Adding a contract and payment schedule to a proposal
The best thing about a proposal is that everything happens in one sitting. Your client says yes, signs and pays the deposit, with no waiting on three separate emails.
You can add a contract and payment to a draft on any plan. Sending the proposal needs Plus or Pro. See CoreHue plans.
Why bundle them
The usual way goes: send a quote, wait, send a contract, chase, send a deposit invoice, chase again. Every gap is a chance for your client to go quiet. With a proposal there's one send, and the order is built in:
- Your client picks their package and extras.
- They choose Accept proposal and confirm.
- Then Next steps appear one at a time: sign the agreement, then pay.
Nothing is signed or paid before they accept, so you get a clear yes first.
Adding a contract
- In the proposal editor, turn on Contract.
- Choose Add contract. In the builder, Start from template copies in one of your contract templates, or write it from scratch.
- Under Your signature, choose how it completes:
- Sign manually (the default). After your client signs, it waits at Signed for your counter-signature.
- Use saved signature. Your saved signature is applied the moment your client signs, and it goes straight to Completed.
- Save the contract to return to the proposal.
The proposal keeps its own copy of the contract, so later changes to the template don't reach it. If you pick Use saved signature before saving one, the section shows Signature needed with Set signature. See Saving your signature.
If your contract uses invoice details like the deposit amount, turn on Payment too, or the proposal can't be sent.
Adding payment
- Turn on Payment.
- Choose a Payment type:
- Full payment with a Due date.
- Payment schedule, where each row has a Label, a Percentage of the total and a Due date.
- Tick the Payment methods your client can use. See How getting paid works.
The first payment in a schedule is what acceptance asks for. That's your deposit.
Schedules on proposals use percentages, not fixed amounts, because the total isn't settled until your client makes their choices. If a row has a fixed amount, CoreHue shows "Enter a percentage for each fixed payment before saving this proposal."
What gets created, and when
| Moment | What exists |
|---|---|
| Before your client accepts | Nothing. No contract, no invoice, no booking |
| When they accept | Their choices lock, and the contract and one invoice (with the full total and your schedule) are created |
| When they finish signing and paying | A confirmed booking, if Create a booking is on |
Later payments in the schedule sit on that same invoice rather than arriving as new ones. Your client can pay them from the proposal or booking page, or from the invoice itself. See Invoices for bookings and proposals.
Good habits
- Attach the contract if the job needs one. Signing at the moment of saying yes is far easier than a week later.
- Ask for a deposit rather than the full amount. A big number at acceptance can lose a proposal that a deposit would have won.
- Set an expiry on priced work, so a January quote can't be accepted in November at January's prices.
Frequently asked questions
Does my counter-signature hold up the booking?
No. A proposal's booking is created once your client has signed and paid, whether or not you've counter-signed the contract. Use Use saved signature if you'd rather contracts complete automatically.
Can I set the deposit as a fixed amount?
Not on a proposal. Proposal payment schedules use percentages, since the total depends on your client's choices. Fixed amounts work on regular invoices.
Will editing my contract template change proposals already sent?
No. Each proposal keeps its own copy of the contract from the moment you added it, so template edits only affect contracts you add later.
Can a proposal collect payment without a contract?
Yes. Contract and Payment are separate switches in the proposal editor. Turn on just Payment if you don't need a signature.