Request and collect a deposit

A deposit is set on the estimate and collected after the customer approves. Owners, administrators, and dispatchers can collect deposits. Card payments must be set up at /settings/payments/setup.

Set the deposit amount

1. Create or open an estimate from /estimates (or /estimates/new).
2. Under Draft details, enter the amount in Deposit requested. If your company has a default deposit share, new estimates start with it (shown as a percent of the total) until you type an amount.
3. Save the estimate.

Setting the amount does not create a payment request. Once the estimate is shared, the deposit is frozen with it. In a good, better, best proposal, each option carries its own deposit, and the customer sees "deposit to start" or "No deposit" for each option. When approving, the customer confirms the option's total and deposit.

Collect the deposit

For a single estimate, open the approved estimate at /estimates and select Collect (amount) deposit. For a good, better, best proposal, collection is on the proposal page:

1. Open the proposal from the estimate (Open options proposal).
2. When the customer has approved an option with a deposit, select Collect (amount) deposit. The page notice reads Customer approved the option.
3. Trades Operator issues the invoice and opens a private Stripe payment page for exactly the deposit amount. Hand the device to the customer or share the page. Nothing is charged until the customer confirms, and no message is sent.

The button shows only when the customer approved, the deposit is more than zero and less than the total, and no invoice exists yet for that estimate or option.

The rest of the balance

The deposit is recorded against the new invoice. The remaining balance is collected through the normal invoice flow: open the invoice, then share its link or create a payment link for the balance.

If it is not working

• No Collect (amount) deposit button: check that the customer approved an option, the option has a deposit below its total, and an invoice has not already been created.
• The page returns to the estimate: the deposit could not be prepared. Check that card payments are on, then try again.
• Card payments aren't connected: the company owner finishes payment setup.

Open this in Trades Operator

Last updated 2026-10-09. Questions? Email support@tradesoperator.com.