What is the best way to charge a customer a deposit for an equipment rental and then bill them for the total days rented/services at the end of their service?

Do you have a QB Payment account or a 3rd party merchant service account?

Hello there, quincytrapping-g.

You can record a deposit or retainer in QuickBooks Online. But, before doing the process, I would suggest consulting with your account to make sure your books are accurate. I'll walk you through how to accomplish this.

To start with, create a liability account to track the amount of the retainer you received from your customer. Let me walk you through the steps:

1. Go to the Gear icon at the top.
2. Under Your Company, choose Chart of Accounts.
3. Select New.
4. In the Account Type drop-down, choose Other Current Liabilities.
5. In the Detail Type drop-down, select Trust Accounts - Liabilities.
6. Enter the account’s name or leave the account name as is.
7. Click on Save and close.

Then, create a retainer item you can use to receive the deposit or retainer from your customer. For the detailed instructions, refer to the steps below:

1. Go to the Gear icon at the top.
2. Under lists, choose Products and Services.
3. Then select New.
4. On the Product/Service information window, select Service.
5. Enter a name for the product or service item.
6. From the Income Account drop-down, choose Trust Liability Account.
7. Click on Save and Close.

You can check this article for detailed instructions: Record a retainer or deposit.

Keep me posted if you have any additional questions. I'll be right here to help.