Deposits, progress claims and final claims

Most jobs aren't invoiced in one go. You take a deposit up front, bill a chunk part-way through, and invoice the balance when the job's done. Sammy handles all three from the same place — and keeps track of what you've already invoiced so you never have to work out the remainder on a calculator.

Where to find it#

You can raise these invoices from two places, and they work the same way in both:

• From an estimate — open the estimate, tap Actions (on a computer it's in the bottom-right corner), then Create invoice. If the estimate isn't accepted yet, choose More Actions, then Convert to Invoice
• From Invoices — tap New invoice, then From an estimate, and pick the estimate

Under Partial Invoice you'll see three options: Deposit, Progress claim and Final claim.

Invoiced to date#

Once an estimate has any invoices against it, a summary appears at the top of the screen:

Invoiced to date: $1,588.86 of $2,745.60 Paid $447.77 · 1 invoice raised

That's your running position on the job — how much has been invoiced (including GST), how much of it your client has paid, and how many invoices you've raised. Cancelled invoices don't count.

Taking a deposit#

1. Choose Deposit
2. Set the percentage — type it, drag the slider, or tap a preset (10, 25, 50, 75)
3. The preview shows the invoice line: "30% Deposit - {job title}" with the amount
4. Create the invoice

If the estimate already has an invoice against it, Sammy shows a warning before you create another deposit — that's your nudge that you probably want a progress claim or final claim instead. It's only a warning; if you really do want a second deposit, you can still create it.

Raising a progress claim#

Part-way through the job, bill the next chunk:

1. Choose Progress claim
2. Set the percentage of the job you're claiming — for example, 40% for "another 40% of the job"
3. Sammy shows the claim amount and how much of the job is still left to invoice
4. Create the invoice

The invoice line reads "Progress claim 40% - {job title}", so your client can see exactly what stage they're paying for.

If your claims would add up to more than the estimate total, Sammy warns you before you create the invoice — handy for catching a typo, but it won't stop you if the extra is deliberate (say, agreed extras you're billing against the same job).

Invoicing the final balance#

When the job's done, you don't need to work out what's left — Sammy does it:

1. Choose Final claim
2. Sammy shows the exact amount remaining: the estimate total minus everything you've already invoiced
3. Create the invoice

The line reads "Final claim - {job title}", and the maths reconciles to the cent. A 31% deposit plus a final claim always adds up to exactly the estimate total — GST included.

If the estimate is already fully invoiced, Sammy tells you there's nothing left to claim and won't create a $0 invoice.

Setting the due date#

Both places show a Due Date field before you create the invoice. It's pre-filled from your payment terms (Settings → Business → payment terms), and you can change it for any individual invoice — a deposit due tomorrow, a final claim due in 14 days, whatever suits the job.

Good to know#

• Every claim is its own invoice. It gets its own number, can be sent, chased with payment reminders, marked paid and receipted like any other invoice
• Draft invoices count towards "invoiced to date". If you've drafted a deposit but not sent it, Sammy still treats that money as claimed — cancel the draft if you want it out of the running total
• Amounts are worked out before GST, then GST is added to the invoice as normal. On GST-exempt estimates there's no GST at any step
• Percentages are of the estimate total, not of what's left. To bill "half of what's remaining", check the remaining figure shown under the slider and pick your percentage from that — or just use Final claim when you're ready to close the job out