Quotation, Deposit and Invoice Workflow for Services
A service billing workflow should show what the customer approved, what has been invoiced, what has been paid and what remains to be delivered. Keep those records connected from the first quotation.
Write a quotation that can become an invoice
Describe the service, deliverables, exclusions, quantities, price, currency and validity date. State how approval is recorded and which changes require a revised quotation.
Use separate lines for work that may be delivered or credited independently. A single vague line makes it harder to handle a reduced scope, a returned product or a cancelled stage.
Document the deposit terms
Record the deposit amount, due date, payment method and the work it secures. Agree how cancellation, rescheduling and refunds will be handled. Ask your accountant to review the tax treatment and timing that apply to the arrangement.
After the funds are confirmed, apply the payment to the correct invoice and retain the reference. A payment reminder should reflect the remaining balance and the customer agreement.
Choose the billing structure for each project
A single invoice with partial payments can suit a fixed service package. Separate milestone invoices can suit work approved and billed in stages. Decide which structure the customer expects before issuing documents.
For a TTD 6,000 project with three TTD 2,000 stages, either the full invoice or each stage invoice must make the amount due and service period clear. Avoid billing the full project and then issuing additional stage invoices for the same work.
| Project record | Keep this detail |
|---|---|
| Quotation | Agreed scope, price, currency and acceptance |
| Invoice | Unique number, billed work, due date and terms |
| Payment | Confirmed amount, method, date and reference |
| Delivery | Completed work and acceptance or handover |
| Change | Revised scope, additional invoice or credit note |
Handle retainers and renewals deliberately
Recurring invoice generation, automatic sending and automatic charging are separate decisions. Specify the billing frequency, service period and notice terms. Obtain the required customer authorization before any automatic payment collection.
Review recurring drafts for changed scope, prices and customer details. A schedule should stop when the service ends, and the final statement should show any balance or credit.
Give the customer a clear account history
Send a statement that lists invoices, confirmed payments and credits in their original currency. Keep proof of the agreed scope and the work delivered with the project records.
DSDillon POS provides quotations, invoice conversion, partial payment records and recurring drafts. Project billing requirements can be scoped around the documents and approval steps your business uses. Direct email delivery and automatic card collection are not active in the currently deployed release.
Questions before you decide
Can I record a deposit without marking the entire invoice paid?
Record the deposit as a partial payment. The invoice should show the remaining balance until all payments and credits settle it.
Does a recurring invoice automatically charge a customer?
Recurring document creation does not itself authorize a charge. Automatic collection needs a supported payment connection and customer authorization.
Tell us how your business sells.
Share your business type, locations, currencies, invoice requirements and payment providers. We will scope the workflow, connections and acceptance tests.
