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RPM: MILESTONE BILLING

How To: Milestone Billing

Why use Milestone Billing

Milestone Billing lets you invoice part of a contract up front, on dates you choose, then credit those amounts back on the final invoice. Use it when your customer pays in stages — for example 20% at signing, 40% at delivery and 40% at completion.

It replaces the old Deposit functionality in RPM, so it's the supported way to bill in advance. You'll find it on RPM Contracts, Work Orders and Service Contracts.

Before you start

  • Your contract or work order has its lines entered, so milestone percentages have a total to calculate from.
  • If you want milestone invoices to carry a different tax treatment, check Override Milestone Tax Group Code on RPM Setup. Each milestone line can also override it.
  • Each milestone invoice posts with a quantity of 1, no matter the quantity on the contract line.
  • On the final invoice, applied milestones post as offsetting lines, so you don't bill the customer twice.
  • Milestone lines are archived along with the RPM document when you run Archive RPM Documents.
  • Always enter a date on every milestone line. Undated lines all post on the first milestone invoice and can't be revised afterwards.
  • Apply every posted milestone. RPM doesn't stop you from posting a final invoice with milestones left unapplied, and the contract still moves to Complete.
  • Watch line discounts. Milestones don't currently honor line discounts at posting (open item 86462), so double-check amounts on discounted lines.
  • Use Group Description when a contract has many lines — your customer sees one clean milestone line instead of a long list.

Set up and post milestone invoices

  1. Open the RPM Contract (or Work Order) you want to bill.
  2. Go to the Milestone Billing FastTab.
  3. Add a line for each milestone. Enter its date and the percentage or amount to bill.
  4. Optional: enter a Group Description so related lines print as one summarized line on the invoice.
  5. Optional: set the line's tax option if your customer doesn't want tax on milestone invoices — tax is then calculated on the final bill.
  6. When a milestone is due, choose Actions > Milestone Billing > Post Milestone Invoice.
  7. Repeat step 6 for each milestone as it comes due.
  8. When the work is complete, post the contract's final invoice as usual.
  9. On the posting request page, find the Apply Milestone Billing section: Which Milestone Billing lines should be applied to the posted document?
  10. Select every posted milestone line you want to deduct.
  11. Post. The final invoice shows the full contract amount with the milestones deducted.

Apply milestones on the final invoice

If your milestones total 100%, you still get a final invoice — it just nets to 0.00.

What happens behind the scenes Quick tips 

  • Milestone lines are archived along with the RPM document when you run Archive RPM Documents.

Quick tips 

  • Always enter a date on every milestone line. Undated lines all post on the first milestone invoice and can't be revised afterwards.
  • Apply every posted milestone. RPM doesn't stop you from posting a final invoice with milestones left unapplied, and the contract still moves to Complete.
  • Watch line discounts. Milestones don't currently honor line discounts at posting (open item 86462), so double-check amounts on discounted lines.
  • Use Group Description when a contract has many lines — your customer sees one clean milestone line instead of a long list.