Free tool · No sign-up required
Job Deposit & Payment Schedule Generator
Split a project total into a deposit, milestone payments, and final balance — with a running-balance table and wording your customer actually understands.
Everything stays in your browser — totals, names, and payment amounts are never sent to or stored on our servers. This tool doesn't process payments or collect deposits.
Template language, not legal advice
This generator provides general payment-schedule language, not legal advice. Deposit limits, cancellation rules, payment timing, consumer-contract requirements, and tax treatment vary by location.
Need the estimate itself? Use the free estimate generator, write the fine print with the estimate terms generator, or get Revenuor for iPhone & iPad.
Start from an example setup:
Examples are for demonstration. Use a schedule appropriate for your work and local requirements.
Payment Schedule
| Payment | Due | % | Amount | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Template only. This is general payment-schedule language, not legal advice.
Put this schedule into a professional estimate.
Revenuor creates estimates and invoices on your iPhone or iPad — paste the schedule into your notes and terms, set a valid-until date, schedule the approved job, and mark payments as they come in. It doesn't process payments or collect deposits; it keeps the paperwork and the client details together.
How a good payment schedule works
A deposit is cash flow, not profit
A deposit reserves your time and covers early costs like materials — it doesn't make the job more profitable, it just means you're not financing the customer's project out of pocket. Price the work properly first with the service price calculator, then check the margin with the profit margin calculator.
Progress payments follow real milestones
Each payment should map to work the customer can see or a cost you actually incurred — materials delivered, demolition complete, inspection passed. A payment tied to "week two" is a date; a payment tied to "rough-in passed inspection" is proof of progress.
The final payment needs a due event
"Balance due at completion," "after the final walkthrough," or "Net 7 from invoice" — pick one and write it down. Unclear final balances are where most collection headaches start, because nobody agreed when the money was actually due.
Percentages and amounts, side by side
"25% deposit" is easy to agree to; "$1,250" is what actually hits the bank. Showing both — as this generator does — removes the mental math and the surprise. The running balance column answers the question customers actually ask: "how much is left after this?"
Unclear schedules create disputes
Most payment arguments aren't about the total — they're about timing that was never written down. A schedule in the estimate turns "I thought we'd settle up at the end" into a line item both sides already agreed to.
Large projects deserve a review
Deposit caps, progress-payment rules, and consumer-contract requirements apply to bigger jobs in many places. For high-value or long-running projects, have your schedule and estimate terms reviewed for local requirements.
Payment schedules by trade
Typical shapes, not rules — every job and jurisdiction is different.
Painting
A deposit before scheduling, a second payment when work begins, and the balance at completion — the classic 25 / 50 / 25 shape.
How painting pros use Revenuor →Roofing
Deposit at acceptance, a large payment when materials are delivered, balance at completion — material costs land early, so the schedule should too.
How roofing pros use Revenuor →Remodeling
A modest deposit, then progress payments tied to visible milestones: demolition done, rough-in inspected, finishes complete, final walkthrough.
How remodeling pros use Revenuor →Landscaping
Deposit to reserve the crew and order plants, a payment when installation begins, balance when the site is finished and walked.
How landscaping pros use Revenuor →Janitorial contracts
Recurring service often bills as equal monthly installments on invoice — no deposit, clean Net terms, predictable for both sides.
How janitorial contracts pros use Revenuor →Handyman
Small jobs keep it simple: a fixed deposit to book the visit (often covering materials), balance on the invoice when the list is done.
How handyman pros use Revenuor →Pressure washing
Single-day work is usually paid on completion; multi-day commercial jobs add a deposit and a mid-project payment.
How pressure washing pros use Revenuor →Large cleaning jobs
Move-out and post-construction cleans often take a deposit before scheduling, with the balance due the day the clean is finished.
How large cleaning jobs pros use Revenuor →From schedule to scheduled — and paid
Paste this schedule into your estimate, then track the job and invoice from your iPhone or iPad. No account required.
- Create a professional estimate with your services and pricing
- Add the payment schedule to your notes and terms
- Set a valid-until date so old prices expire on their own
- Schedule the job the moment the customer approves
- Create the invoice from the same job when the work is done
- Mark payments received and keep every client detail together
Round out the paperwork
- Free Estimate Generator — build the estimate this schedule belongs in.
- Estimate Terms & Conditions Generator — deposits, change orders, and cancellations in plain English.
- Free Invoice Generator — invoice each payment as it comes due.
- Estimate & invoice templates — what a client-ready document must include.
Frequently asked questions
Is the payment schedule generator free?
Yes. The generator is completely free, with no sign-up and no limit on how many schedules you create.
Is my project data stored?
No. Project totals, customer names, and payment amounts stay in your browser for the page session only — nothing is sent to or stored on our servers, and nothing is kept after you leave.
How much deposit should I request?
Common ranges run from 10% on large projects to 50% on small jobs — enough to cover early material costs and reserve the date, without front-loading more than the work justifies. Note that deposit limits are regulated in some locations.
Can deposits be non-refundable?
Sometimes, but the rules vary a lot by location and how the deposit was disclosed. This generator never labels a deposit non-refundable automatically — if you want that policy, add it deliberately and check what local law allows.
How do milestone payments work?
Each milestone ties a payment to a clear point in the job — materials delivered, work begins, halfway complete, inspection passed. The customer always knows what they're paying for, and you're never carrying the whole project cost.
Should payments use percentages or fixed amounts?
Percentages scale automatically if the total changes and are easier to explain ("25% deposit"). Fixed amounts are clearer when a payment matches a real cost, like a materials order. The generator supports both and shows each payment both ways.
How do I split a project total evenly?
Choose "Equal installments," set the number of payments, and the generator divides the total to the cent — the final installment absorbs any rounding difference so the schedule always adds up exactly.
How should tax be handled?
If you show tax separately, the generator calculates it on the pre-tax price and schedules payments on the customer total, stating that in the wording. If your total already includes tax, payments are based on the tax-inclusive amount. Tax rules vary by location.
What if percentages do not add up to 100%?
The generator tells you. The final payment defaults to the exact remainder, and if your milestones over-allocate the total, a plain-text warning shows how far over you are — nothing is silently capped or hidden.
When should final payment be due?
Give it a clear event: on completion, after the final walkthrough, or within a set number of days of the invoice (Net 7/14/30). "Due whenever" is how balances go stale — a due event makes the last payment as concrete as the first.
Can I use event-based milestones instead of dates?
Yes. Milestones can be tied to events like "when materials are delivered" or "when work begins" — no dates required. Dates and intervals (weekly, every two weeks, monthly) are available when you want them.
Can I edit the generated wording?
Yes — the output is a plain editable text box. Your edits stay until you press Regenerate or change a generation setting.
Can I print or save the schedule as a PDF?
Yes. The Print button opens your browser's print dialog with just the schedule and wording — choose "Save as PDF" there to keep a copy. No file is uploaded anywhere.
Is this legal advice?
No. The generator produces general payment-schedule language, not legal advice. Deposit limits, cancellation rules, payment timing, consumer-contract requirements, and tax treatment vary by location — review your schedule for local requirements.
Can I paste the schedule into Revenuor?
Yes. Revenuor estimates have a notes and terms area — paste the schedule there so it travels with the estimate, then invoice the work from the same app when the job is done.
Does Revenuor collect deposits automatically?
No. Revenuor creates professional estimates and invoices and tracks what's been paid — it doesn't process payments or collect deposits for you. You collect payment however you normally do and mark it paid.