A deposit request that secures the start date

A deposit is the money that turns a maybe into a booked job. This page shows the work, the full price, what's due now and what remains, and gives the customer one button for the deposit alone. It needs your Stripe account connected, and the money lands in your own account.

When to use it

• You're buying materials for a job and don't want to carry the cost.
• A date in your calendar is being held and turning away other work has a price.
• The customer agreed verbally, and paying something makes it real.
• The job is custom made, so you can't resell the work if they back out.

What a good one includes

• A short description of the job, so the payment clearly relates to agreed work.
• The job total alongside the amount due now. Customers want to see both before paying part of it.
• What's left to pay, which the page works out for you.
• A due date for the deposit, and the start date it protects.
• What the deposit covers and when the balance falls due.
• What happens if either side cancels, in plain words.

Make one by saying what you need

Text it, type it or say it, the way you'd tell a colleague:

Deposit from Marta for the Hollow Creek Joinery bookcase: $2,400 total, $600 now, starts May 12, balance on fitting.

Questions

How much deposit should I ask for?

Enough to cover committed costs such as materials and the held date, and not so much the customer feels exposed. The right figure depends on your trade, and local rules may cap it.

Are deposits refundable?

That depends on what you agreed and on local consumer law, which may override a term that's unfair or doesn't reflect your real loss. State your policy up front.

How do I collect the balance later?

Send an invoice that shows the deposit already received, so it only asks for what's left.