Retainers allow your clients to pay a lump sum in advance for services rendered or product purchases, which you can draw from as the project progresses.

​How to generate a retainer request

1. Go to the project that has been created for the client and select invoices. Under [Invoices], select [Retainers].

2. Select [Create Retainer]

3. Fill out all the necessary fields, i.e client email, date, description, etc. Then, enter the retainer request as a line item with any added notes and submit it to the client or save it as a draft if you've already collected the retainer outside of DesignFiles.

Step 4. While the retainer Request is in draft or submitted, you will see the amount requested and the balance will show zero (0.00) because it hasn't been paid yet. Once it's paid, or you manually record a payment, the balance will update accordingly.

Step 5. If you collected the retainer outside DF, use the record a payment feature. If you turned on the ability for your client to pay via CC and it has been paid, it will update automatically. Once the payment is updated by either means, it will look like this with the balance showing the amount paid:

Using funds from a Retainer

Step 1. You can use the retainer for a new invoice or an already created invoice. When you are inside the invoice editor, scroll down to the invoice total and select the [Record a Payment] button.

Step 2. From the drop-down list, select [Retainer].

Step 3. The system will automatically select the retainer saved to that project. If the retainer amount is less than the invoice amount, all of it will be used and subtracted from the invoice balance. The retainer balance will then be zero.

If the retainer amount is more than the invoice, only the needed amount will be taken from the retainer and the retainer will host the balance until applied to another invoice within that project.