Bill each milestone the day you hit it.
A solar contract pays out over months: a deposit when they sign, the big payment when the array is on the roof, and the last one after the utility gives permission to operate. Redline drafts each invoice when you get there and reminds you about the one that's waiting on somebody else.
A solar job, billed in three pieces
Write the split into your contract
Redline doesn't hold a payment schedule, so the split lives in your contract and in the job notes ("10% signing, 50% install, 40% PTO").
Deposit at signing
Move the job to Accepted and invoice the deposit by chat ("bill Castillo 10% of $19,800"). It gets its own card pay link and the same overdue alerts as any invoice.
Install payment when the panels are on
"Panels are on at Castillo, bill the install payment, 50% of $19,800." Redline drafts it and you approve.
Remind yourself about the slow part
Inspection and PTO run on the town's and the utility's clock. A date reminder brings the job back to your morning push so the final doesn't sit unbilled.
Final at PTO, then chasing
Bill the last payment the day PTO comes through. Unpaid invoices get flagged at day 3, 7 and 14 after sending, with a push telling you who to call.
Panels on, inspection next
Draft for Rosa Castillo: install milestone, 50% of $19,800 contract, $9,900. Due in 14 days. Approve?
Reminder set for the 21st: check the Castillo inspection.
3 open: Castillo $9,900 (just sent), Nguyen $13,800 install payment, sent 9 days ago and flagged overdue, Brannigan $3,120 deposit, sent 4 days ago.
Invoices and overdue alerts are on Solo ($29 a month) and up. Reminders and alerts arrive on the iPhone app.
An example milestone schedule
On a $19,800 system. Your contract sets the real percentages.
| Milestone | Share | Invoice | What usually triggers it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signing | 10% | $1,980 | Contract signed, before permits and equipment |
| Install complete | 50% | $9,900 | Array, inverters and wiring in |
| Permission to operate | 40% | $7,920 | Inspection passed and the utility's go-ahead |
Example figures only. If a lender funds part of the job, invoice the homeowner's share and log the lender's payment on the file.
When a lender pays part of it
Many solar jobs are financed, and the lender pays you on its own schedule. Redline doesn't connect to lenders. What you do is bill only what the homeowner owes directly, and log each lender payment on the customer's file ("log a $12,400 payment from the lender on Castillo") so the whole job's money is in one history.
Large card payments carry Stripe's normal fee on your own account. Redline adds nothing on top, but some installers take the deposit by card and the big milestones by check or through the lender, and log those on the file too.
Straight answers on solar billing
Redline does
- Draft each milestone invoice by chat (Solo and up)
- Give every invoice its own card pay link
- Log lender and check payments on the customer's file
- Remind you about inspections and PTO
- Flag unpaid milestones at day 3, 7 and 14
Redline doesn't
- Bill milestones on a schedule by itself
- Connect to solar lenders or fund loans
- Track utility interconnection or PTO status
- Take bank transfers on the pay link (card only)
- Text the pay link (copy it into an email instead)
Questions contractors ask
Do I charge sales tax on solar?
That depends on your state, so check with your accountant. Redline uses one workspace sales tax setting for the whole invoice, so make sure it matches how your state treats residential solar.
Can I bill a change order between milestones?
Yes. A critter guard or a moved conduit run can be its own invoice, or added into the next milestone's amount and named in its description. Say which when you ask.
What if the inspection fails?
The final stays unbilled. Keep the job In Progress, note the correction on the job and set a new reminder for the re-inspection.
More for solar installers
Bill the next milestone the day it's earned.
Start free, then turn on Solo to invoice. It comes with a 7-day trial on the web.
Keep reading
- Solar softwareFollow up on long sales cycles, quote per watt and bill each milestone.
- Solar estimate appPer-watt system price, adders on their own lines and a battery option side by side.
- Solar CRMLead to PTO on one pipeline, with follow-ups and milestone invoices.
- Invoicing and card paymentsInvoice from the job in two taps or one message. Customers pay by card.