Many jobs are paid in parts. A customer pays a deposit to start, and the rest when the work is done. This guide keeps those numbers easy to read.
1. Keep three numbers apart
The total price, the money received and the balance left answer three different questions. Show all three together.
Total is what the job is worth.
Received is what the customer has paid so far.
Balance is what is still to come.
2. Attach the deposit to the job
A payment should say which job or invoice it belongs to. When the customer pays again later, nobody has to guess what the first payment was for.
3. Let the work move
A job with a deposit can still go into production or delivery. Keep the work status and the payment status as two separate things.
Then a glance tells you whether the work is done and whether you have been paid.
4. Collect against the same record
When the customer pays the rest, record it on the original invoice. The balance goes down, the history stays in one place, and the customer sees the same story you do.