Job deposit calculator
A cancelled job should cost you a morning, not a van full of materials you already paid for. This works out a deposit that covers what you risk, keeps the number in the range clients accept as normal, and gives you the exact sentence to say. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.
The rule this uses: the deposit covers your materials plus a little labour, and stays between 20% and 50% of the job. Under 20% leaves you exposed. Over 50% makes honest clients nervous, because it's what the cowboys ask for.
Ask for a deposit of
$1,920.00 (40%)
- Covers your materials
- $1,600.00
- Due on completion
- $2,880.00
Say it like this
To book the job in, I ask for a deposit of $1,920.00, which covers materials. The remaining $2,880.00 is due on completion.
SoloDesks puts deposit terms on your quotes automatically.
Common questions
- How much deposit should a tradesperson ask for?
- Enough to cover the materials you buy up front, landing somewhere between 20% and 50% of the job. Under 20% leaves you funding the client's job from your own pocket. Over 50% makes honest clients nervous, because oversized deposits are the classic rogue-trader move.
- Is it normal to ask for a deposit?
- Completely. Serious clients expect it, and saying the deposit covers materials makes it feel fair rather than grabby. A client who refuses any deposit on a materials-heavy job is telling you something useful before you've spent a penny.
- How should payments work on a big job?
- In stages: a deposit to book the job and cover materials, one or two payments at agreed points midway, and the balance on completion. You're never more than a stage of work away from being paid, and the client is never paying for work that hasn't happened.