A contractor can offer financing three ways: through a lender partner program, through a payment link that splits the price into installments, or through the contractor's own payment plan. The first moves the risk to the lender but costs the contractor a fee. The second is quick and cheap but suits smaller jobs. The third costs nothing in fees and puts all the risk on you. For a $9,000 job, a lender program with a 6 percent fee costs you $540 and pays you in full within days; your own plan costs nothing and can leave you waiting a year. The rest of this page works through the numbers and the rules.

This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Lending is regulated, and lenders handle those rules for their own programs. Every number below is illustrative unless it's tied to a published page.

Why financing changes close rates on big jobs

A customer who needs a $9,000 furnace replacement and has $2,000 in the bank will not say yes to the number, even when the unit is failing. They say "let me think about it" and call two other companies. A monthly figure turns the same job into something they can say yes to. Contractors in HVAC, roofing, windows, solar and remodeling use financing for this reason. The effect depends on your customers and your average ticket, so test it on your own jobs rather than rely on a figure from a lender's brochure. If most of your jobs are under $1,500, you probably don't need it.

Three routes: lender partner, installments, your own plan

  • Lender partner program. You sign up with a consumer-lending company. The customer applies on your quote or a link, gets a decision in minutes and you get paid the job amount minus a fee, usually within a few business days. The lender owns the loan.
  • Installments through a payment link. Payment providers now let a customer split a purchase into several payments through a buy-now-pay-later option. Stripe's published payment-methods page, as of October 2026, lists options such as Affirm, Afterpay and Klarna, with Affirm described there as offering monthly installments up to 36 months for US and Canadian customers. Availability and limits depend on the product, the amount and your account.
  • Your own payment plan. You take a deposit and the customer pays the rest in set payments by card or bank debit. No lender is involved.

Who carries the risk

In a lender program, the lender approves the customer and takes the credit risk. If the customer stops paying, the contractor has already been paid. Check the program terms for exceptions, such as a holdback until the job is complete or a requirement to prove completion. With installments through a payment link, the provider typically takes the risk on the installments, though disputes still reach you. With your own plan, you carry everything: an unpaid second or third payment is your loss, and a lien claim on a home job has its own state rules.

What it costs you, with an example

Take a fictional roofing company, Brightwater Roofing and Repair, with a $9,000 repair-and-replace job. The customer wants 12 months.

  • Lender program, assumed 6 percent contractor fee: $540. Brightwater receives $8,460 in a few days. The customer pays interest or a promotional plan with the lender; Brightwater does not carry the loan.
  • Installments through a payment link, assumed card-like fee of 3 to 6 percent depending on the product: $270 to $540. Brightwater receives about $8,460 to $8,730 shortly after the sale.
  • Own plan: $3,000 deposit and 12 payments of $500, charged by card at 2.9% + 30 cents each. Fees: 12 x ($14.50 + $0.30) = $177.60 plus $87.30 on the deposit, about $265 in total. Brightwater receives $9,000 minus fees, over 12 months, and carries the risk on $6,000.

These percentages are assumptions to show the shape. Lender fees on promotional plans, such as zero-interest offers, can run much higher than on standard loans. Providers publish their fee schedules, and some publish zero dealer fees on standard loan products, so ask for the whole schedule in writing. The comparison to run is fee versus delay versus risk, not fee alone: $540 is 6 percent of the job, but it removes $6,000 of exposure and 12 months of waiting.

How to bring it up in the quote

Bring up payment options before the customer reacts to the price, not after. Say it when you present the number: "That's $9,000. Most people put it on a 12-month plan, which comes to around the monthly figure on this page, and the application takes about two minutes on your phone. No impact on your credit to see the options." Check the lender's rules on what you may say about rates and approval, because lenders often restrict wording. Do not quote a monthly payment you can't back with a real offer. Then follow the quote up as in how to follow up on a quote and estimate follow-up for contractors. If the objection is about price rather than cash flow, financing won't fix it; see how to deal with price objections.

Compliance: what the lender handles

Consumer credit disclosures, interest rules, adverse-action notices and fair-lending laws apply to the lender, and a reputable program handles them. What stays with you: what you say about the offer (don't promise approval), keeping your advertising accurate, and any state rules for home-improvement contracts, such as written contracts and cancellation rights. If you take your own payment plan, check whether charging interest or finance charges triggers lending rules in your state. This is a reason to have a lawyer read your plan before you use it. Our service agreement template shows how to write payment terms in plain English.

When not to offer it

  • Your jobs are small and your customers pay by card on the day.
  • You can't afford the fee in your margin, so you'd have to raise the price for everyone to cover it.
  • Your customers are other businesses; trade credit or net terms fit better.
  • You'd be tempted to run your own plan without a deposit. Always take one; see how to ask for a deposit.

Compare payment tools in Stripe versus Square if you want installments on the same account you use for cards, and see payment terms net 30 if your customers are businesses.

Financing helps close a quote you already have. Getting the quote request in the first place is another job. Rocketship finds the buyers, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and both Launch and Frontier start with a 7-day free trial, card required.