Deposit Calculator
How much deposit should I ask for on a big order?
At least enough to cover the costs you pay before the customer does, minus the cash you can spare above your reserve. For the sample $30,000 order with $21,000 of up-front costs, that is 20% ($6,000). Without a deposit, cash would fall to $4,000.
Advice on deposits usually gives a range and says ‘it depends on your industry’. The number your business actually needs comes from three figures: what you have to spend before you are paid, how much cash you can spare, and where your safety line is. This page finds the smallest deposit that works and shows every other percentage next to it.
TightAsk for at least 20% ($6,000). Below that, this order pushes cash under your reserve.
| Minimum safe deposit | 20% · $6,000 | rounded up to a whole percent; keeps cash at or above your reserve |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit that covers all your costs | 70% · $21,000 | you never finance the job with your own cash |
| Lowest cash with no deposit | $4,000 | cash − up-front costs; your reserve is $10,000 |
| Lowest cash at the minimum deposit | $10,000 | while you wait for the balance |
| Cost of waiting to be paid | $414.25 → $295.89 | no deposit → minimum deposit, over 60 days at 12.0% |
| Margin on the order | $9,000 | order value − up-front costs |
| Deposit | Amount | Lowest cash | Versus reserve |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | $0 | $4,000 | -$6,000 |
| 10% | $3,000 | $7,000 | -$3,000 |
| 20% | $6,000 | $10,000 | $0 |
| 25% | $7,500 | $11,500 | +$1,500 |
| 30% | $9,000 | $13,000 | +$3,000 |
| 40% | $12,000 | $16,000 | +$6,000 |
| 50% | $15,000 | $19,000 | +$9,000 |
| 100% | $30,000 | $34,000 | +$24,000 |
Runs in your browser with fixed, tested formulas — the same exact arithmetic as the Business X-Ray. Nothing you type is sent or stored.
One question answered. Eight more are waiting.
This page tests one thing with a few monthly numbers. The Business Decision X-Ray runs your whole business through the same engine, day by day: nine tests, the exact breakpoint, the smallest repair and a dated action plan. Open demo of every section, no sign-up.
How this calculator works
While you work on the order, your cash falls by the up-front costs and rises by the deposit. The lowest point is cash − up-front costs + deposit. The minimum safe deposit is the smallest one that keeps that lowest point at or above your reserve: up-front costs − (cash − reserve), never less than zero. It is rounded up to the next whole percent so it is a number you can put in a quote.
The ‘covers all your costs’ deposit is up-front costs ÷ order value: at that level the customer, not your bank balance, funds the job. Between the two lies a negotiation, and the table shows exactly what each step costs you in cash.
The formula
Minimum deposit = max(0, up-front costs − (cash − reserve)).
Minimum deposit % = minimum deposit ÷ order value, rounded up to a whole percent.
Cost of waiting = (up-front costs − deposit) × cost of money × days ÷ 365.
Worked example
The sample business has $30,000 of work on the table and must spend $21,000 before the customer pays the balance in 60 days. Without a deposit its cash would drop to $4,000 — below the reserve. A deposit of 20% ($6,000) keeps the reserve intact. Asking for 70% would mean the customer funds every dollar of the up-front cost.
What this calculator does not do
- It assumes the up-front costs are paid before any balance arrives, and one balance payment. Stage payments can be modelled in the Business X-Ray's Deal Safety test.
- It does not include other bills that fall in the same weeks — the whole cash path is the X-Ray's job.
- Legal limits on deposits in your country or trade are not checked.
Questions people ask
What is a normal deposit percentage?
Quoted deposits vary widely by trade, and some places and industries set legal limits on deposits for consumer work — check yours. This calculator does not replace those rules; it tells you what your own cash needs, so you know which end of your range to ask for.
Should the deposit cover materials?
At minimum it should cover what your cash cannot. The ‘covers all your costs’ line shows the deposit at which you are no longer lending your own money to the customer.
What if the customer refuses a deposit?
Look at the lowest-cash column for 0%. If it is below your reserve, the choice is between staged payments, a smaller order, financing, or declining — the table shows the cash effect of each deposit level so you can offer an alternative.
Does the cost of waiting matter on one order?
Usually it is small next to the margin. It matters when terms are long and the order is large relative to your cash — and it adds up across every job you finance yourself.
Related decisions
- Payment Terms Cash Flow Calculator — What Net 60 or Net 90 does to your cash — before you agree to it.
- Minimum Price Calculator — The lowest price that covers every cost — and your margin on top.
- Cash Runway Calculator — How many months your cash lasts — now, with no sales, and if sales fall.
- Deal Safety Calculator — Whether a big order keeps your cash safe until the customer pays.
- How much deposit should I ask for on a big order?
- What if my biggest client pays late? Net 30 to Net 60
Formulas reviewed 26 September 2026
