Selling & Business Models
What deposit and payment schedule should I use for a web design project?
The short answer
Use a deposit to reserve the start date, then collect milestone payments before the risk becomes one-sided. For a small project, 30 to 50 percent at booking and the balance before launch is easy to administer. Larger projects benefit from three or four defined milestones.
Tie money to recognizable events
A three-payment structure might be:
- 35 percent when the agreement is signed and the start date is reserved.
- 35 percent when the design direction or key page is approved.
- 30 percent after final testing and before public launch or account handoff.
The exact percentages matter less than the exposure. Your first payment should cover early work and committed costs. The final payment should not be so large that a minor closing disagreement threatens most of your income.
Define each trigger
“Design approved” should say which pages or templates and how approval is recorded. “Launch” should state whether the client must supply content, approve legal copy, pay hosting, or connect accounts first.
Add a pause rule for late content or feedback, a restart process, and a written change-order procedure. Never hold a client’s domain hostage. The client should be the domain registrant. ICANN explains that the registrant enters the registration agreement and manages the name through the registrar (ICANN registrant guide).
Invoice through a secure business system, show the amount and milestone, and issue receipts. Do not ask for card numbers over email. State refund and cancellation treatment in the agreement.
Protect the relationship, not only the invoice
Send a short status note before each milestone so the payment does not feel like a surprise. If work pauses, document what is complete, what is outstanding, and the new schedule.
Contract, deposit, lien, tax, and consumer rules vary by location. This is an operational example, not legal advice. Have a qualified local professional review the agreement and payment terms you actually use.
Sources and further reading
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Related WAHMN resource
If you want to turn this website task into a service or build a stronger process for your own site, this system walks through the work in more depth. See Website & Landing Page Build System.