Job — Maple St kitchen
Total agreed $4,000, deposit paid $2,000 (Apr 3), balance noted $2,000, status Balance Due.
Receivables · Deposit & balance
Track what's still owed after a deposit lands
When a client pays a deposit, the job isn't unpaid — but it isn't paid either. If your list only has 'paid' and 'unpaid', these half-settled jobs get miscounted both ways. A record per job that shows the deposit paid, the total agreed, and the remaining balance — marked Balance Due — keeps them clearly separate from fully-unpaid work. Cash Workspace lets you record each job's amounts and status; you keep the balance figure as you go.
The problem
Why deposit jobs get miscounted
A deposit-paid job sits between paid and unpaid. With only two statuses, it lands in the wrong bucket and the real outstanding amount disappears.
- A job reads as 'unpaid' even though the client already paid a 50% deposit.
- Or it reads as 'paid' because the deposit cleared, hiding the balance still owed.
- You can't tell at a glance which jobs are awaiting only their final payment.
- The remaining balance lives in your head, not on a record you can check.
- At month-end your outstanding total is wrong because deposits weren't subtracted.
The workflow
Keep a deposit-and-balance record per job
Record the agreed total, the deposit paid, and the balance you're still owed, with a Balance Due status.
- 1
Record the agreed total
When the job is booked, note the full agreed amount on its record.
- 2
Log the deposit
When the deposit clears, record the deposit amount and its date, and attach the confirmation.
- 3
Note the remaining balance
Write the balance still owed (total minus deposit) on the record — you maintain this figure yourself.
- 4
Set status to Balance Due
Mark the job Balance Due so it sits apart from both fully-paid and fully-unpaid work.
- 5
Close it on final payment
When the balance lands, record it, attach proof, and switch the status to Paid.
Record structure
What to record for each job
These fields make the outstanding balance visible without guessing.
- Total agreed
- The full price agreed for the job.
- Deposit paid
- How much the client paid up front, with its date.
- Remaining balance noted
- The balance still owed, kept current by you (total minus deposit).
- Status
- Balance Due while you await the rest, Paid once it lands.
- Balance due date
- When the final payment is expected, so you can spot what's late.
- Deposit confirmation
- Proof of the deposit attached to the record.
- Final payment proof
- Confirmation of the balance, attached when it arrives.
Example setup
An example balance-due record
One way a deposit-paid job reads inside your workspace.
Balance Due queue
Every job awaiting its final payment, separate from fully-unpaid invoices.
Confirmations
The deposit confirmation attached now; the final payment proof attached on completion.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid
- Marking a deposit-paid job simply 'paid' and forgetting the balance.
- Marking it 'unpaid' and overstating what's actually owed.
- Not noting the remaining balance, so it lives only in memory.
- Mixing Balance Due jobs into the fully-unpaid list and miscounting both.
- Forgetting to switch to Paid when the final payment finally lands.
How it helps
How Cash Workspace helps
Deposit and total side by side
Record the agreed total and the deposit paid on one record so the remaining balance is clear.
A Balance Due status
Mark jobs Balance Due so they're plainly separate from paid and fully-unpaid work.
Attached confirmations
Attach the deposit and final payment proof so each job's record is complete when it closes.
Related
Related receivables workflows
Deposit invoice records
Keep deposit invoices filed in their own folder.
Partial payment records
Track invoices paid in installments.
Remaining balance folder
Group part-paid invoices by what's still owed.
Outstanding balance log
See total owed across all clients.
All finance workflows
Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.
FAQ
Deposit and balance FAQ
- Does Cash Workspace calculate the remaining balance?
- No — you note the agreed total, the deposit, and the remaining balance yourself. The workspace keeps those figures side by side on the record for your review but does not compute the difference.
- How is Balance Due different from partially paid?
- They're closely related; Balance Due is a clear label for a job where a deposit landed and only the final payment remains. Use whichever status keeps these jobs visibly apart from fully-unpaid ones.
- What do I attach to a deposit-paid job?
- Attach the deposit confirmation when it clears, and the final payment proof when the balance arrives, so the closed record shows both payments.
Organizing help — not tax, accounting, or legal guidance
Cash Workspace is a free workspace for organizing invoices, expenses, receipts, clients, and documents. This page is organizing guidance only — not tax, accounting, legal, or bookkeeping guidance. Cash Workspace does not connect to your bank, does not scan or read your receipts for you, and does not move or collect payments. Whether an expense is deductible depends on your situation, so confirm it with a qualified accountant or tax professional.
Always know what's still owed
Start a free workspace and record each job's deposit, total, and remaining balance with a Balance Due status, so the final payment never slips your mind.