Carpentry Invoicing Software and Invoice Apps

A handyman invoice is often one line and gets paid before the truck leaves. A carpentry invoice usually isn’t. You order hardwood for a built-in two weeks before you install it, a deck takes several days, and something always changes once the old trim comes off. So carpenters bill in pieces: a deposit, one or more progress payments, approved change orders and a final invoice. The software has to keep those pieces tied to one job so nothing is billed twice or forgotten.

Prices and features below come from each vendor’s official website as of November 6, 2026.

A worked example: billing a built-in bookcase

These are example numbers for a $6,000 job, not a recommendation on how much to charge.

Stage	When	Amount
Deposit (40%)	Quote signed, before ordering materials	$2,400
Progress payment (40%)	Cases built and installed	$2,400
Change order	Customer adds lighting cutouts and wiring chase	+$350 (billed with the final)
Final (20% + change order)	Trim, doors and finish complete	$1,550
Total		$6,350

The deposit covers the materials before you spend your own money; the progress payment covers your labor halfway through; the change order is approved in writing and billed with the final invoice. In software that handles progress invoicing, each payment is recorded against the same job, so the final invoice shows what’s already been paid and only asks for the balance.

Card fees matter on deposits. Paid online by card, the $2,400 deposit costs $79.50 on Square Free (3.3% + 30¢) and $69.90 on Square Plus (2.9% + 30¢). Housecall Pro advertises card rates “as low as” 2.59%, which would be $62.16. Bank transfers (ACH) are usually cheaper for large amounts; check each app’s payment rates before you send a big invoice.

What to look for in carpentry invoicing software

• Deposits and progress invoices tied to the original quote.
• Change orders approved by the customer and added to the right invoice.
• Online payments, including bank transfer for large amounts.
• Automatic reminders for unpaid invoices.
• Accounting sync (QuickBooks Online or Xero) so your bookkeeper doesn’t retype invoices.

The options compared

Tradify: best for progress billing

Tradify’s Pro plan ($51 per user per month) includes progress invoicing for “deposits, progress payments, retentions, and more”, plus quote and invoice reminders, templates, costing and bill tracking and timesheets. Every plan, including Lite ($47), has quoting and invoicing, online card payments and Xero and QuickBooks Online sync. Plus ($61) adds bulk invoicing and purchase orders. There’s a 14-day free trial. For the bookcase example, Tradify Pro is the closest fit out of the box.

Jobber: best all-round

Jobber’s Core plan ($49/month, $29 billed annually, 1 user) sends invoices and receives online payments. Its carpentry page lists card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and ACH payments and a Client Hub where customers approve quotes and pay. Connect ($139/month, $99 annually) adds automatic payment collection, automated invoice follow-ups and QuickBooks Online sync. Jobber’s pricing page doesn’t list progress invoicing, so ask during the trial how it handles deposits and staged payments on your kind of job.

Joist: cheapest invoice app

Joist turns estimates into invoices in a few taps and lets customers pay online, request deposits and use homeowner financing. Pro ($17/month) has unlimited documents and clients; Elite ($32/month) adds change orders, business reports and your license and insurance on documents. Basics ($10/month) covers 5 documents a month, enough for a part-time carpenter. Annual billing gives two months free, and the trial is 14 days with no card.

Square Invoices: free to start

Square’s Free plan ($0) includes invoices and recurring invoices, estimates and contracts, with card fees of 2.6% + 15¢ in person and 3.3% + 30¢ online. Plus ($49/month per location) adds payment schedules (deposit plus installments on one invoice), custom invoice templates, lower online fees (2.9% + 30¢) and a $10 cap on ACH bank transfers, which helps on large carpentry invoices.

Housecall Pro: invoicing plus booking

Housecall Pro Basic ($79/month, $59 billed annually) includes estimates and invoicing, payments and consumer financing, plus online booking, a price book and job costing. QuickBooks Online sync starts on Essentials ($189/month, $149 annually). Card processing starts at 2.59%.

JobTread: invoices tied to budgets

For project-sized work, JobTread ties customer invoices and online payments to the job’s budget, change orders and job costing, and it supports AIA payment applications for commercial-style progress billing. It costs $199/month plus $20 per internal user. Worth it if your carpentry jobs run for weeks with subs; too much for trim and door work.

Who this guide is for (and who it isn’t)

For: carpenters and small carpentry crews billing multi-day residential jobs with deposits, stages and change orders.

Not for: handymen invoicing small same-day jobs. For those, see our handyman invoicing software guide, which compares fees on a typical small invoice.

The bottom line

Tradify Pro is the best carpentry invoicing software for deposits and progress payments. Jobber is the best all-round app if you want quoting, scheduling and payments together. Joist is the cheapest invoice app, and Square lets you start free, with payment schedules on Plus. Price the job right first with our carpentry estimating software guide, and see the full comparison in our carpentry business software guide. Check current prices on each vendor’s site: these come from the official pages on November 6, 2026.