One roof, four payments, none of them forgotten.
A retail reroof is a deposit and a balance. An insurance roof is a first check, a deductible, an upgrade the homeowner chose and a depreciation check that shows up whenever it shows up. Redline bills the parts you collect and keeps a record of the parts you don't.
Billing a roof from signing to the last check
Deposit when they sign
Retail job: move it to Accepted and invoice the deposit (say the dollar figure, like 30% of the quote) so the shingles are paid for before you order. It's chased like any other invoice.
Log every insurance check
When the first insurance check comes in, say "log a $9,420 payment from Brennan, insurance first check". It goes on his file as a payment record. It isn't a card payment, so it doesn't run through a pay link.
Bill the homeowner's share
The deductible and any upgrade they chose (architectural over 3-tab, a ridge vent, new gutters) go on their own invoice with a card pay link.
Balance after the dumpster leaves
On a retail job, invoice what's left after the deposit, plus any extra decking you found at tear-off, at your per-sheet price. Give Redline the balance; it doesn't take the deposit off by itself.
Chase what's open
Unpaid invoices get flagged at day 3, 7 and 14 after sending, with a push telling you who to call. Insurance checks you're still waiting on get a date reminder instead.
The Brennan hail roof
Logged a $9,420 payment on Kevin Brennan's file, noted as the first insurance check.
Invoice draft: $2,850, "Deductible $1,000 and upgrade to architectural shingles $1,850", due in 14 days. Approve?
Pay link's live. Copy it from the invoice, and I can draft an email for you to paste it into. Reminder set for the 1st: Brennan depreciation check.
Invoices and pay links are on Solo ($29 a month) and up. A logged payment is a record on the file, it doesn't change an invoice.
Who pays what, retail roof vs insurance roof
A typical split, shown as an example. Your contract sets the real one.
| When | Retail reroof | Insurance reroof |
|---|---|---|
| Signing | Deposit invoice, card pay link | Often nothing yet, or a deposit per your contract |
| Before or at install | Nothing | First insurance check, logged on the file |
| Install done | Balance invoice, plus extra decking | Deductible and upgrades, card pay link |
| After completion | Paid | Depreciation or supplement check, logged when it lands |
Redline doesn't track the claim itself. It bills what the homeowner owes you and keeps the checks on record.
The check you have to remember to ask for
On a lot of insurance roofs, the last money comes after the work is done, once the homeowner sends in the completion paperwork. That check is easy to lose track of. It isn't an invoice you sent, so nothing flags it, and the homeowner has no reason to hurry.
In Redline it's a date reminder on that customer and a payment record when it arrives. Ask "what's still open on the Brennan roof?" and you see the invoices, the logged checks and the notes in one place. Retail jobs are simpler: a deposit, a balance, and the overdue alerts doing the reminding for you.
Straight answers on roofing invoices
Redline does
- Bill deposits, balances, deductibles and upgrades by chat
- Log insurance checks as payments on the customer's file
- Remind you to ask about depreciation or supplement checks
- Flag unpaid invoices at day 3, 7 and 14
- Show profit per roof after shingles, dumpster and other receipts
Redline doesn't
- Track claims, ACV, depreciation or supplements
- Bill the insurance company directly
- Take checks or bank transfers on the pay link (card only)
- Text the pay link (copy it into an email instead)
- Write Xactimate estimates or read adjuster scopes
Questions contractors ask
Will a homeowner really pay a $15,000 balance by card?
Some will, and the payment runs on your own Stripe account with Stripe's normal fee and nothing added by Redline. Some roofers bill the deposit and upgrades by card and take the big balance by check. Log the check on the file so the job's history is complete.
How do I bill extra decking found at tear-off?
Say it when you invoice: "balance for Ortiz, $9,800 after the deposit, plus 14 sheets of decking at $85". A chat invoice is one amount with a one-line description, so the $1,190 goes into the total and the description names the 14 sheets.
Can I see what each roof made?
On Solo and up, file the shingle, underlayment and dumpster receipts against the job and Reports shows profit per job after materials. Crew labor isn't tracked, so take that off yourself.
More for roofers
- Roofing softwareThe whole roofing workflow in Redline
- Roofing invoice templateFree, with deposit applied and decking lines
- Invoicing and card paymentsPay links, deposits, voids and refunds
- Roofing estimate appWhere the deposit percentage starts
- Job profit calculatorSee what a roof nets after materials and crew
Bill the next roof the day the dumpster leaves.
Start free, then turn on Solo to invoice. It comes with a 7-day trial on the web.
Keep reading
- Roofing softwareLog storm leads, quote by the square and invoice the balance after the tear-off.
- Roofing CRMStorm leads logged from the field, every roof tracked from Lead to Paid.
- Roofing dispatch softwareCrews on tear-offs, leak repairs in between, rain days moved in one message.
- Overdue invoice alertsUnpaid invoices flagged at day 3, 7 and 14, with a push telling you who to call.