Hi there, LAZY641.

Let me share some information about the retainer account in QuickBooks Online. This method of creating retainer account will temporarily holds the money on the Balance Sheet in a separate deposits received other current liability account. You can easily see all the money that is being held. Double-click on the Deposits Received liability account on the Balance Sheet report.  

Then, when setting up this new Service be certain to use the new Liability Account as the Income account. This way, when using this Service on an Invoice or Sales Receipt, the money will be held in this Account on the Balance Sheet. 

You can read through this article about how the workflow of recording retainer or deposit account in QuickBooks: Record a retainer or deposit.    

I also recommend you to consult an accountant. This way, they can offer you some advice on the correct accounts to use. If you don't have any, I encourage checking out this link to find one: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/find-an-accountant/.

Drop a comment below if you have additional questions in managing your account in QuickBooks. Doing so helps us to assist you further. Have a great day!