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Deposits and progress payments that keep cash flowing

Ask for a deposit when you send the invoice, then the balance. On longer jobs, bill in stages from the same estimate.

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A deposit invoice in the BuildWell web app with the "Ask for a deposit" option set to 50%
At a glance

Deposits and progress payments, in short

  • Deposits from 5% to 90%, in 5% steps
  • The deposit shows as “Due now” on the invoice
  • Pay buttons charge just the deposit amount
  • Then the balance, once the deposit is recorded
  • Several invoices from one estimate for longer jobs
  • Partial payments recorded and added up

Ask for a deposit when you send

Deposits are set the first time you send the invoice, and the invoice shows that amount as “Due now.” The client sees both the full price of the job and the part you’re asking for today.

There’s no separate deposit invoice to write, no math for the client to do, and no back-and-forth about which number to pay. Turn on Ask for a deposit and pick a percentage:

  • Anywhere from 5% to 90%, in steps of 5%
  • It starts at 30%
  • Change it on each invoice to suit the job and the client
  • Weigh how much of the cost is materials you need to buy first
The Send invoice sheet on a phone with Ask for a deposit on, set to 30%

Clients pay the deposit from the link

If you’ve connected Stripe, the Pay by card and Pay by bank buttons on the invoice link charge exactly the deposit amount, not the full total. The payment is recorded automatically, and you get a notice on your phone when it comes in, so you can order materials with confidence.

Clients who’d rather pay another way see your details under “How to pay”:

  • Zelle, Venmo, Cash App or check
  • PayPal, which becomes a PayPal button for the amount due
  • Check or Zelle arrived? Record it with the amount, method and a note
The client’s invoice page on a phone with the deposit due now and Pay online, and a Payment received notification

Then the remaining balance

Once a payment is recorded, the invoice switches to asking for the remaining balance. You don’t write a second invoice just to finish the job.

Here’s what the invoice does from there:

  • The client’s link shows what’s left to pay, not the deposit they already covered
  • The pay buttons charge the balance
  • Every payment stays listed with its amount and method
  • You can’t record more than the balance, so typos can’t show more paid than owed
  • When the payments add up to the total, the invoice is marked paid
  • Then you can share a receipt
An invoice’s payments on a phone: the deposit paid by Zelle and the balance still owed

Progress payments, your way

Longer jobs rarely get paid in two pieces, so BuildWell gives you two ways to bill as the work moves along. Pick whichever approach fits the client and the job.

Either way, each invoice made from an estimate is listed on that estimate, so you can see what’s been billed against the job and what’s been paid. Your two options:

  • One running invoice: record partial payments as they come, and the balance goes down
  • Or several invoices from the same estimate, one for each stage you bill
  • Edit each stage invoice to the part of the job it covers
  • Each stage invoice has its own number and due date
  • Each can ask for its own deposit when you send it
Unpaid invoices on a phone, including a first progress payment with part of it still due

Made for remodels, repairs and service work

BuildWell keeps billing simple for remodels, repairs and service work: ask for money up front, bill the next stage when it’s time, and always know what’s been paid. You decide when to ask for each payment, and the invoice keeps the math straight for both you and your client.

It’s built for jobs billed from an estimate, not formal pay applications. Contracts that call for these are better served by a construction management platform:

  • A schedule of values
  • Draw requests
  • Retainage
A project on a phone with its accepted estimate, its invoice and the invoice value

Your deposit policy, in writing

Put your deposit policy where the client will read it: in your terms and conditions. Write it once, and it prints on every estimate and invoice.

Add an invoice note for anything specific to this job, like the materials the deposit pays for. Then it’s all in writing:

  • The client sees what the deposit covers and when the rest is due
  • They see it before they sign the estimate, and again when the invoice arrives
  • They accept with their name and a signature drawn on their phone
  • You keep a signed record of the price every later payment is based on
Editing the terms and conditions in Customize, and the deposit terms as they print on the document

Know what every client owes

Each client’s page lists their estimates and invoices with the outstanding balance across every invoice you’ve sent them. When you sit down to make your follow-up calls at the end of the week, sort clients by highest outstanding balance, or filter to only the ones who owe you.

Your invoice list makes a paid deposit and a still-open balance easy to spot, without a spreadsheet or a dog-eared notebook of who paid what and when. It shows:

  • Totals and balances grouped by day, week or month
  • Filters for paid, unpaid, overdue and draft
Clients sorted by highest outstanding balance on a phone

Reminders before a balance slips

Reminders go to you, not to the client, and BuildWell never messages your clients on its own. Every nudge they get comes from you and sounds like you.

From the Inbox, Send reminder re-shares the invoice link so you can text the client yourself, in your own words and from your own number. BuildWell reminds you when:

  • An invoice is due in two days
  • An invoice is one, seven and 14 days overdue
  • A client accepted an estimate a week ago and you haven’t invoiced it yet
  • That last one is often the deposit you meant to ask for and forgot
The inbox on a phone with an overdue invoice and its Send reminder link
How it works

From signed estimate to deposit paid

  1. 1

    Create the invoice

    Turn the signed estimate into an invoice. Lines, discount and tax carry over.

  2. 2

    Ask for a deposit

    When you send, pick a percentage. The invoice shows that amount as due now.

  3. 3

    Collect it

    The client pays by card or bank, or you record the check or Zelle.

  4. 4

    Bill the rest

    The invoice asks for the balance. On longer jobs, invoice the next stage.

By hand vs with BuildWell

Taking a deposit on a kitchen remodel, the old way with a calculator and two invoices, and with BuildWell.

The jobBy handWith BuildWell
Working out the depositDo the percentage on a calculator and round it.Pick a percentage; the invoice shows the amount due now.
Billing itWrite a deposit invoice, then a second one for the balance.One invoice asks for the deposit, then the balance.
Collecting itWait for a check before ordering materials.Card or bank payment from the link, or record the check.
Mid-job paymentsWrite a new invoice and figure what’s left by hand.Make another invoice from the estimate, or record a partial payment.
Keeping scoreA notebook of who paid what, and when.Every payment listed on its invoice, adding up to paid.
Following upRemember to call when the balance is late.A reminder to you when an invoice is due or overdue.

Built for your trade

Line items, labor hours and local prices for the work you actually do.

Bathroom remodelingCarpentryCleaningConcreteDeck buildingDrywallElectricalFencingFlooringFramingGeneral contractorHandymanHVACKitchen remodelingLandscapingLawn carePaintingPlumbingRoofingSidingTileWindow and door
Pricing

One plan. Every feature.

Weekly
$7.99 / week
Billed weekly. Cancel anytime.
  • AI estimates priced for your area
  • Estimates, invoices, clients and projects
  • Clients sign on any phone
  • Card and bank payments, no extra BuildWell fee
  • iPhone, Android and the web
Start free trial
Best value
Annual
$79.99 / year
About $6.67 a month, billed yearly
  • AI estimates priced for your area
  • Estimates, invoices, clients and projects
  • Clients sign on any phone
  • Card and bank payments, no extra BuildWell fee
  • iPhone, Android and the web
Start free trial

Both plans include every feature and start with a 3-day free trial. Add a card to start; you’re not charged until the trial ends. Cancel anytime.

Free tools to go with it

Generators, templates, calculators and guides. No sign-up.

Invoice generatorMake one free Invoice templatesDownload Deposit guideRead the guide Progress billing guideRead the guide Retainage guideRead the guide Draw request guideRead the guide

Deposits and progress payments FAQ

01How much of a deposit can I ask for?
Any percentage from 5% to 90%, in 5% steps, chosen when you send the invoice. It starts at 30%. The invoice shows that amount as “Due now,” and the pay buttons charge that amount, so the client pays the deposit rather than the full total.
02What happens after the deposit is paid?
Once a payment is recorded, whether it came through Stripe or you entered it yourself, the invoice asks for the remaining balance. The next time the client opens the link, they see what’s left to pay, and the pay buttons charge that.
03How do I bill progress payments?
Two ways: record partial payments against one running invoice as they come in, or create more than one invoice from the same estimate, one per stage, each of which can ask for its own deposit. Every invoice is listed on its estimate, and every payment on its invoice.
04Can I set up a payment schedule in advance?
No. BuildWell doesn’t have fixed payment schedules or milestone billing. You bill each stage when it’s time by making another invoice from the estimate. Writing your schedule into your terms and conditions tells the client what to expect from the start.
05Does BuildWell handle retainage?
No. BuildWell doesn’t hold back part of each payment as retainage, and it doesn’t make schedules of values or draw requests. It’s built for remodels, repairs and service jobs, where a deposit, progress payments and a final balance cover the work.
06How many times can I resend an invoice?
Each invoice can be sent up to five times in total, counting the first. For a long job with several payments, it’s often cleaner to create a separate invoice from the estimate for each stage, so each one has its own number and due date.
07Can clients pay a deposit by card?
Yes, if you’ve connected Stripe. The pay buttons charge the deposit by card or US bank transfer, and the payment is recorded automatically. Stripe’s fee applies at cost: 2.9% plus 30¢ for cards, 0.8% capped at $5 for bank transfers. BuildWell adds none.
08Can a client pay part of the balance by check?
Yes. Record the check with the amount, the method and a note, and the invoice shows what’s left. Partial payments add up until the invoice is paid, and you can’t record more than the balance, so the numbers always stay right.
09Where do I put my deposit policy?
In your terms and conditions, which print on every estimate and invoice. Add an invoice note for job-specific details, such as which materials the deposit covers, so the client knows exactly what their first payment pays for.
10How much does BuildWell cost?
BuildWell costs $7.99 a week or $79.99 a year, with a 3-day free trial. Deposits, invoices, online payments and estimates are all included, and one subscription works on iPhone, Android and the web. You can cancel anytime.

More of BuildWell

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Turn a signed estimate into an invoice, bill deposits and progress payments, send a link clients pay from, and see what’s still owed. Built for contractors.

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Online payments

Let clients pay invoices by card or bank transfer from a link. Payments go to your bank through Stripe. BuildWell adds no fee of its own. Zelle and check too.

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Client portal

Send a link, and clients read your estimate, accept and sign it on their phone, or decline. Invoices open the same way with pay buttons. You see every view.

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Estimating software

Describe a job and get an itemized estimate with materials at local store prices and labor at your area’s wage. Edit any line, send it, get it signed.

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AI estimates

Describe a job by voice, text, photos or a floor plan. AI plans the work and quantities; prices come from local stores and BLS wages, and you confirm any gaps.

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Quote software

Price a job from local material prices and your area’s labor rates, send the quote as a link, and get it accepted and signed on the client’s phone.

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Try BuildWell today

Estimates, invoices, e-signatures and payments in one place, on your phone and on the web.

Start for free →3-day free trial. Cancel anytime.