The job is not finished when the tools go back in the truck. It is finished when the invoice is paid, and the gap between those two moments is where most trade businesses lose sleep. This guide gathers every QuoTrak article on invoicing and getting paid: building the invoice from the quote, deposits and terms, progress billing on longer jobs, and the habits that shorten the wait for money.

Invoice from the quote, the same day

The fastest invoice is the one you do not have to retype. If the accepted quote already has the scope and the line items, the invoice should be a conversion of it, with the same numbers, plus a deposit already paid and any approved change orders. Sending it the day the work is done is the single biggest thing you can do to get paid sooner; a week's delay on your side becomes a month's delay on theirs.

Deposits and payment terms

A deposit covers materials and tells you the customer is serious. Ten to fifty percent is common depending on the trade and the material cost, and some states cap residential deposits, so check your local rules. Terms belong on the quote, not just the invoice: due on completion, net 7, net 14, with a late fee you are prepared to apply. Customers do not argue with terms they agreed to before the work started.

Progress payments on longer jobs

On anything that runs more than a couple of weeks, bill in stages tied to milestones, such as rough-in complete or materials delivered. Each progress invoice should show the contract total, what has been billed so far, and the balance remaining, so the customer never has to reconcile it themselves.

Getting paid faster

Make paying easy: an online payment link on the invoice, a clear due date, and a reminder the day after it passes. Most late payments are forgetfulness, not refusal, and a polite automatic reminder fixes forgetfulness without a phone call. Cash flow improves more from invoicing discipline than from chasing.

Invoicing software for trades

Generic invoicing tools and accounting packages can produce an invoice, but they do not know what a quote, a deposit or a change order is. Trade-specific software connects the invoice to the job it came from. You can build an invoice now in the free invoice generator, and the articles below compare the options.