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Do you ask for a 100% upfront payment on your freelance gigs?
I was doing that for some years, but in 2025 I stopped. I wanted to get closer to the default payment expectations for contract work, which is 50%-50%, and with that, not to give a first impression that I don‘t trust the clients. But it was a mistake, and I realised a few things.
When I was asking for a 50%-50%, or God-forbid, payment after project completion, those projects never got completed. The clients, by not financially committing to the project with an upfront payment, most of them didn‘t have the appetite to push til the end. Business runs too fast, their priorities shifted, and I was left with incomplete projects, never to be shown in my portfolio.
In conclusion, 2025 was a disaster for me. I categorise my projects by year, and the folder for 2025 is the only empty one I have, since 2007!
Asking for a 100% upfront is not unfair. It has been working great since 2019, when I started practising it. It stung a bit at first on...
What about you? Have you tried 100% upfront payments?
We've all been there) Either 100% or a platform that guarantees your safety.
Well, 95% of my clients have been direct, not through a platform, so perhaps that‘s why I‘ve struggled in 2025.
You tried something new that didn't suit you, but I'm sure 2026 will be better for you 🙌
I ask for 50%. it's the min to protect my side of the deal
That didn‘t work for me. Right at 70%–80% of the project completion, my clients would be dragged into other business priorities and would put the project on hold for a few weeks, months even, only to eventually pay the rest of the bill and rush to complete the project, cutting...
Feels painful to be stuck with unpaid bills and hard work you cannot even show.
That's why I have conditions in my proposals (NOT A LEGAL ADVICE):
- All ownership rights are transferred to the client when project total is paid in full.
- All work that was not used for the...
Yes, I have such clauses in my agreements as well. But what use do I have with the half-complete design when the client stops being interested in the project altogether? 😊 Anyway, enough lamenting from my side. I realised it‘s time to get employed—which I did—because wrestling...
great job on finding the way that keeps you happy and calm, don't let anyone take that away from you 🙌
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
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"Just joined Contra! 🙌
Quick question for the experienced freelancers here: What's ONE thing you wish you knew when you were starting out?
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