Deposits and progress payments, by province
Ask for a deposit when the customer signs, bill a longer job in progress payments, and let Quotebird check the deposit against the province’s rule: lowered in British Columbia and Saskatchewan, flagged in Ontario and Alberta.
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How do I take a deposit on an estimate?
Choose a Default deposit in Settings, from 10% to 50% or none, and each new estimate starts with it in its Payment plan. On any estimate you can change it, as a percentage or a fixed amount. Percentages are of the total with tax, so a 20% deposit carries its share of the GST or HST.
With Stripe set up, the deposit invoice is issued the moment your customer signs, and they can pay it by card on the same page. Without Stripe, invoice it yourself from the signed estimate.
Can I bill a long job in progress payments?
Yes. Tap Add a payment under the plan and pick when it’s due: When materials are delivered, or a Stage payment named for the milestone, such as “Ductwork roughed in”. Each takes a percentage of the total or an amount, and On completion collects whatever is left.
When a stage comes due, tap its row under Invoices on the signed estimate: Materials delivered or Mark as done. The invoice opens with its amount and taxes, and the customer pays from its link or with the payment details printed on it.
An AC tune-up in Toronto, with 20% up front
Mark Kowalski is the HVAC contractor in Ontario behind this site’s screenshots. He sent David Chen an estimate for an AC tune-up and a new capacitor, asking 20% on acceptance:
On the estimate
- AC tune-up
- Condensate drain cleaning
- Capacitor replacement
- Capacitor
The payment plan
- Total: $501.72, with $57.72 HST
- Deposit, due on acceptance: $100.34, 20% of the total
- On completion: $401.38
The note under the plan
- Ontario’s consumer guidance says a deposit should be no more than 10% of the price ($50.17 here).
Mark kept the 20%, because in Ontario the 10% is guidance and the choice is his. The same estimate in British Columbia, agreed at the home, would have had its deposit lowered by itself to 10% of the price, which comes to less than $100 here.
How much deposit can a contractor take in BC?
On a contract agreed at the customer’s home, Quotebird lowers the deposit to $100 or 10% of the price, whichever is less, and moves the rest to completion. It goes by the estimate’s Met at the property answer, and an unanswered one counts as a deal made at the home.
Saskatchewan works the same way for a renovation agreed at the home: the deposit comes down to 15%, the limit that holds until the cancellation period ends. In both provinces the plan shows Lowered from the amount you asked, and a note under it names the rule.
Does Ontario cap deposits?
No, and Quotebird doesn’t either. Ontario’s consumer guidance says a deposit should be no more than 10% of the price, so a bigger deposit on an Ontario job gets a note under the plan and nothing changes. In Alberta, a deposit on home work sold at the home needs a prepaid contracting licence, and Quotebird reminds you until the licence is in your business profile.
In Québec, Quotebird doesn’t lower the deposit; it holds the payment, or takes credit cards only, where the law says so. Voir la page en français.
How do I get paid for equipment before the job is done?
Bill it on delivery. Where a cap has lowered the deposit, a button under the plan adds the estimate’s materials as a payment When materials are delivered, amount filled in. Tap it, and invoice that payment once the unit or the parts arrive.
Questions
Do deposit limits apply to commercial jobs?
No. They protect consumers, so Quotebird leaves out business customers and business premises, and cleaning and auto repair jobs as well.
Does the final invoice count the deposit?
Yes. Final invoice starts from the estimate’s items, then takes off every stage invoice you’ve sent, the deposit included, so it asks only for what’s left.
What does my customer see?
The same plan as the printed estimate: each payment, when it’s due and how much. A deposit lowered by a cap shows the lowered amount.
Is this legal advice?
No. Quotebird applies the provincial limits it knows and explains them under the plan; it isn’t legal advice.
Step by step, with every button
Questions? Write to us at support@quotebird.app.