Taking Deposits on Jobs
Deposits protect your business from last-minute cancellations and help cover material costs before work begins. Trade2Base lets you set a deposit on any quote, collect it online via Stripe, or record a cash or BACS payment manually.
How deposits work in Trade2Base
A deposit is set on the quote before it's sent to the customer. You can use a percentage of the quote total or a fixed pound amount. When the customer pays the deposit, it is automatically deducted from the final invoice — no manual maths required.
Enter a percentage (e.g. 25%) and Trade2Base calculates the deposit amount based on the current quote total. If you change line items, the deposit amount updates automatically.
Enter a specific pound amount (e.g. £200) regardless of the quote total. Useful for covering materials on a cost-plus job.
Setting a deposit on a quote
Go to Jobs → select the job → Quotes tab. Open the draft quote you want to add a deposit to.
Scroll to the Deposit section below the line items. Toggle it on if it is not already active.
Select "Percentage" or "Fixed amount" from the dropdown. Enter the value. The deposit amount and the balance due are shown immediately below.
Save the quote. When you send it to the customer via the portal or WhatsApp link, the deposit request is included automatically.
Stripe card deposits
If you have Stripe connected (Settings → Integrations → Stripe), Trade2Base generates a secure payment link for the deposit amount. The customer clicks the link in the portal or WhatsApp message and pays by card.
A unique, one-time payment link is generated for the deposit. It expires after 7 days by default (adjustable in Settings → Quotes).
When the deposit clears, you receive an in-app notification and an email. The job card updates to "Deposit Paid" instantly.
Standard Stripe processing fees apply (typically 1.4% + 20p for UK cards). Trade2Base does not charge an additional fee on top.
Not yet using Stripe? Go to Settings → Integrations → Stripe to connect your account in a few minutes. See the Connect Stripe guide for step-by-step instructions.
Recording a cash or BACS deposit manually
Go to the job and find the Deposit section on the job card (below the quote summary).
Click "Mark as received" next to the deposit amount. A dialog will appear.
Select the payment method (Cash, BACS, Cheque, or Other). Enter an optional reference number (e.g. a bank transfer reference). Click "Save".
Deposit status on the job card
The deposit has been requested but not yet received. The job card shows an amber badge.
The deposit has been collected (by Stripe or marked as received manually). The badge turns green.
How the deposit deducts on the final invoice
When you convert the accepted quote to an invoice (or raise the final invoice manually), Trade2Base automatically subtracts the deposit amount from the invoice total. A line item labelled “Deposit received” appears on the invoice PDF showing the deduction, so the customer can see exactly what they still owe.
If the deposit was paid by card via Stripe, the Stripe payment is linked to the job record. Your accounting integration (Xero, QuickBooks) will see both the deposit payment and the final invoice payment as separate transactions.
Setting a default deposit percentage
To avoid setting a deposit on every quote individually, configure a default in Settings → Quotes → Default deposit. Every new quote will pre-fill with that percentage. You can override it on any individual quote.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Go to the job card and use the "Send payment link" button to generate a standalone Stripe payment link for any amount. The customer can pay by card immediately, even if the formal quote hasn't been sent yet.
Not automatically — the default deposit % is global. You can override the deposit on each individual quote, so you can set 50% for boiler installations and 25% for smaller repairs manually.
Yes. The final invoice shows the full job value, VAT, and a "Deposit received" deduction line. This is the correct treatment for VAT purposes. Consult your accountant if you have specific VAT requirements.
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