[{"question":{"category_id":323115,"account_id":12867,"created_at":"2024-02-23T21:14:57.000Z","tag_names":["cash flow stage billing","estimate progress invoice","milestone invoicing","one big invoice vs many","partial payments","progress invoices","progress invoicing quickbooks","project invoice","qbo progress invoicing setup","stage billing"],"answer_sample":"If you bill in stages — for example, a contractor billing 25% at signing, 25% at ","long_answer_sample":"If you bill in stages — for example, a contractor billing 25% at signing, 25% at framing, 25% at drywall, 25% at completion — you have two ways to structure the receivable: progress invoices (multiple smaller invoices issued as work progresses) or one large invoice with partial payments. This article covers the trade-offs and when each pattern is th","language_id":1,"id":2428271,"last_published_date":"May 31st, 2026","last_published_avatar":"\u003cimg class=\"avatar circle\" width=\"96\" height=\"96\" style=\"background: url(\u0026quot;/initials_avatars/TA?bg=e0633a\u0026amp;s=192\u0026amp;fg=fff\u0026quot;) 0% 0% / 96px 96px;\" src=\"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/841e7ea85ebda058cdd7ee30638e7bee.png?s=96\u0026amp;d=blank\" /\u003e","last_published_user_name":"Thomas Aronica","indexable_body":"bill stages — example, contractor billing 25% signing, framing, drywall, completion two ways structure receivable progress invoices (multiple smaller issued work progresses) one large invoice partial payments. article covers trade-offs pattern better fit business. job works create separate stage ready bill. due date balance. customer pays arrives. collect 100% next ships. + payments big full amount, allow on. portions progresses. stays open running balance final payment closes out. usually stage-billed jobs, win three dimensions cleaner a/r aging. $40,000 sits $30,000 months drags aging hard. four $10,000 invoices, paid within 30 days completes, keep report healthy. faster cash flow. can prove done. customers pay promptly corresponds deliverable just received, vs. fully consumed yet. easier collections. goes late, strong, specific conversation \"we delivered framing april 1, $10,000, please pay.\" compared chasing balance, squishier. customer's procurement requires po per project. enterprise cut whole job. break need po. well-defined advance. predict project will split it, honest fabricating milestones. short jobs. total \u0026lt;$5,000 finishes week, overhead multiple worth it. patterns show biller genie reflects whatever set accounting software appear series independent grid. reminder cadence, autopay state, now link. individually pays. appears single entries timeline. reduces hits zero. reminders continue (referencing remaining balance) closes. record see allowing . setting invoicing quickbooks online native feature converts estimate staged invoices. high-level workflow turn invoicing. qbo, go settings (gear icon) \u0026gt; account sales. find section toggle save. (e.g. $40,000) detailed line items stage. issue completes. estimate, click choose portion (percentage total, dollar items). track qbo automatically subtracts estimate's always know left syncs invoice. grid follow normal cadence settings. maintains parent-estimate relationship; sees individual complete instructions (including template setup), intuit's documentation step-by-step guides support search \"progress invoicing.\" desktop qbd supports estimate. enable edit preferences jobs \u0026amp; estimates (company tab), check \"do invoicing\" use percentage amount. generated individually. xero estimate\" way. manually quotes used template, created independently. like other. best practices spell original / contract. exist bills first dates match delivery. net 15 \"stage delivered\" lands \"estimate signed.\" ship previous (or part, depending policy). main reason improves flow natural gating mechanism. memo description ties delivered. 2 4 completed 2026-04-15\" beats 2.\" consider repeating-stage clients. rhythm repeatedly (monthly retainer plus monthly work), smooths further. related articles schedule per-customer overrides","name":"Progress Invoices vs. Partial Payments: Best Practices","votes":0,"is_published":true,"slug":"setting-up-progress-invoices-in-quickbooks-online","first_category":"Invoices \u0026 Items","categories_display_for_views":"Invoices \u0026 Items","parent_categories":[323115],"is_internal":false,"is_private":false,"extra_categories":[],"url":"/invoices/setting-up-progress-invoices-in-quickbooks-online?from_search=237968283","host":"https://helpcenter.billergenie.com","body_txt":"bill stages — example, contractor billing 25% signing, framing, drywall, completion two ways structure receivable progress invoices (multiple smaller issued work progresses) one large invoice partial payments. article covers trade-offs pattern better fit business. job works create separate stage ready bill. due date balance. customer pays arrives. collect 100% next ships. + payments big full amount, allow on. portions progresses. stays open running balance final payment closes out. usually stage-billed jobs, win three dimensions cleaner a/r aging. $40,000 sits $30,000 months drags aging hard. four $10,000 invoices, paid within 30 days completes, keep report healthy. faster cash flow. can prove done. customers pay promptly corresponds deliverable just received, vs. fully consumed yet. easier collections. goes late, strong, specific conversation \"we delivered framing april 1, $10,000, please pay.\" compared chasing balance, squishier. customer's procurement requires po per project. enterprise cut whole job. break need po. well-defined advance. predict project will split it, honest fabricating milestones. short jobs. total \u0026lt;$5,000 finishes week, overhead multiple worth it. patterns show biller genie reflects whatever set accounting software appear series independent grid. reminder cadence, autopay state, now link. individually pays. appears single entries timeline. reduces hits zero. reminders continue (referencing remaining balance) closes. record see allowing . setting invoicing quickbooks online native feature converts estimate staged invoices. high-level workflow turn invoicing. qbo, go settings (gear icon) \u0026gt; account sales. find section toggle save. (e.g. $40,000) detailed line items stage. issue completes. estimate, click choose portion (percentage total, dollar items). track qbo automatically subtracts estimate's always know left syncs invoice. grid follow normal cadence settings. maintains parent-estimate relationship; sees individual complete instructions (including template setup), intuit's documentation step-by-step guides support search \"progress invoicing.\" desktop qbd supports estimate. enable edit preferences jobs \u0026amp; estimates (company tab), check \"do invoicing\" use percentage amount. generated individually. xero estimate\" way. manually quotes used template, created independently. like other. best practices spell original / contract. exist bills first dates match delivery. net 15 \"stage delivered\" lands \"estimate signed.\" ship previous (or part, depending policy). main reason improves flow natural gating mechanism. memo description ties delivered. 2 4 completed 2026-04-15\" beats 2.\" consider repeating-stage clients. rhythm repeatedly (monthly retainer plus monthly work), smooths further. related articles schedule per-customer overrides","categories":{"current":{"id":323115,"name":"Invoices \u0026 Items","url":"/invoices"}},"category_param":"invoices"}}]