Overview
To request a deposit for an estimate, go to the Estimate screen, select Actions > Collect and Apply Payment, and enter the deposit amount. After converting the estimate to a job, apply the deposit to the invoice, and email the customer showing the deposit and remaining balance.
Note: You can have a preset estimate deposit percentage. To do so, go to Settings > Estimate > Deposit and set enable the default percentage.
Problem
Customers need to pay a deposit for an estimate, but you're unsure how to request it without creating an invoice first.
Solution
Workflow Summary
You should be able to send an estimate-related deposit request to the customer.
Send a deposit request to the customer
Go to the estimate screen for the job you're working on.
If the estimate is Open, click Sold/Convert.
Select a name from the Who sold this estimate? dropdown, and click Apply.
Click Actions.
Select Collect and Apply Payment from the the dropdown.
Enter the amount you want to collect as a deposit. This should be 60% of the total estimate.
Confirm the payment details.
Keep the Apply to Customer Profile option selected. This amount gets credited to the customer's profile.
Convert the estimate to a booked job. This is when you create the actual job from the estimate.
Apply the previously collected deposit to the invoice. This shows the deposit and the remaining amount the customer owes.
Email the invoice to the customer. Make sure it reflects the deposit and the balance due.
Note: If the estimate was being sold in the field, you could collect the deposit directly from the customer right away.
You can also set up online payments on your account to send payment links to your customers via email or SMS. For more, see Guide to Online Payments.