Should the first 30% be a Deposit stage?

It can be. A Deposit stage sits beside the claims and is deducted later, so the claims must still make up 100%. For 30/40/30, enter Deposit 30%, then milestones of 40% and 60%, with the deposit deducted on the final claim: the last invoice is 60% less the 30% deposit, which is 30%.

Can I move a stage's date when the work runs late?

Yes, with Edit plan. An invoiced stage keeps its figure, but its name and date can still change.

What if the customer drops the last stage?

Select Skip on its row. It leaves the plan's total, and Undo skip brings it back.

Bill a project in stages

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On a long job paid only at the end, you fund the materials and wages yourself. Billing in stages, such as 30% at signing, 40% halfway and 30% at handover, brings cash in as the work moves. A billing plan on the quotation sets the stages once.

How to do it

Finalise the quotation, then select Set up billing plan on its Billing plan card.
Keep the Plan type at Milestones. Fill in the first stage, then select Add stage for each of the others. Give each a Stage name, a percentage and a Planned date: 30, 40 and 30.
Select Save plan. The three claims make up 100% of the contract sum, so the card shows no warning.
When a stage’s Status reads Due, select Create invoice on its row, then Create invoice in the dialog. Check the draft and issue it.

What each stage invoice shows

Every quotation line, scaled to the stage’s share, headed by the stage name and quotation number, such as “Carpentry done — QN-10000150”. For a shorter invoice, choose One line per tax rate in the dialog and the product to bill.
On the invoice page, a Staged invoicing card with the billing summary.
On the PDF, a line naming the stage, such as “Progress claim 2 of 3 — Carpentry done · QN-10000150”, and a billing summary: the contract sum, what was claimed before, this claim, and the total claimed so far with its percentage. The summary is for information; it is not part of the amount payable.

Why it helps

With a plan, the quotation PDF prints the payment schedule, so the customer agrees to the stages with the offer and expects each invoice when it arrives. The plan’s card shows which stage is due, drafted or invoiced, so none is forgotten.

Example

Lim & Co quotes Harbour Café SGD 20,000.00 before tax, at GST 9%, for a renovation.

Stage	Share	Before tax	GST 9%	Café pays
Signing	30%	6,000.00	540.00	6,540.00
Carpentry done	40%	8,000.00	720.00	8,720.00
Handover	30%	6,000.00	540.00	6,540.00

The café pays SGD 21,800.00 in all, which is 20,000.00 plus 9% GST. The second invoice’s summary shows 6,000.00 claimed before, 8,000.00 this claim and 14,000.00 claimed so far (70%).

Common questions

Should the first 30% be a Deposit stage? It can be. A Deposit stage sits beside the claims and is deducted later, so the claims must still make up 100%. For 30/40/30, enter Deposit 30%, then milestones of 40% and 60%, with the deposit deducted on the final claim: the last invoice is 60% less the 30% deposit, which is 30%.
Can I move a stage’s date when the work runs late? Yes, with Edit plan. An invoiced stage keeps its figure, but its name and date can still change.
What if the customer drops the last stage? Select Skip on its row. It leaves the plan’s total, and Undo skip brings it back.