Revolutionizing Construction Payments: Enhancing Cash Flow with Itemized Progress Billing
Bolster
TLDR:
Itemized progress billing lets you get paid as work gets completed, not weeks later. With Bolster Payments, you can automate payment requests, keep everything transparent for clients, and protect cash flow without extra admin.
Cash Flow Without the Headaches: A Practical Progress Billing Playbook
Why payments bog down on residential jobs
In residential construction, you’re fronting real money long before the final invoice. Materials, subs, dumpsters, permits, fuel, payroll. If your billing is “deposit now, final later,” you’re basically financing the job while hoping nothing goes sideways.
And when clients don’t understand what they’re paying for, payments slow down even more. Confusion creates friction, friction creates delays, and delays create stress (and sometimes debt).
Progress billing fixes that by aligning payments with the work that’s actually getting done.
What itemized progress billing really means
Itemized progress billing is simple: you break the job into clear chunks, and you bill as each chunk is completed and approved.
That can look like:
- Itemized billing (pay per task or line item, like demo, rough plumbing, tile install)
- Phase or stage billing (pay per milestone, like “rough-in complete” or “drywall finished”)
- Percentage-based billing (pay based on progress, common on larger builds)
The point is not to nickel-and-dime. It’s to keep the job funded, keep expectations clear, and avoid the end-of-project payment hostage situation.
Why homeowners usually like it (when it’s explained right)
Most homeowners don’t love paying huge lump sums with nothing to “see” yet. Progress billing gives them structure:
- They can match payments to visible progress.
- They can track what’s been completed.
- They feel less like they’re taking a blind leap of faith.
That trust factor matters, especially on remodels where scope can evolve.
How Bolster Payments makes progress billing easier
The painful part of progress billing is usually the admin: building invoices, chasing approvals, tracking what’s paid, reconciling, repeating.
Bolster streamlines that by tying payments directly to your workflow.
With Bolster Payments you can:
- Send payment requests through the client portal as work is completed
- Automatically generate invoices and receipts tied to those requests
- Choose payment terms that match how you build (rolling, stage-based, phased, percentage-based)
- Decide whether you cover processing fees or pass card fees to the client
- Control how detailed the client-facing view is (line-by-line or bundled)
In plain English: fewer spreadsheets, fewer “did you see my invoice?” texts, and fewer awkward money conversations.
Getting paid faster (and what “faster” actually means)
Bolster supports different settlement speeds, so you can choose what fits your cash flow:
- Regular settlement (typically available in about 2 business days)
- Faster options (as quick as next business day or same day, depending on settings and fees)
If you want to centralize collections and spending, Bolster Business Accounts are designed to do that, with payments settling into the account first before you transfer out. Bolster also supports a virtual debit card tied to the account, so you can spend directly from the balance for job expenses without waiting on a bank transfer.
Important reality check: availability can vary by region and setup. If you’re not using a business account, you can still collect payments and connect an external bank account.
A real-world setup that works for most remodelers
If you want a simple structure that homeowners understand and your business can run on, try this:
Option A: Stage-based (easy to explain)
- Deposit (secure the schedule)
- Demo complete
- Rough-ins complete
- Drywall/prime complete
- Trim/cabinet install complete
- Substantial completion
- Final (closeout + punch)
Option B: Itemized (best for upgrades and add-ons)
Use itemized billing when you sell a lot of selection upgrades or add-on scope. It makes approvals clean, and it keeps “just one more thing” from turning into free work.
The quickest rollout (without reinventing your whole business)
If you want results fast, don’t boil the ocean.
- Pick one common job type (bathroom, kitchen, deck).
- Set up a clean estimate template with logical phases or line items.
- Turn on payments for that project and choose stage-based terms.
- Make the client portal the one place approvals and payment happen.
- Repeat on the next job, then refine.
Progress billing gets easier every time because you’re reusing a system, not rebuilding one.
FAQs
Is progress billing the same as “progress payments”?
Yes. Same idea. Payments move in step with the work.
Do I have to show clients every line item?
No. You can itemize internally and still present payments in a simpler, grouped way if that fits your brand and client base.
What if the client disputes one item?
Progress billing helps here because the entire job isn’t held hostage by one disagreement. You can keep the rest of the payment schedule moving while you resolve the specific issue.
Will this create more admin work?
Not if your payment requests are connected to your estimate and workflow. That’s the whole advantage of handling it inside a system like Bolster instead of manually rebuilding invoices.
Bottom line
Itemized progress billing is one of the cleanest ways to protect cash flow, reduce payment stress, and keep homeowners confident throughout the project.
If you want to stop chasing checks and start billing in a way that matches real construction progress, start with Bolster Payments and build a payment structure you can reuse on every job.
Ready to see it in action? Book a demo.
