# Deposit request email prompt: free ChatGPT template > Ask for a deposit on an approved job: the exact amount and what it covers, how to pay safely, what happens once it's paid, and your real refund terms. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/deposit-request-email-prompt · Updated 2026-10-01 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [Collections and billing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#job-collections-and-billing) · [Trades](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-trades) · Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot Updated October 1, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) Use this when a customer has said yes to a quote and you need a deposit before you order parts, pull a permit or hold a date. People pay faster when they understand what the deposit is for. The AI's weak spots are the math and the fine print: it may round the amount, call it "fully refundable" when it isn't, or ask the customer to reply with their card details. This prompt states the amount once, explains it with your words, and points only to your real payment options. ## The prompt Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every `[BLANK]` with your own details. It uses the four parts from [Prompt Writing 101](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): Role, Context, Task and Format. Copy prompt ```text Role: You are [SENDER] at [BUSINESS], asking a customer for the deposit on a job they just approved. Context: The approved job and total: [JOB AND TOTAL]. The deposit amount and what it pays for: [DEPOSIT]. How to pay, and only these ways: [PAYMENT OPTIONS]. What happens after it's paid: [NEXT STEPS]. Our refund terms, word for word: [REFUND TERMS]. Never ask for card or bank numbers by email or text. Task: Write a short email that thanks them for approving the job, states the deposit amount and what it covers, explains how to pay, says what happens next, and includes the refund terms. Format: Subject line with the job and the deposit amount. Under 150 words. Amounts as numbers, exactly as given. Friendly and businesslike, no pressure. Sign with my name, the business name and phone number. ``` ## Fill in the blanks **`[SENDER]`** Your name and role. **`[BUSINESS]`** Your company name and office phone number. **`[JOB AND TOTAL]`** The job as quoted, the quote number if you have one, and the total price. **`[DEPOSIT]`** The exact deposit amount and what it pays for, such as parts and the permit fee. **`[PAYMENT OPTIONS]`** Your real ways to pay: a payment link from your invoicing tool, a call to the office, a check at the visit. **`[NEXT STEPS]`** What you do once it's paid, such as order the panel and call to schedule. **`[REFUND TERMS]`** Your written terms for refunding a deposit. If you don't have any written down, write them before you send this. ## Example, filled in **A made-up example** from the free lesson [Build an AI Quote Request Form for Electrical Contractors](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrical-quote-request-form-ai-lovable-n8n). Oak & Wire Electric is the made-up electrician in the AI Quote Request Form lesson, where a panel upgrade typically runs $2,800 to $4,200 and permits are included. Dana approved her made-up quote after the site visit. Copy example ```text Role: You are Erin, the office manager at Oak & Wire Electric, asking a customer for the deposit on a job they just approved. Context: The approved job and total: quote 2214, 200-amp panel upgrade, $3,400 total, permit and inspection included. The deposit amount and what it pays for: $1,020 (30%), which covers ordering the new panel and pulling the permit. How to pay, and only these ways: the secure payment link in the invoice we emailed, or call the office at (555) 014-7720. What happens after it's paid: we order the panel and call within two business days to schedule the install. Our refund terms, word for word: "Deposits are refundable until the panel is ordered and the permit is filed. After that, we refund any amount not yet spent." Never ask for card or bank numbers by email or text. Task: Write a short email that thanks them for approving the job, states the deposit amount and what it covers, explains how to pay, says what happens next, and includes the refund terms. Format: Subject line with the job and the deposit amount. Under 150 words. Amounts as numbers, exactly as given. Friendly and businesslike, no pressure. Sign with my name, the business name and phone number. ``` ## What a good answer looks like - A subject like "Panel upgrade (quote 2214): $1,020 deposit." - The deposit tied to what it buys: the panel and the permit. - Two payment options, the invoice link and the office phone, and no request for card numbers. - The refund terms in quotes, unchanged. ## How to check it before you use it An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the [Reply Faster lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails): check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out. - Check every promise and do the math: 30% of $3,400 is $1,020, and the balance is $2,380. If the draft mentions the balance, it must match. - Search for "fully refundable," "no risk" or "guaranteed date." None of them is in your terms. - Confirm the two-business-day promise is one your office can keep this week. - Send the payment link from your invoicing tool, not pasted into the AI chat. ## Why this prompt works Quoting the refund terms word for word is the important move: refund language is where a friendly paraphrase turns into a promise you didn't make. Payment rules are a privacy [guardrail](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/guardrails) as much as a billing one; card numbers never belong in email or in an AI chat. ## Practice it in the free lesson **[Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format)**: Ask ChatGPT for the same customer email twice, once vaguely and once with a four-part prompt, and see exactly why structure gets a better answer. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/prompt-writing-101) Also useful: [Build an AI Quote Request Form for Electrical Contractors](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrical-quote-request-form-ai-lovable-n8n) ## Terms used here [Guardrails](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/guardrails) · [Accounts receivable](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/accounts-receivable) · [Personally identifiable information (PII)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/pii) ## Related prompts - [Quote email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/quote-email-prompt): Write the short email that sends a finished quote: the job and price exactly as quoted, the customer's question answered, and… - [Invoice email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/invoice-email-prompt): Write the short email that goes with a new invoice: what the work was, the amount, the due date and how to pay, using only your… - [Payment received thank-you prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/payment-received-thank-you-prompt): Confirm a payment and say thanks in a few lines: the amount, what it was for, the balance now owed, and what happens next… - [Good, better, best options prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/good-better-best-options-prompt): Lay out three priced options for one job, good, better and best, using only your real prices and specs, with an honest note on… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)