (it confirms their premiums are in good standing for the work period).
• Without a valid certificate, the prudent practice is to hold back a percentage of payment (the customary industry holdback is 10%) until regularized.
• Certificates have a validity period: a January document doesn't cover August work.

If you skip the step

The CNESST can claim your subcontractor's unpaid premiums from you, plus interest — years later, during an audit. For an SMB, a retroactive claim covering three years of subcontracting can be brutal.

Making it systematic, not memory-based

• Every subcontractor has a file with their certificate and its validity date.
• Billing flags any payment to a subcontractor whose certificate has expired.
• The holdback appears as a distinct, traceable line on the invoice and the subcontractor's statement.

That's exactly what MainteQC does: per-subcontractor certificate tracking, pre-payment alerts, and an automatic holdback line on construction invoices. Plain-language summary, not legal or accounting advice.