I’ve been experimenting with milestone-based billing for my projects. It seems to work well for some clients, but I’m struggling to find the right balance.
Anyone else use this approach? Curious how you break down milestones and what percentage of the total fee you typically allocate to each stage.
Milestone billing’s tricky. I’ve been doing it for years. Here’s what works:
Start with 30% deposit. That covers materials and initial labor.
Middle payments depend on the job. Big projects get 2-3 payments of 25-30% each. Smaller jobs might just need one 40% mid-way point.
Always end with 10-15% on completion. Keeps clients motivated to wrap things up.
The key is clear milestones. Spell out exactly what each stage includes in your contract. No room for confusion.
And always leave some wiggle room. Jobs rarely go exactly as planned. You need flexibility built in.
I don’t do milestones. Just get paid when I finish. Works for me.
I’ve tried milestone billing too. Mixed results, honestly. Here’s what I’ve learned:
Milestones work best for:
My typical breakdown:
The tricky part? Defining those middle milestones. They need to be:
I’ve had clients get antsy when milestones stretch too long. Now I add mini-check-ins between payments. Keeps everyone happy.
One last thing - always leave wiggle room in your contract for adjustments. Projects rarely go exactly as planned.
I’ve been doing milestone billing for a few years now. It took some trial and error, but here’s what works for me:
I usually break projects into 3-4 milestones. First one is always a deposit - usually 25-30% of the total. This covers initial work and materials.
The middle milestones depend on the project. For bigger jobs, I might do 30% at rough-in, 30% at finish work. For smaller stuff, one 40% mid-project payment works.
Final payment is always on completion, usually 10-15%. I found leaving a smaller amount at the end motivates clients to wrap things up quicker.
One tip: be super clear about what defines each milestone. Write it out in detail in your contract. Saves a lot of headaches later.
I just do 50% upfront and 50% when I’m done. Keeps it simple. No fancy milestones or paperwork. Clients seem fine with it. Just my two cents.
I keep it straightforward. Half upfront, half when the job’s done. That covers my costs and protects me if a client bails.
For bigger projects, I might add a middle payment. But I try to keep it simple. Less paperwork, fewer chances for payment delays.
The key is a solid contract that spells out exactly what they’re getting and when I expect to be paid.