Taking payments on an estimate (Workroom Estimate Payments)

Written By Timothy Murenzi

Last updated About 14 hours ago

Who this is for: designers who want a client to put a deposit down at the moment they approve — before any invoice is created.

What it does

You can now turn on "Allow client payments on estimates" so an Approved estimate exposes a Pay Now button on the client view. The deposit collects through your usual processor (WorkPay or Stripe Connect), and the money follows the estimate all the way through to the invoice when the project is converted.

Turning it on

Settings → Finance → Allow client payments on estimates (toggle). This is per-studio. Once on, every estimate inherits it — you don't have to flip a switch per doc.

What the client sees

  • On Approval (or Partial Approval), a Pay Now card appears at the top of the client view.

  • They enter card details inline; the charge runs against the same processor your invoices use.

  • After they pay, the card flips to "Paid $X on [date]" with a downloadable receipt.

What you see in the studio

  • Estimate row — a Paid chip + a Payments column on the list page so you can sort by what's already collected.

  • Estimate view — a Payments tab in the side panel showing every charge with amount, date, processor reference, and a one-click receipt PDF.

  • Locking — the estimate stays editable after a payment lands. You can still add scope and re-issue without voiding the deposit.

What happens at conversion

When you convert an estimate to an invoice:

  • The deposit migrates onto the invoice as customer credit (no double-billing).

  • An apply-credit banner at the top of the invoice tells you how much was already paid and how it's being applied.

  • If the deposit exceeds the converted invoice total, the remainder becomes customer credit on the client record (visible on the contact card).

Refunds

  • Refunds are issued from the Payments tab on the estimate.

  • Refunding a deposit before conversion: money returns to the card, the chip flips back to Unpaid.

  • Refunding after conversion: blocks if the credit was already applied to an invoice. Void the invoice first, or refund from the invoice side.

Common questions

  • "Why doesn't Pay Now show up?" — the estimate must be Approved or Partially Approved AND the studio toggle must be on.

  • "Can I take partial payments?" — yes. Each payment lands as its own row in the Payments tab.

  • "Does the deposit count toward the project budget?" — yes; the Budget page reads from the same payment records that an invoice would.