Taking a Deposit Up Front
Ask for part of the money when the customer signs, and the rest when the work is done. Set it once and every new quote asks for it.
Why bother
On a big job you are buying materials before you earn anything. A deposit means the customer has committed and you are not funding their roof out of your own pocket for three weeks.
It also filters. Somebody who will not put 25% down on a job they signed for is telling you something worth knowing before your crew shows up.
Set your usual amount once
Settings, then Payments
Scroll past the bank setup to “How much you take up front”.
Pick a percentage or a set amount
A percentage scales with the job, which is what most trades use. A set amount is a flat figure whatever the job is worth. On a job smaller than a set amount, the customer is asked for the job total and no more.
Save
Every new quote from now on asks for it. Quotes you already sent are untouched.
You do not need a bank connected to set this. The figure shows on the quote either way, so the customer knows what they are agreeing to. Connecting a bank is what lets them pay it by card.
Changing it on one quote
Open the quote. Under the total there is a Deposit row. Change it to whatever that job needs, or set it to None if this one is different. You will see the split as you type: what is due now and what is due on completion, the exact figures the customer will see.
Changing one quote does not change your usual amount. Changing your usual amount does not change quotes you already wrote.
What the customer sees
Underneath the total on their quote, two lines: what is due now, and what is due when the work is done. It is there before they sign, not sprung on them after.
Once they sign, if you have a bank connected, a Pay button appears for the deposit. They tap it, pay on their phone, and it lands in your account. If you do not have a bank connected they still see the figure and arrange it with you however you normally would.
They can only pay the deposit after they have signed. A deposit is for a job somebody has agreed to.
What happens to the deposit later
When the job is done and you raise the invoice, the deposit is taken off automatically. An $18,000 job with $4,500 already paid invoices for $18,000 and shows $13,500 still due.
That figure is the same everywhere: on your screen, on the emailed invoice, on the printed copy, and on the customer's own payment page. You will never send somebody a bill for money they have already paid you.
| Where | What it shows |
|---|---|
| The quote | Due now and due on completion, before they sign |
| The invoice, on your screen | Total, already paid, still due |
| The emailed invoice | The same three lines |
| The printed copy | The same three lines |
| The customer's payment page | What is still owed, and a button for it |
Part payments and cheques
A deposit paid half by card and half by cheque still adds up. The Pay button only ever asks for what is left, so a customer who tapped it twice, or who already sent you something, is never charged the full figure again.
Who can change it
The owner or anyone on Office. Deciding how much to ask for is a quoting decision, the same as setting a price, so the person who writes your quotes can set it.
Connecting the bank is still owner-only, because that decides where the money lands rather than how much of it there is.
What it costs
Nothing extra from us. Deposits are on every plan. Stripe takes its usual card fee on the deposit the same as on any other payment.