Contractor invoicing software that sends the invoice and chases the money

Contractor invoicing software turns a finished job into an invoice, sends it to the customer and tracks it until it's paid. BRIX creates the invoice from the completed job, politely chases unpaid invoices with automatic reminders until the money is in your account, and syncs invoices and payments to QuickBooks so your books match your jobs.

What does contractor invoicing software do?

Contractor invoicing software creates invoices from jobs, sends them by email or text, records payments and shows who still owes you. The better tools also send reminders automatically and push the invoice and payment into your accounting software. That last part matters more than it sounds: an invoice that lives in one app and a payment that lives in another is how books drift out of sync.

For most trades owners, invoicing isn't hard. It's just late. You finish a job at 5 p.m., you're on the next one at 7 a.m., and the invoice waits for Sunday night. Every day it waits is a day the customer hasn't even been asked to pay.

Why do contractors get paid late?

Contractors usually get paid late for three reasons: the invoice goes out late, nobody follows up when it's past due, and the invoice is unclear enough that the customer sets it aside. Very few late invoices are true disputes. Fix the process and most of the money shows up on its own.

• Invoicing in batches. Saving invoices for Friday adds days to every payment before the customer has seen a bill.
• No reminder schedule. Owners hate chasing money, so they don't, and the invoice slides to 60 days.
• Vague invoices. "Service call, $640" invites a phone call. Line items with what was done get paid.
• Too few ways to pay. If the only option is a mailed check, expect to wait for the mail.
• No deposit on big jobs. Without a deposit or progress billing, you're financing the customer's project.

DSO = (Accounts receivable ÷ Credit sales for the period) × Days in the period

How BRIX handles invoicing and payments

1. 1

   Job done, invoice ready.

   When the crew marks the job finished, BRIX turns it into an invoice with the work and price that were on the job, so nobody retypes it from a clipboard.

2. 2

   Send it the same day.

   The invoice goes to the customer while the work is fresh and the customer is still happy, not a week later when they've forgotten the tech's name.

3. 3

   Chase it politely, automatically.

   If the invoice isn't paid, BRIX sends friendly reminders on a schedule you approve, and keeps going until the money is in your account. You decide the tone and when a human should step in.

4. 4

   Sync it to the books.

   The invoice and the payment sync to QuickBooks along with the customer, so your accounts receivable in QuickBooks matches what BRIX shows.

Notice the reminders never threaten. They make it easy to pay and easy to raise a problem, which is how you get paid and keep the customer. Our guide on how to collect unpaid invoices covers what to do when reminders run out.

What should a contractor invoice include?

A contractor invoice should include your business name and contact details, the customer and job address, an invoice number and date, the due date, itemized work and materials, any deposit already paid, sales tax where it applies, the balance due and how to pay. Add your license number if your state requires it on invoices. Our invoice template has every field laid out.

How do you get paid faster as a contractor?

To get paid faster, invoice the day the job is done, ask for deposits on large jobs, make paying easy, and follow up on a fixed schedule instead of when you remember. Those four habits move most shops' collection times more than any late fee does.

1. Invoice on completion. Same day, ideally before the truck leaves.
2. Take deposits on big work. For multi-day jobs, bill in stages. See progress billing and, on commercial work, retainage.
3. Set terms in the quote. The customer agrees to the payment schedule before you start, not after.
4. Remind on a schedule. Day 7, day 14, day 21, then a phone call. Automate the first three.
5. Watch your AR weekly. Know who owes what. The longer an invoice sits, the less likely it gets paid.

More ideas in how to get paid faster as a contractor and cash flow for contractors.

What happens to the invoice in QuickBooks?

When an invoice syncs, it shows up in QuickBooks against the right customer, and when the payment syncs, it closes that invoice. That's what lets your accountant reconcile the bank account without calling you about every deposit. The common mess is the opposite: invoices typed into two systems, payments recorded in one, and a QuickBooks AR report full of invoices you were paid for months ago.

Call to cash: where invoicing fits

Invoicing is the end of a chain that starts with a ringing phone. The AI receptionist books the visit, you quote on site, sales automation chases the open estimate, the crew does the job, and BRIX invoices it and chases the payment. Then the customer, invoice and payment land in QuickBooks, and bookkeeping help keeps expenses categorized around it. One system, no retyping.

How BRIX compares with invoicing in other tools