Apply a collected deposit to the final balance

You asked for a deposit before starting, the client paid it, and now the work is done. The last thing you want is to bill them for the full amount all over again. In Fee-Lion, the deposit you already collected gets credited against the final invoice, so your client sees only the remaining balance and pays exactly what’s still owed.

How the deposit carries over

When you collect a deposit on an estimate and then convert that estimate to an invoice, Fee-Lion remembers the money that already changed hands. The full project total stays on the invoice for a clean record, the deposit shows as a credit, and the balance due is the net of the two.

Here’s the simple math the client never has to do:

• Project total — every line item, plus tax. Say it’s $4,000.
• Deposit collected — the amount paid up front. Say 30%, or $1,200.
• Balance due — what’s left. $4,000 − $1,200 = $2,800.

That $2,800 is the only number the Pay button charges. The deposit isn’t billed twice, and you don’t have to issue a separate credit by hand.

Tip: Set a house deposit rate once under Settings → Preferences so every new estimate pre-fills it. That way the carry-over math is automatic from the first quote, not something you reconstruct at the finish line.

Turn a deposited estimate into the final invoice

1. Open the approved estimate from Estimates in the left sidebar. If the deposit was collected here, you’ll see it recorded against the document.
2. Click Convert and choose Invoice. The line items, tax, and the collected deposit all carry across.
3. Review the new invoice. The amount paid reflects the deposit, and the balance due shows only what remains.
4. Send it. When your client opens their magic-link portal, the Pay button asks for the net balance, not the full total.

The client pays that balance by card, and the money lands in your own Stripe account just like any other payment. No login, no math, no awkward “didn’t I already pay part of this?” email.

If the deposit was a separate payment

Sometimes the deposit came in as its own invoice, or you recorded it offline (a bank transfer or check) before the final bill went out. You can still net it down on the final invoice.

• If you collected the deposit on a first invoice, that payment is already on the books. Reference it on the final invoice so your records reconcile, and bill only the remainder as a fresh line or balance.
• If the deposit arrived offline, record it as an offline payment first so Fee-Lion counts it toward the amount paid. The portal will then show the reduced balance due.
• Either way, the goal is the same: the client’s Pay button charges the net, and your reports never double-count the deposit.

Tip: Recording the deposit as a real payment (card or offline) instead of just discounting the total keeps your revenue numbers honest. The Reports drilldown then shows the full project value and the timing of each payment, which is exactly what you want at tax time.

What’s next

• Collect a deposit on an estimate
• How to convert an estimate
• Estimate to deposit to project to final invoice
• Record an offline payment