How to set up progress billing with milestones
Bill your construction jobs in phases using milestone-based invoicing.
Construction jobs are rarely billed in one lump sum. Progress billing lets you invoice in phases — deposit, rough-in, drywall, finishes, final — so cash flow matches the work.
Create an invoice
Open the project and click + Invoice. Give it a title like "Main Contract Billing" or "Kitchen Remodel Invoice".
(See How to create an invoice if you need the full walkthrough.)
Add your milestones
Click Add Milestone for each billing phase. Name them something your client will understand — "Deposit (10%)", "Framing Complete (25%)", "Final Walkthrough (15%)". Set the percentage of the total each milestone represents.
The percentages should add up to 100%.
Add line items to each milestone
Click into a milestone and add the specific work being billed in that phase. For example, under "Rough-In", you might list plumbing, electrical, and HVAC rough-in items.
Send the first milestone
When it's time to bill, send the invoice to your client. They'll see the full scope of the project but only the first milestone will be marked as due.
Mark milestones as billable when work completes
As each phase wraps up, open the invoice and update the milestone status. Milestones move through four stages: Not Started, In Progress, Complete, and Billed. Mark a milestone as Complete when the work is done, then send the updated invoice to bill for that phase.
Tip: you can adjust milestone percentages anytime before billing. If the scope changes mid-project, just update the splits — Kaliun recalculates the amounts automatically.
What happens next
- Your client receives a clear breakdown of what's been billed and what's coming
- Each milestone payment is tracked separately in the project budget
- The project's financial summary updates in real time as milestones are billed and paid