The problem
You quoted a three-month remodel. Materials alone are forty grand. Client says he'll pay "as you go." So you invoice the whole job up front — and he balks. Or you wait until the end — and you're floating lumber and fixtures for ninety days out of your own pocket.
The paper invoice you scribbled at the end of phase one is somewhere in your truck. Or maybe you just wrote "deposit" on the last invoice and hoped the math worked out. It never quite does.
Why we built it
Long jobs bleed cash. You finish the rough-in, buy the fixtures, start the trim — and you're still waiting on the first dollar because the invoice wasn't set up to track draws. We built partial invoicing so you could bill the work you've actually done, in the order you do it, without losing track of what's left.
How it works
When you're ready to send a draw invoice, open the job in DIRT.
- 1
Tap "Create Invoice" from the job screen. DIRT shows you every line item that hasn't been billed yet — materials, labor, fees.
- 2
Select the lines you're billing now. Rough-in labor and materials for phase one, say. Leave trim and cleanup unchecked.
- 3
DIRT creates an invoice for exactly those lines. The remaining unbilled lines stay open on the job. When phase two is done, come back — they're still there, ready to bill. The job's running profit stays accurate the whole time.
What changes for your business
Before
You invoice the whole job at the start and eat pushback, or wait until the end and float materials for months. Either way, the cash isn't moving when the work is.
After
Bill phase one when it's done. Bill phase two when that's done. Cash comes in when work goes out. Say you're on a $28,000 remodel — you can invoice $11,000 for the rough-in, collect it, buy the trim package, and invoice the rest when you're done. You're not a bank.
Common questions
What is partial invoicing for contractors?
Partial invoicing means billing for some of the job line items now and holding the rest for a later invoice. You might bill for materials and rough-in labor after the first week, then bill the remaining work at completion. DIRT tracks which line items have been billed so the remainder is never lost.
How is partial invoicing different from progress billing?
They accomplish the same goal in practice — billing a job in stages. Progress billing often refers to billing by milestone or percentage of project completion. Partial invoicing refers specifically to including some line items on an invoice now and leaving others for a later one.
How do I make sure I capture everything I haven't billed yet?
Every line item in DIRT has a billing status — billed, on a draft invoice, or unbilled. When you're ready to send the next invoice, you can see exactly which line items are still outstanding. Nothing disappears between draws.
Can I see what's left to bill after a partial invoice?
Yes. Open the job and look at the billing status on each line item. The job header also shows total invoiced to date versus the remaining unbilled amount. You always know what's left before you start writing the next invoice.
Does the client know this is a partial invoice?
The invoice shows the line items for this billing event. If you want the client to understand that more invoices will follow, include a note in the invoice. DIRT doesn't automatically label invoices as partial — that framing is yours to communicate.
Is partial invoicing available on all DIRT plans?
Partial invoicing is currently in pilot. Check the app for current availability on your account tier. The underlying billing status tracking — which line items are billed vs. unbilled — works across all plans.
Start free
Try it free.
Every DIRT plan includes this feature — Solo included. No credit card, no trial that expires. Set up in minutes and use it on your next job from the truck.