What deposit is normal for freelance work?

25-50%. New client, custom work, or booked calendar time pushes it up; long relationship with clean payment history can relax it. Zero deposit is not a norm, it is a risk you are donating.

The client refuses to pay any deposit. Red flag?

Usually yes. A serious client understands that a deposit reserves capacity and shares risk. Refusing outright often previews how the final invoice will go. At minimum, shrink milestone one to something you can afford to lose.

Milestones by date or by deliverable?

Deliverable, always. Date-based milestones punish you for client delays: their late feedback becomes your late payment. Deliverable-based milestones keep the clock in your hands.

Calculators

Deposit & milestones calculator

Getting paid at the end of a project means financing the client interest-free for months. A deposit plus milestones flips that: money flows while the work does. This builds the schedule you put in the contract.

Your numbers

Project total

The fixed price agreed for the whole project.

Deposit

25-50% upfront is standard. Below 25%, you carry the risk.

Payments after the deposit

Milestones plus the final payment. Tie each to a deliverable, never a date.

What the ledger says

Due to start$3,000

Per milestone: $3,500
Remaining after deposit: $7,000

Payment schedule

Payment 1: $3,000
Payment 2: $3,500
Payment 3: $3,500

Estimate, not advice

The formula

Deposit = total × deposit percent. Remainder splits equally across the payments. Every milestone releases on an agreed deliverable, and work pauses on overdue milestones.

What this ignores

Unequal milestones (front-load them when possible), scope changes mid-project (re-quote, do not absorb), and kill fees for cancellations, which belong in the same contract clause.

Field notes

What deposit is normal for freelance work?: 25-50%. New client, custom work, or booked calendar time pushes it up; long relationship with clean payment history can relax it. Zero deposit is not a norm, it is a risk you are donating.
The client refuses to pay any deposit. Red flag?: Usually yes. A serious client understands that a deposit reserves capacity and shares risk. Refusing outright often previews how the final invoice will go. At minimum, shrink milestone one to something you can afford to lose.
Milestones by date or by deliverable?: Deliverable, always. Date-based milestones punish you for client delays: their late feedback becomes your late payment. Deliverable-based milestones keep the clock in your hands.