Deposit & Milestone Calculator
Split a project fee into a deposit and milestone payments — 50/50, 30/40/30, or your own schedule — and see exactly what to invoice at each stage. Free, no signup.
Custom
%$1,000
%$1,000
Total100%$2,000
The final payment is the one that goes missing. A deposit protects the start of a project, but the balance is most at risk right when you hand over the finished files. FileDue closes that gap: attach the delivery to a link that unlocks only once the client pays the final amount.
Lock your delivery until final payment →Questions, answered.
- How much deposit should a freelancer ask for?
- A deposit of 25–50% upfront is standard. For new clients, 50% protects you if they disappear mid-project; for established relationships, 25–30% is common. The key is that work begins only once the deposit clears.
- What is a good milestone payment structure?
- For most projects, 50/50 (deposit and on delivery) or 30/40/30 (deposit, midpoint, delivery) works well. Longer projects benefit from more milestones tied to concrete deliverables, so payment tracks the work rather than arriving all at the end.
- Should the final payment come before or after I deliver the files?
- Before you hand over the final, usable files. The balance is most at risk at delivery — once the client has the work, your leverage is gone. Collecting the final payment on delivery, or gating the download behind payment, is the safest structure.
- How is each milestone amount calculated?
- Each milestone is a percentage of the total project fee. This calculator multiplies your total by each percentage and adjusts the final line so the parts always sum to the exact total, avoiding rounding drift.
The final payment is the one that goes missing. FileDue closes that gap — attach the delivery to a link that unlocks only once the client pays the final amount.
Create a paid delivery link →