Lost two clients this year after they disappeared post-delivery. Now, I’m anxious about every contract.
What specific clauses or payment methods can genuinely safeguard solo freelancers? I’m currently asking for 50% upfront, but it’s clearly not doing the trick.
Milestone payments changed everything for me. Instead of just upfront plus final payment, I break projects into 3-4 chunks now.
Here’s what works:
This way if someone bails halfway through, I’m only out one payment instead of half the project value.
Also started adding a clause that says all previous work gets handed over only after each milestone payment clears. No payment, no files. Sounds harsh but it keeps people honest.
For payment terms, I learned this trick from a lawyer friend. Write “payment due upon receipt” instead of giving them 15 or 30 days. Creates urgency and most people still pay within a week anyway.
The other thing that helped was getting really picky about red flags during initial calls. If someone haggles hard on price or asks for extended payment terms right off the bat, I just pass now. Not worth the stress.
Stop chasing payments and make them pay before you deliver anything meaningful. I do thirds now - 33% to start, 33% at midpoint review, final 33% before they get final files.
Key thing is holding deliverables hostage until each payment hits your account. No exceptions. They get progress updates and previews, but never the actual work files.
Also put a clause that says if they’re more than 10 days late on any payment, the whole remaining balance becomes due immediately. Most people respect hard deadlines when there are real consequences.
This approach weeds out the time wasters fast. Good clients understand you need to protect your business.
I keep a simple late fee clause that adds 5% to the total every week they’re late. Most people hate extra charges so they pay faster.
Also learned to check their website and social media before taking any job. If they look like they’re struggling or their business seems sketchy, I just walk away. Not worth the risk.
Been there. Lost about $8k one year from clients who just vanished.
I switched to 60% upfront, 40% on delivery. Most legit clients don’t blink at this. The sketchy ones usually push back hard or ask for lower upfront payments.
Also added a kill fee clause. If they cancel mid project, they still owe 25% of the remaining balance. Saved me twice when clients got cold feet.
One thing that really helped - I ask for payment within 7 days instead of the usual 30. Sounds aggressive but most people pay faster when the deadline is shorter. The ones who can’t manage 7 days are usually trouble anyway.
Started doing credit checks on bigger projects too. Takes 5 minutes and weeds out the obvious problems.
I just ask for cash upfront on smaller jobs now.
Deposits work but collecting the rest is still a pain. I just raised my rates to cover the losses.