Cash job management for collision repair shops: quotes, deposits, and final invoices

Cash jobs have their own workflow in Claimory: quote with deposit terms, one-click quote-to-job conversion, parts and labor cost tracking as the work runs, and a final invoice collected before the vehicle leaves. Insurance claims and cash work stay on separate boards so neither pipeline gets muddied by the other.

What cash jobs cover in a collision shop

A cash job is any repair the owner pays for directly instead of running through insurance. Common examples at collision shops: a small dent on a lease return the customer wants fixed before turn-in, a fender bender the driver does not want to report to their carrier, a touch-up on a used car before resale, a classic car panel repair, or a PDR job on a customer-pay hail claim. The work is billed directly to the customer using a quote and final invoice instead of an estimate and supplement.

Deposit, partial payment, and final balance

Claimory tracks deposit, partial payments, and final payment separately on every cash job so the shop always knows what is still owed. Record the deposit when the customer approves the quote. Log partial payments during the work if the job is multi-week. Flag the outstanding balance before delivery so nothing leaves the lot on a handshake. Outstanding balances surface on the cash job board and in the financial reports automatically.

Quoted versus actual profitability

Log parts and labor as the job runs. Claimory compares actual cost to quoted price so the owner knows whether each PDR panel, touch-up, or restoration job actually made money. Quote follow-up reminders fire when a customer has not responded after a set number of days so leads do not age out silently. Before, during, and after photos attach to the cash job with timestamps so the shop can document condition at intake and delivery without digging through phone galleries.

Five supporting pillars

  • Cash jobs stay off the claim board. The cash job list and the claim list are separate so 60 active insurance claims do not bury the PDR panel, lease return, and touch-up jobs the shop is also running.
  • Quote-to-job in one click. Once the customer approves the quote, it converts to an active job. Itemized pricing carries forward to the final invoice. If costs shift during the work, update the invoice and the customer sees the change before pickup.
  • Reporting separates cash revenue from insurance revenue so the owner can see what each side of the business is actually contributing to the shop each month.

Key capabilities

  • Separate cash job board so insurance claims and customer-pay work never mix
  • Itemized quotes with parts, labor, and deposit terms sent to the customer
  • One-click quote-to-job conversion once the customer approves
  • Deposit, partial payment, and final balance tracking by payment method
  • Outstanding balance flagged before vehicle delivery so nothing leaves unpaid
  • Parts and labor cost logging as the job runs for quoted-versus-actual profitability
  • Quote follow-up reminders when a customer has not responded
  • Before, during, and after photos with timestamps attached to the cash job
  • Reporting separates cash revenue from insurance revenue
  • 14-day free trial, no credit card required

Common questions

What is a cash job in a collision shop?

A cash job is any repair billed directly to the vehicle owner instead of running through an insurance carrier. Common examples: a lease-return dent the customer wants fixed before turn-in, a fender bender the driver does not want to report, a touch-up on a used car before resale, or a PDR customer-pay hail claim. The shop writes a quote and final invoice instead of an estimate and supplement.

Which Claimory plans include cash jobs?

Cash job management is included on Professional at $129/mo and higher. There are no caps on the number of cash jobs, quotes, or job types on Professional, Elite, or Enterprise. Starter at $49/mo focuses on insurance claims. Upgrade at any time once cash volume justifies it.

How does cash job revenue show up in reports?

Claimory reports separate cash revenue from insurance revenue so the owner can see what each side of the business is actually contributing each month. Per-cash-job profitability shows quoted versus actual cost. The financial dashboard shows cash and insurance totals side by side.