Personal Chef Invoicing and Deposit Software (2026)
A personal chef bills a service fee, passes groceries through at cost, and needs a deposit because the shopping happens before the money arrives. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) takes the deposit when the client books, saves your per-head and per-course rates, itemizes groceries against receipts, and sends the balance invoice the night of the dinner.
How we picked
Entry-plan prices as published in 2026, taken from each vendor's own pricing page or a recent third-party summary. Judged on the solo chef's money workflow — deposit at booking, per-head or per-menu pricing, grocery pass-through, and a same-night balance invoice — not on kitchen production, prep sheets, or delivery logistics.
| Software | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ShowTheReceipts That's us | $15/mo | Solo chefs: deposits at booking, per-head pricing, grocery pass-through, same-night invoicing |
| Invoice2go | $9.99/mo+ | Basic mobile invoicing |
| Wave | Free / $16/mo | Free invoicing with light bookkeeping |
| HoneyBook | $29/mo+ | Proposal-and-contract flows for creative service businesses |
| Sprwt | $99/mo+ | Meal-prep operations running production and delivery |
You buy the food before anyone pays you
That single fact shapes the whole business. Groceries, travel, and a blocked Saturday all happen before a dollar arrives, which is why the deposit isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s what keeps a cancellation from turning into a loss.
1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo
Deposit taken when the client accepts the quote, per-head and per-course rates saved, groceries itemized against receipts, balance invoice sent the same night.
2. Invoice2go — $9.99/mo+
Straightforward mobile invoicing without a deposit workflow.
3. Wave — Free / $16/mo
Free invoicing bolted to simple bookkeeping.
4. HoneyBook — $29/mo+
Proposals and contracts for creative service businesses, priced for that whole workflow.
5. Sprwt — $99/mo+
Built for meal-prep production and delivery operations, not a solo chef’s dinner parties.
The lines a chef’s invoice needs
- Service fee — per head, with a minimum
- Menu tier or course count
- Groceries — at cost, receipts attached
- Travel — mileage or a flat zone fee
- Staffing — a server or second pair of hands, if any
- Rentals — plates, linens, glassware
- Gratuity — offered, never assumed
Send the invoice before you leave the driveway
The night of the dinner is about the best moment you’ll ever have to get paid. The client is delighted, the food’s still on the table, and nobody’s thinking twice about the number. A week later, it’s just a bill.
Frequently asked questions
How big a deposit should a personal chef take?
Enough to cover the groceries, which usually means 30–50% at booking. You buy the food days before you get paid — a deposit is the difference between a cancellation costing you an evening and costing you a cart full of scallops.
Should groceries be marked up or passed through?
Pass them through at cost as their own line, with your service fee doing the earning. Marked-up groceries invite a receipt audit; a clean pass-through plus a confident service fee never does.
How do I price a dinner party?
Per head with a minimum, adjusted by course count and menu complexity, plus travel. Saving those as tiers means quoting a Saturday inquiry takes a minute instead of a spreadsheet.
What if a client cancels the day before?
Keep the deposit and say so in writing when they book. The shopping is done, the day is blocked, and a cancellation policy the client agreed to in advance is the only version of this conversation that ends well.