Never let a client owe you more than you can afford to lose.

The single fastest way to blow up your cash flow is to do all the work, then hope you get paid. A deposit and a payment schedule flip the risk: the client stays slightly ahead of you on payment, so at every moment you’re owed little and holding proof of commitment. This isn’t distrust — it’s how every serious business operates.

Always take a deposit

A deposit does three jobs: it confirms the client is real, it funds your early work, and it makes them a participant instead of a spectator. A common structure is 25–50% upfront, with the rest tied to progress. For new clients, lean toward the higher end.

No deposit, no start date. Politely: “I book your slot and begin once the deposit is in — that’s how I hold your place in the schedule.”

A client who won’t pay a reasonable deposit is often the same one who won’t pay the final invoice. Better to learn that for a small amount now.

Match the schedule to the project length

  • Small projects (under ~2 weeks): 50% to start, 50% on delivery.
  • Medium projects: 50 / 25 / 25 — deposit, midpoint, delivery.
  • Large projects: break into milestone payments tied to deliverables — a chunk released as each phase is approved. You’re never more than one milestone out of pocket.
  • Ongoing work: move to a monthly retainer billed in advance. See landing your first retainer client.

Get paid before the final handoff

Structure it so the last payment clears before you hand over final files, launch the site, or release full rights. Withholding the finished deliverable until the invoice is settled is standard and completely fair — and it saves you from chasing money after the client already has what they wanted. Say so upfront so it’s never a surprise:

Final files are delivered once the closing invoice is paid. I’ll have everything ready to hand over the same day it clears.

Put the numbers in writing

A schedule you agreed verbally is a schedule you’ll argue about. Every payment term — amounts, due dates, and what triggers each — goes in the statement of work or contract, signed before work starts. Set clear payment terms (like net-15 or due-on-receipt) and, if you like, a late fee, so the consequences of slipping are defined in advance.

When a payment slips anyway

Even good systems meet a late payer. Don’t keep working on an unpaid milestone — pause, and follow the escalation path in getting late invoices paid. A payment schedule’s real power is that it caps your exposure: if a client goes quiet, you’ve lost one milestone, not the whole project. Set it up right at the start and getting paid becomes the default, not the fight.