Partial Payments

Accept deposits, milestone payments, and installments. Track the remaining balance as clients pay an invoice over time.

How It Works

GetCost tracks every payment against an invoice. When a client pays less than the full amount, the system records the payment and updates the remaining balance automatically. You can collect as many payments as needed until the invoice is fully paid.

Example

You send a $10,000 invoice. The client pays a $2,500 deposit, then $5,000 at the halfway point, and the remaining $2,500 when the job is complete. Each payment is recorded and the balance updates in real time.

Collecting a Deposit

A deposit is typically the first partial payment before work begins. You can request a deposit as a percentage of the total or as a fixed amount.

  1. Open the Invoice or Estimate

    Navigate to the document and tap Payments.

  2. Go to the Deposit Tab

    Select the Deposit tab (or Schedule tab on invoices). Set the deposit amount as a percentage or fixed dollar amount.

  3. Send the Invoice

    When the client receives the invoice, the deposit amount is displayed as the first payment due. The client can pay the deposit online or you can record it manually.

Tip: Common deposit amounts are 25–50% of the total project cost. Deposits help secure the project and improve your cash flow.

Collecting Additional Payments

After the initial deposit, you can collect additional payments at any time. The payment amount field defaults to the next amount due based on your payment schedule, or the remaining balance if no schedule is set.

  1. Open the Invoice

    Navigate to the invoice that has a remaining balance.

  2. Go to Payments

    Tap Payments and select the Payment tab.

  3. Enter the Amount

    The amount field shows the suggested next payment. You can adjust it to any amount up to the remaining balance.

  4. Select Payment Type and Confirm

    Choose how the client paid (Cash, Check, EFT, or Other) and tap Add Payment.

Note: You can repeat this process as many times as needed. Each payment is recorded separately in the payment history.

Tracking the Balance

The payments screen shows a complete breakdown of the invoice balance at the bottom of the Payment and Refund tabs.

Field Description
Total The full invoice amount including taxes.
Paid The sum of all payments received so far.
Balance The remaining amount the client still owes (Total minus Paid).

Each individual payment is listed in the payment history with its date, amount, and payment type. Tap any payment to view its details.

Invoice Status

The invoice status updates automatically as payments are received.

📦

Deposit Paid

The client has paid the deposit but the invoice is not fully paid. The remaining balance is still due.

✅

Paid

The full invoice amount has been received. The balance is zero and no further payments are needed.

Note: Recording any payment on an invoice freezes it, preventing changes to items and prices. This ensures the invoice total stays consistent with the payments received.