Estimates and catalog
Add deposits and progress payments to an estimate
A payment schedule divides the estimate into deposit or progress milestones. Verify the amounts, triggers, and automation options before approval because live schedule changes can affect linked invoices.
Before you begin
- Use an estimate draft that has the correct total.
- Confirm invoice defaults and the customer contact before enabling automatic invoice delivery.
- Decide whether each milestone is a fixed amount or percentage and what makes it due.
- Review linked invoices before changing a schedule that has already started.
Sales → Estimates → open an estimate → Payment Schedule
Build a payment schedule
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Choose the schedule mode
Open Payment Schedule and choose Full, Split, or None based on how the estimate should be billed.
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Add each milestone
For a split schedule, add deposit or regular milestones and choose Fixed or Percent. Enter values that reconcile to the intended estimate amount.
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Choose the trigger
Use no trigger, a date, or supported work-item completion. Confirm the date or work item before saving.
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Choose invoice automation
Review whether JobBuddy should create an invoice and whether it should also send it automatically when a milestone becomes due.
Automatic sending requires correct invoice settings and customer contact details.
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Validate before issue
Check totals, rounding, order, triggers, and automation. Save and review the schedule again before the estimate is approved.
Understand schedule states
Pending
The milestone exists but its trigger has not made it due.
Monitor the trigger. No linked invoice is expected yet unless created manually.
Due
The milestone is ready for billing.
Create or review the invoice. Automation may create it depending on the saved settings.
Invoiced
A linked invoice represents the milestone.
Manage the invoice. Changes now require care because another financial record is linked.
Paid
The linked financial balance has been satisfied.
Preserve the record. Do not rewrite the milestone to correct a payment.
Review before changing a live schedule
Once a milestone is invoiced or paid, schedule changes can require linked-invoice reconciliation. Check the invoice and payment history first.
Troubleshooting
The schedule does not match the estimate total.
Review fixed amounts, percentages, and rounding. Correct the draft before issuing or approving the estimate.
A milestone did not become due.
Check its trigger type, date, or linked work-item completion and confirm the estimate is in the required lifecycle state.
An automatic invoice was not sent.
Confirm that auto-create and auto-send were both intended, invoice settings are complete, the customer has a valid recipient, and a linked invoice was created.
The schedule is already linked to an invoice.
Review the linked invoice and payment state before editing. Avoid deleting or duplicating a milestone to force reconciliation.
What happens next
- Pending milestones advance when their configured trigger is met.
- Invoiced milestones are managed through their linked invoice.
- Payments update the linked financial status rather than merely changing schedule text.