How to bill clients as an architect

Architectural work moves in phases, and your billing should move with it. Fee-Lion lets you quote the whole arc — concept through construction documents — collect a deposit before you sketch a single line, then invoice each phase as you finish it. Cash flows in step with the drawings.

Build a phased estimate

Start in Estimates in the left sidebar and create a new estimate for your client. Architects rarely bill a flat fee, so model each phase as its own line so the client sees exactly what they’re approving.

1. Open Estimates and click New Estimate, then pick the company or contact you’re working with.
2. Add a line item per phase. Use a task line (hours × rate) for design-heavy stages like Schematic Design, and a fee line (qty × rate) for fixed deliverables like Permitting & Approvals.
3. Lay out the full sequence — Concept, Design Development, Permitting, and Construction Documents — so the total reads as one transparent package.
4. Set your tax and a deposit % on the estimate. Defaults you’ve already saved at Settings → Preferences (Estimates, tax, deposit) drop in automatically.

Tip: A 20–30% deposit covers your concept work and signals a serious client. Set a default at Settings → Preferences so every architectural estimate asks for it without you remembering.

Get it approved and collect the deposit

Send the estimate and let the client approve it in their portal — no login, just a magic link.

• The client opens the link, reviews each phase, and approves with one click.
• That approval triggers the deposit invoice. They pay by card, and the money lands in your own Stripe account (minus a small platform fee).
• You’re funded before concept design begins — exactly when an architect should be.

Convert to a project and invoice per milestone

Once approved, click Convert to turn the estimate into a project. This is where phased billing earns its keep: the project mirrors your stages, and you invoice each one as you hand it off.

1. From the approved estimate, choose Convert and create a project alongside the first invoice.
2. Open Projects and set up custom sub-statuses that match your phases — Concept, Design Development, Permitting, Construction Docs.
3. Add a checklist to each phase so deliverables (site analysis, elevations, permit set) don’t slip.
4. As you complete a phase, raise a milestone invoice for that portion — credit the deposit against the final balance — and send the Pay link.

Bill your hours and recover costs

For phases priced on time, use time tracking and bill the logged hours straight to that phase’s invoice. Attribute consultant fees, printing, or permit costs as expenses on the project so you can watch the margin on every job, not just the headline fee.

What’s next

• Price an estimate with tasks, fees, and units
• Estimate to deposit to project to final invoice
• Organize a project with sub-statuses and checklists
• Track project profitability and margin