Deposits and payment plans

Deposits up front, or a milestone payment plan

Ask for a deposit before you start, as a percentage or a fixed amount with its own due date. Or split a bigger invoice into a milestone payment plan of two or more instalments. Sendinvo chases each stage in turn, and your client pays online by card.

Your first 3 invoices are free to send, no card needed.

How it works

Money before the work, or spread across it

1

Pick deposit or plan

On any draft invoice, ask for a deposit or split the total into a payment plan. It’s one or the other, and a plan’s first instalment can act as the deposit.

2

Set the amounts and dates

A deposit is a percentage or a fixed amount with its own due date. A plan is two or more instalments, each with its own amount and due date, that add up to the total.

3

Send it

The invoice shows the deposit and the remaining balance side by side. Your client pays the deposit, or the next instalment due, by card online.

4

It chases the right stage

Reminders follow the money: the deposit first, then the balance once it’s in, or one instalment at a time, re-pointing to the next as each payment lands.

The details

One invoice, paid in stages

A deposit protects you before the work starts. A payment plan makes a bigger bill easier to say yes to. Both keep the whole job on a single invoice, so there’s nothing to reconcile by hand.

Deposits, on every plan

Ask for a deposit as a percentage or a fixed amount, give it its own due date, and it shows on the invoice next to the remaining balance. Deposits are part of Sendinvo’s standard invoicing and use nothing beyond your normal free-invoice allowance.

Milestone payment plans

Split an invoice into two or more instalments, each with its own amount and due date, all adding up to the total. Sendinvo chases one instalment at a time, the next one due, and re-points to the following instalment as each payment lands. Payment plans are a paid-plan feature, and a plan can only be set while the invoice is still a draft.

Reminders that follow each stage

You don’t chase anything by hand. Our invoice reminders go after the deposit first, then the balance, or one instalment at a time, so every nudge shows the amount that’s actually due right now, never a figure that’s already been paid.

Paid by card, split by design

On the pay page your client settles the deposit or the next instalment with card payments, and the invoice updates itself. It suits deposit-led work like wedding and events suppliers, where a booking deposit holds the date and the balance falls due nearer the day.

Example: a £3,600.00 job, split into three milestones
Deposit on booking (25%) £900.00
Second instalment, four weeks in £1,350.00
Final instalment on completion £1,350.00
Invoice total £3,600.00

Sendinvo chases one instalment at a time, then moves to the next as each payment lands.

Questions

Good to know

What’s the difference between a deposit and a payment plan?

A deposit is a single amount you ask for up front, a percentage or a fixed sum, with its own due date, shown next to the remaining balance. A payment plan splits the whole invoice into two or more instalments that add up to the total. You can use one or the other on an invoice, not both, though a plan’s first instalment can act as the deposit.

How does a milestone payment plan work?

You split a draft invoice into two or more instalments, each with its own amount and due date, adding up to the total. Sendinvo chases one instalment at a time, the next one due, and re-points to the following instalment as each payment lands. A plan can only be set while the invoice is still a draft.

Can my client pay a deposit or an instalment by card?

Yes. On the pay page your client can settle the deposit, or the next instalment due, by card through Stripe, and the invoice updates itself. They pay the exact amount that’s due at that stage, not a penny more.

Are deposits and payment plans free?

Deposits are part of Sendinvo’s standard invoicing and use nothing beyond your normal free-invoice allowance. Payment plans are a paid-plan feature. Either way, you can send your first three invoices free before deciding on a subscription.

Can I use a deposit or a plan with a CIS invoice?

No. CIS invoices can’t combine with a deposit or a payment plan. On a standard invoice you can use either, but not both at once, since a plan’s first instalment already does the job of a deposit.

Take the deposit. Spread the rest.

Ask for a deposit up front, or split a bigger job into milestones, and let Sendinvo chase each stage for you.