Why ask for a deposit
A deposit means the client has committed before you block out your calendar and turn other work away. It also keeps your cash flow steady on longer projects, and it filters out clients who were never going to pay on time.
Put it in the contract
A deposit is a term of the agreement, not a favour you ask for later. Say how much it is, when it is due, that work starts when it has been paid, and what happens to it if the project is cancelled. If you work with consumers rather than businesses, check the consumer rules where you are before calling a deposit non-refundable.
Choose a schedule
- ✓50/50: half up front, half on delivery. Simple, and common for shorter projects.
- ✓30/40/30: a deposit, a payment at a midpoint milestone, and the rest on delivery, for longer projects.
- ✓Monthly in advance: for retainers and ongoing work.
How to word it
Plain and confident works best. For example:
"Thanks for confirming. To reserve your project dates I take a 50% deposit, and the invoice is attached. Once it is paid I will book your kickoff call and we will be on our way. The balance is due when I deliver the final files."
If the client says no
Ask what the concern is. Often it is cash flow or an internal approval process, not distrust. You can offer a smaller deposit, split the project into paid milestones, or start with a short paid discovery phase. A client who will not commit any money at all before work starts is telling you something about how the end of the project will go.
Retainers and repeat clients
For ongoing work, bill each month in advance rather than asking for a deposit. For a repeat client with a good payment record, you can relax the deposit for small jobs, but keep it in the contract so you can bring it back without a difficult conversation.
Start work when it is paid
Send the deposit invoice with the contract, and do not start until it arrives. Starting early teaches the client that the deposit is optional. If a client pushes back, a smaller deposit is better than none.
Work out the schedule and write the email. The free Deposit and Payment Schedule Builder splits a project into a deposit and payments with dates and amounts, and writes the deposit invoice and the request email for you.
View in the StoreFrom the Stelaah Store
- ✓Deposit and Payment Schedule Builder. A free online tool that splits a project into a deposit and payments with dates and amounts, and writes the deposit invoice and request email.
- ✓Client Email Scripts. Ready-to-send email scripts for 13 moments in client work, each in a short, warm and firm version, as a 15-page PDF guide, a Word file and plain text.
- ✓Creative Contract Bundle. Seven freelance contract templates in Word and PDF (social media, video, web design, graphic design, copywriting, consulting and virtual assistant) plus a clause library.
- ✓Invoice, Quote and Proposal Templates. Seven editable Word templates (invoices, a quote, a receipt, a project proposal and payment reminder letters) and an Excel invoice maker with an invoice log.
We build Stelaah and the Stelaah Store. These guides cover the everyday problems our planners, kits and tools are made for, in plain steps you can use with or without them.
