One clock does run
Section 52: an owner who has not paid the holdback within five days after the holdback period expires owes interest. It is the only statutory payment deadline currently operating in the province.
New Brunswick business financing
New lien law. Same wait for the money.
Crewline helps New Brunswick contractors, trades, carriers, forestry operators, suppliers, and industrial service businesses match holdbacks, slow invoices, fuel, payroll, and bank declines to the financing route that fits.
Not ready to apply?Call or text 780-830-8726— a real person, no credit pull.No credit pull to startReal person reviewWorking capitalInvoice financingLines of credit
Why New Brunswick files are different
The province did the lien half of reform, not the payment half.
New Brunswick has a modern construction statute and no prompt-payment clock. The Construction Remedies Act improved what happens after you are not paid. It did nothing about when you are paid. Knowing which half landed tells you which lever you actually have.
01
A modern lien act, in force since 2021The Construction Remedies Act replaced the old Mechanics' Lien Act. Contracts entered into before it took effect still run under the old statute, which matters on any long-running job.
02
Holdback cut from 15% to 10%Under section 34(1) the owner retains a holdback equal to 10% of the contract price. That is better than the 15% the old Act required, but 10% of a labour- or material-heavy job still ties up serious cash for 60 days after substantial performance.
03
Prompt payment passed, never proclaimedThe Construction Prompt Payment and Adjudication Act received Royal Assent on June 16, 2023. It comes into force "on a day or days to be fixed by proclamation" — and it has not been proclaimed. No statutory deadline requires an owner to pay you today.
04
The notice-to-owner trapSection 54 requires a notice to owner for certain improvements. Miss it and lien rights can be compromised before the payment argument even begins — a trap that catches residential and small-job contractors most often.
Sixty days from substantial performance
Section 47(1) holds the money for 60 days after the certificate of substantial performance is signed or the declaration is made — not 60 days from your invoice, and not from the last day you were on site.
Sixty days to register a lien
Section 59(1) gives a contractor 60 days after the earlier of the events the Act lists. Other claimants have their own triggers but the same period. Missing it forfeits the security.
Context, not legal advice
This page explains why payment timing matters to a financing file. It is not legal advice, and nothing here replaces a lawyer on a lien or notice question.
Regional route board
A Saint John subcontractor and a northern forestry operator do not carry the same file.
Industrial subcontractors, logistics companies, government-service providers, forestry operators, and B2B suppliers each need different evidence and different lenders, even under one statute.
New Brunswick operating map
Route by corridor, industry, and payment timing.
Five corridors, one province. Find the one that sounds like your month, then route the file to the product that fits it.
- Saint John: industrial + marine
- Moncton: trucking + logistics
- Fredericton: services + public work
- Miramichi: resource services
- North: forestry + seasonal
Saint John area
Industrial, marine, construction, suppliers, and mobilization-heavy jobs running into a 10% holdback and commercial terms with no legislated deadline behind them.
Moncton area
Transportation and distribution businesses carrying fuel, driver pay, and repairs between broker and customer settlements.
Fredericton and the valley
Contracting, services, and public-sector work, where payment behaviour and paperwork expectations differ from a private job — and neither carries a statutory clock.
North and Miramichi
Forestry, resource services, and seasonal trades with longer operating cycles between doing the work and getting paid for it.
New Brunswick routes
Do not chase the loudest lender. Route the file first.
Banks, credit unions, and alternative lenders may all be available, but the value is matching the cash-flow problem to the right product and lender appetite.
01
Working capital
Payroll, fuel, supplier bills, materials, rent, insurance, and short-term operating pressure.
02
Business line of credit
Recurring uneven months, job timing, seasonal costs, and unpredictable draw needs.
03
Invoice financing
Completed work, slow-paying commercial customers, and invoices sitting on 30–90 day terms.
04
Bank-declined second look
Short track record, bruised credit, uneven deposits, or an industry the bank cooled on.
Route selector
Find the likely starting route.
Answer four questions and see where the file probably starts. This is a guide, not an approval, and it is not legal advice.
$55K
$40K
Likely route
Working capital review
Start with a short-term operating-capital fit check. The story should explain what is due, when revenue lands, and how repayment fits the deposit pattern.
Primary evidenceBank deposits
Timing alertWatch cash gap
Suggested routeWorking capital
Advisory only. This is not an approval, and it is not legal advice.
What lenders read
Cash flow tells the story before collateral does.
Alternative lenders often focus on recent deposits and repayment capacity, while invoice products focus on the customer who owes the receivable.
01
Average monthly deposits
Recent business bank statements show lender appetite faster than a vague revenue claim.
02
Use of funds
Payroll, fuel, inventory, materials, or supplier pressure should connect to a repayable plan.
03
Receivables quality
For invoice financing, the payer's credit and clean paperwork matter more than the applicant's years in business.
04
Existing debt and credit
A bruised file may still work if cash flow supports the request and the route is realistic.
CSBFP route
Program-backed does not mean government-direct.
For eligible non-farm small businesses, the Canada Small Business Financing Program can sit beside private financing routes. The file still moves through a bank or credit union that reviews and approves the request.
- Up to $1M as a term loan, plus a separate $150K line of credit.
- Farming businesses are ineligible and route to CALA instead.
- Private working capital may fit better when speed matters.
Forestry and resource
Separate program fit from urgent cash-flow pressure.
Forestry and resource-service operators usually need working capital or receivable support, not a program. Seasonality is the thing a lender wants explained before it reviews the file.
- Keep operating cash flow separate from asset financing.
- Use receivables where the commercial customer is strong.
- Equipment and asset financing routes to IronFinance.
FAQs
Questions before a New Brunswick business applies.
Holdbacks, prompt payment, lien deadlines, bank declines, and what happens after you submit the fit check.
Does New Brunswick have prompt payment legislation?
It has the Act, but not the law. The Construction Prompt Payment and Adjudication Act received Royal Assent on June 16, 2023 and comes into force "on a day or days to be fixed by proclamation." It has not been proclaimed. Until it is, no statutory deadline requires a New Brunswick owner to pay a contractor, and the timelines you may read about in it are not yet in effect.
What changed under the Construction Remedies Act?
It replaced the old Mechanics' Lien Act and cut the statutory holdback from 15% of the contract price to 10%. It also brought a notice-to-owner requirement for certain improvements and interest against an owner who releases the holdback late. Contracts entered into before the new Act took effect still run under the old Mechanics' Lien Act, so a long-running job may still be governed by the old rules.
When does my holdback come back in New Brunswick?
The owner retains 10% of the contract price under section 34(1) and must hold it for 60 days after the certificate of substantial performance is signed or the declaration is made. If they have not paid within five days after that period expires, section 52 says they owe interest. That interest clock is the only statutory payment deadline currently operating in the province.
How long do I have to register a lien in New Brunswick?
A contractor may register a claim for lien at any time after the lien arises until the expiry of 60 days after the earlier of the events listed in section 59(1). Other claimants have their own triggers, but the same 60-day period. Missing it forfeits the security. This is context for a financing file, not legal advice — take a lien question to a lawyer.
Can a New Brunswick business get financing after a bank decline?
Often, yes. A decline can mean the file did not match that bank's current policy, not that the business is unfundable. Crewline can route the file toward lenders that look harder at revenue, deposits, receivables, and the use of funds.
Does Crewline make the lending decision?
No. Crewline is a matching and referral service. Financing is provided by third-party lenders who set their own terms and approval criteria.
Start with the New Brunswick file
Tell us what is due before the money lands.
A few questions about your business, monthly deposits, cash-flow pressure, holdbacks, receivables, and likely route. No credit pull to start — a real person reviews the request.
ProvinceNew Brunswick
File typeHoldback + receivables
Starting pointNo credit pull
ReviewReal person