Tracking your subcontractors’ compliance: a checklist
Rules checked on October 13, 2026
In brief
For each subcontractor, track four things: their RBQ licence, the Revenu Québec attestation (7th and 10th days), their insurance and the CNESST attestation at the end of the contract. Keep dated proof of every check.
A spreadsheet is enough to start, as long as it says what to check, when, where, and what to keep in the file. Here is that list, in the order the dates fall.
The four checks
RBQ licence, before you sign and again before you pay: in the RBQ’s registry, the licence is valid, the name is that of the company you’re signing with, its subcategories cover the work, and you note whether it carries a restriction.
Revenu Québec attestation, once your contracts with them reach $25,000 in the year: the copy received and valid by the 7th day after work starts, its authenticity verified in My Account for businesses (Mon dossier pour les entreprises) by the 10th day.
Insurance, before work starts and at each expiry: the liability insurance certificate in the file, its expiry date noted and its renewal requested beforehand. What coverage you require depends on your contract and your insurer.
CNESST attestation of compliance, at the end of every contract: requested in MonEspace CNESST as soon as the work ends, kept in the file with the date of the request.
A simple rhythm
Before you sign: the RBQ licence and the insurance certificate.
When work starts: if the $25,000 threshold is reached, the Revenu Québec attestation on the 7th day and its verification on the 10th. The attestation calculator gives both dates.
Before every payment: the licence again, the insurance still valid, the attestation still current.
When the contract ends: the CNESST attestation of compliance.
What to keep in the file
Dated proof of every check: the printout or screenshot of the RBQ registry, the copy of the Revenu Québec attestation with the result of its verification, the insurance certificate and the CNESST attestation with the date of the request.
My Account keeps your mandatory verifications for the past three years. Keep your own copy in the contract file all the same: it’s the one you’ll pull out the day you’re asked for it.
A spreadsheet, the official portals or a tool?
A spreadsheet costs nothing and is enough for a few subcontractors. It doesn’t add up your contracts with each one for the $25,000 threshold, doesn’t warn you of a licence withdrawn mid-job and depends on whoever keeps it up to date.
The official portals (the RBQ’s registry, My Account, MonEspace CNESST) are the source of truth: no tool replaces them for verifying that a Revenu Québec attestation is genuine, which the law asks you to do yourself.
A tool like Feu vert compares the RBQ registry with yesterday’s every morning, adds up your contracts for the threshold, counts the days and keeps dated proof. It never logs in to your government accounts.
Official sources
- The RBQ’s registry of licence holders
- Revenu Québec: construction contracts and the Attestation de Revenu Québec
- Revenu Québec: mandatory verification of an attestation
- CNESST: compliance verification services (in French)
This guide sums up the rules in force on the date shown, from the laws and official pages above. It isn’t legal advice: for a specific case, check with the agency concerned or a professional.
The other guides
Let Feu vert keep track of all this
Feu vert checks your subcontractors’ RBQ licences every morning, counts the days for the Revenu Québec attestation, reminds you to ask the CNESST for its attestation at the end of each contract and keeps dated proof of every check.
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