Got a project put on ice by a client for an unknown period. I’ve spent a good amount of time on it, but haven’t sent an invoice since it’s still a work in progress.
Thinking it might be wise to charge for the completed work rather than continue to wait. This uncertainty is really throwing off my cash flow.
Bill them now for what you’ve done. Don’t sit around waiting for them to restart.
When projects get put on hold, I:
Invoice immediately for finished work
Give them 30 days to restart
Charge a restart fee if they come back later
Your time’s worth something whether they use the work or not. Plus billing now saves you if they ghost you completely.
I got burned once waiting for a client to “finish” a project I was 60% done with. They disappeared and I never got paid because I waited for completion that never happened.
Learned this the hard way. Always invoice completed work when projects get put on hold.
I break everything into phases now and bill each one when it’s done. They pause halfway through phase 3? I still get paid for phases 1 and 2.
Put a clause in your contract about paused projects. I give clients 60 days to resume, then I’m done and moving to other work. Want to restart after that? New timeline, fresh start.
Don’t tank your cash flow because they can’t decide.
Bill them for what’s done and give them a restart deadline. I tell clients they’ve got 45 days to get moving or I’m closing the project. Want to restart later? New pricing, new timeline. Projects sitting in limbo wreck your schedule. Get paid and protect your time.