Handover done, balance forgotten
The install finished a fortnight ago. The homeowner is happy. The balance invoice has not gone out, because the office was waiting for the job file to be complete and then forgot. When it does go, the homeowner is surprised: they thought they paid on the day, or they were waiting for their certificate before paying, or the invoice amount does not match what they remember from the quote because a battery upgrade was added on site.
A month later it is paid, after three reminders and a phone call.
Why solar invoicing drifts
- Payment stages are written in the quote but not linked to anything in the job.
- Invoices are raised by hand in Xero, QuickBooks or Sage when someone remembers.
- Changes on site, such as extra panels or a different battery, are not passed to accounts.
- Customers are not told in advance when each payment will be due.
- Where the customer uses finance, the timing and process are different again and handled separately.
What late invoicing costs
Cash flow in a business that pays for panels, inverters and batteries upfront. Office time on reminders and calls. Awkward conversations with happy customers about money. And errors when on-site changes are not reflected in the final invoice.
Invoices triggered by the job
- Payment stages and amounts from the accepted quote are stored against the job: for example deposit on order, a stage on install and a balance on handover, whatever your terms say.
- When the job reaches a milestone in your CRM or install schedule, the invoice for that stage is created in your accounting software through its API.
- Each invoice includes a card or bank payment link, such as Stripe or your accounting software's own.
- Before each stage, the customer receives a short notice saying what is coming and when.
- Variations agreed on site are recorded by the install lead, approved by the office and added to the next invoice.
- Where a job is funded by finance, the job is marked and the finance steps are tracked separately, following the provider's process.
- Unpaid invoices appear on a list with the stage and last contact, and reminders go out on your schedule.
Stages and triggers
| Stage | Triggered by | Customer told |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | Order accepted | At signing |
| Install stage, if used | Install started or completed | Before install day |
| Balance | Handover signed | Before handover |
| Variation | Change approved | At the time of the change |
Illustrative. Your own payment terms decide the stages.
Paid when the work is done
Invoices go out at the right moment without anyone watching for it. Customers know what they will pay and when. Variations are billed correctly. And the office spends time on the few genuine payment issues, not on routine chasing.
Variations agreed on the roof
The most common source of balance disputes is not the original quote. It is the change agreed on the day: an extra panel after the scaffold reveals more space, bird mesh added, a longer cable run to the battery location. The homeowner agrees in the moment and remembers it differently two weeks later.
Recording variations on the install lead's phone, with the price shown to the homeowner and their agreement captured before the work, removes most of that. The office approves them, and they appear on the balance invoice with a line the customer recognises.
Is cash stuck in finished jobs?
- Balance invoices go out days or weeks after handover.
- Customers are surprised by the amount or timing of the balance.
- On-site changes are missed on the final invoice.
- You spend time every week chasing balances.