Introducing Deposits and Prepaid Work in DoubleTime

TL;DR: DoubleTime Pro lets you request an upfront payment with a deposit invoice. Once it has been paid in full, you can apply some or all of it to later invoices for the same client and currency. One deposit can cover several invoices, and DoubleTime shows what is left to apply.

Some client work starts with a payment before the work is finished.

You might take a deposit for a project before booking the time. Or a client might pay for a block of support hours that you will invoice as the work happens.

The tricky part comes later. The client has already paid you, but you still need to show the work you did, account for that upfront amount, and make it clear what they owe now.

Deposits in DoubleTime connect those steps. You can invoice the upfront payment, record it, and apply it to the work invoices it funds.

Request the upfront payment

Open Invoices, press +, and choose Deposit invoice. Add the client, describe what the payment is for, and enter the amount. That could be a project deposit or payment for work the client will use over time.

Finalise and send the deposit invoice using the usual invoice flow. When the payment is recorded, you can issue a receipt as you would for another invoice.

The deposit invoice must be paid in full before you can apply it to later work. That keeps an unpaid request separate from money the client has actually provided.

Apply the deposit when you invoice the work

Create a regular invoice for the work you have completed. Add your tracked time or other agreed line items, then choose Apply deposit.

DoubleTime shows the paid deposits available from that client. Choose one and enter how much to apply. You can use the whole available amount or just a portion of it. The dialog shows the amount due after the deposit before you save.

The applied amount appears as a line on the work invoice, linked to the original deposit invoice. It reduces the balance the client has to pay. DoubleTime uses the deposit's tax rate for that line so the same deposited amount is not taxed twice.

A deposit can only be applied to an invoice for the same client and in the same currency.

Use one deposit across several invoices

You do not have to use a deposit all at once. This matters when a client prepays for ongoing work or a project is billed in stages.

For example, suppose a client pays a $600 deposit for work you will invoice over two months. For simplicity, these amounts are untaxed and in the same currency:

Invoice	Work billed	Deposit applied	Client still owes	Deposit left
First month	$400	$400	$0	$200
Second month	$500	$200	$300	$0

The client paid $600 up front, and both work invoices still show what was delivered. The second invoice asks for only the $300 that remains after the deposit is applied.

Open the deposit invoice to see which invoices have used it and how much is left. While preparing a work invoice, you can change or remove its deposit line; removing it makes that amount available again. Once a deposit has been applied to another invoice, the deposit invoice itself is locked so the linked records stay in agreement.

Where to get started

Use a deposit invoice when you want to request payment before the work is billed, whether that is for a project or prepaid time. When you later invoice the work, apply the paid deposit and review the remaining amount due before sending.

Creating deposit invoices is part of DoubleTime Pro. Applying a deposit you have already created is available on any plan.

You can compare Core and Pro, or read how DoubleTime works before you begin.