Nine yards quoted, twelve yards billed.
Installs rarely finish exactly as bid. The beds took more mulch, she added two shrubs at the end, and the deposit has to come off the top. Redline drafts the balance with every change named in it, and bills your maintenance contracts one month at a time.
Two kinds of landscaping invoice
Note changes as they happen
When the beds take three more yards or the customer adds plants on site, say it in the chat or note it on the job with the price. Then it's there at invoice time.
Invoice the install balance
Give Redline the quote total and the deposit paid, and it works out the balance with each change added in and named in the line. You approve, the pay link goes live.
Set up season contracts in the notes
A maintenance contract sold as one season price, paid monthly: put the total and the payment count in the job notes ("$3,600, 8 payments, April to November").
Bill each month when it comes due
Redline doesn't bill on a schedule, so set a date reminder for the 1st and invoice each contract with one message. Extras like storm cleanup go into that month's total.
Chase what's late
Unpaid invoices get flagged at day 3, 7 and 14 after sending, and the iPhone app tells you who to call. On Solo and up.
An install balance and a contract payment
Draft for Ellen Hollis: $2,931, "Front bed install balance ($4,365 less $1,746 deposit, $2,619), plus 3 more cu yd mulch at $68 ($204) and 2 boxwoods (3 gal) at $54 ($108)." Approve?
Draft for the Garcias: season maintenance contract, payment 2 of 8 (May), $450. Approve and the pay link goes live.
Invoices are on Solo ($29 a month) and up. Example prices only.
An example season maintenance contract
One season price, billed in equal monthly payments. Your contract sets the scope and the numbers.
| What's included | How it's billed |
|---|---|
| Biweekly bed maintenance and weeding | Inside the monthly payment |
| Spring and fall cleanup | Inside the monthly payment |
| Mulch refresh in spring | Inside the monthly payment, or by the yard if over |
| Shrub pruning, twice a season | Inside the monthly payment |
| Storm cleanup, extra plantings | Added to that month's invoice |
Example: $3,600 season, 8 payments of $450 from April to November.
Where landscaping money leaks
On installs it's the overage nobody wrote down. Three extra yards of mulch is $200 you paid for and didn't bill. The two shrubs she pointed at on the last afternoon are the same story. If the change is in the chat or on the job the moment it happens, it's on the balance invoice.
On contracts it's the month that didn't get sent. With eight payments across forty customers, one missed month is easy and awkward to fix in October. A reminder on the 1st and one message per customer keeps it even. Redline won't charge anyone on its own, so each invoice is one you approve.
Straight answers on landscape billing
Redline does
- Draft install balances with each change named
- Bill season contracts one payment at a time
- Remind you when the monthly payments are due
- Card pay links on your own Stripe account
- Show profit per job after plants, stone and mulch
Redline doesn't
- Bill contracts automatically or run autopay
- Track materials used against the quote
- Take bank transfers on the pay link (card only)
- Remind customers about unpaid invoices on its own
- Text invoices (copy the link or email it)
Questions contractors ask
Does the deposit come off the balance automatically?
No. Tell Redline the quote total and what was paid, as in the example, and check the draft. That way the balance on the invoice is the number you expect.
Can I bill per visit instead of a flat monthly payment?
Yes. Say "invoice Garcia for 2 maintenance visits in May at $225". Lawn crews billing by the mow can see lawn care invoicing.
Will I know what each install made?
File the nursery, stone and mulch receipts against the job and Reports shows profit per job after materials. Crew labor isn't tracked.
More for landscapers
Bill the next install with the extra yards on it.
Start free, then turn on Solo to invoice. It comes with a 7-day trial on the web.
Keep reading
- Landscaping softwareBid mulch by the yard, take deposits before ordering plants and run crews from one board.
- Landscaping estimate softwareBed sizes into yards, plant counts and crew hours, with a deposit to buy materials.
- Landscaping dispatch softwareInstall and maintenance crews on one board, days swapped in one message.
- Lawn care invoicing softwareA month of mows per customer, billed in a batch, with the late payers flagged.