Foundations in, invoice still not sent
Your contract with the homeowner has stage payments: deposit, foundations complete, wall plate, roof on and watertight, first fix, completion. Site gets the roof on by Wednesday. The office finds out on the following Monday, invoices on Tuesday, and the homeowner pays when they get round to it, because they are not sure the roof is really finished. Meanwhile you have paid for the roof timber, the tiles and the roofer.
On one job that is irritating. Across ten jobs at different stages, it is a cash flow problem.
Why stage invoices lag
The person who knows a stage is complete is on site. The person who raises invoices is in the office. The homeowner who pays wants to see that the stage is really done. Each hand-off adds days, and nothing prompts any of them.
- Stage completion is passed to the office by phone, if at all.
- Invoices are raised in batches when someone has time.
- Homeowners are unsure what a stage means and wait to see it.
- Reminders depend on someone noticing a payment is late.
- There is no single view of what is due from every job.
What late stage payments cost
You fund the build for the client while you wait, which squeezes the money you need for materials and subcontractors on every job. Office time goes on chasing, and awkward conversations with homeowners affect the relationship mid-build. When payments slip badly, you face a decision about carrying on working while unpaid, which is exactly the situation stage payments exist to avoid.
Stage tracking we build
- Each job's payment stages are set up from your contract with the homeowner, with a plain description of what complete means for each.
- The site manager marks a stage complete on their phone and adds photos showing it.
- The stage invoice is created in your accounts system, such as Xero or QuickBooks, and sent to the homeowner immediately with the photos and the description.
- The homeowner can pay by card or bank transfer from the invoice link, where your accounts system supports it.
- Reminders go out on the terms in your contract, politely worded, and stop as soon as payment is received.
- Overdue stages are shown to you with the job's progress, so you can decide how to proceed.
- A cash view shows every job's stages: invoiced, paid, due soon, overdue.
| Stage | Site action | Homeowner receives |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations complete | Mark complete, photos of concrete | Invoice with photos |
| Wall plate | Mark complete, photos | Invoice with photos |
| Watertight | Mark complete, photos of roof | Invoice with photos |
| First fix | Mark complete, photos | Invoice with photos |
| Completion | Handover checklist signed | Final invoice with extras |
What your stages are, and what happens if a payment is late, are set by your contract and your own judgement. We make sure the invoice goes the day the stage is done.
Cash that follows the build
Invoices go out the day the stage is complete, with the evidence the homeowner needs to pay without a second visit. Reminders happen without anyone having to remember. You can see, on a Monday morning, exactly what is due across all your jobs. The conversation with homeowners stays about the build rather than about money.
Homeowners notice the difference too. Photos with each invoice show them progress they might not see during the working day, which builds trust between stages.
Are stage payments holding up your cash?
- Stage invoices go out days after the stage is reached.
- Homeowners ask to see the stage before paying.
- Reminders depend on someone in the office noticing.
- You cannot see what is due from every job at once.
- You have been funding materials while waiting for stage payments.