Progress Invoice
A progress invoice bills part of a bigger job at a milestone, such as a finished phase. It keeps cash moving with the work. You stop paying for weeks of the job yourself.
What it means
Bigger jobs cause a cash-flow problem if you bill only once, at the finish. You buy materials and pay for your own time for weeks before a cent comes back. Progress invoices split the total into stages. Each stage ties to something visible and checkable, such as “framing complete.” Payment then keeps pace with the work.
Tie each stage to a milestone the client can see for themselves, and avoid a date on a calendar. A date-based schedule invites arguments about whether the stage was “really” done by then. A milestone is either true or not yet true.
A $12,000 deck build is split into three progress invoices. You bill $4,000 on the deposit, $4,000 when the inspector passes the framing, and $4,000 on completion. You are never more than a third of the job’s cost out of pocket at once.
Setting progress-invoice dates by the calendar instead of by milestone. An invoice then goes out for “week two” even when a client-caused delay means week two’s work has not happened.
See also
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- guide What to put on an invoice so you actually get paid Seven fields prevent most late payments before you send a reminder.
- tool Free Invoice Generator Fill in your business and client details and add line items. A clean invoice builds as you type. Then download it as a PDF.
- tool Materials up-front check Enter your quote price, your materials and parts cost, and your planned deposit. Add the days between paying your supplier and getting paid. The tool shows your own cash in the job and whether the deposit covers it.