It protects both sides
A deposit reserves your time and shows the client is committed. It also means you aren’t carrying all the risk if a project is cancelled after you’ve turned other work away.
Guide
How to ask a client for a deposit (without making it weird)
This page is for freelancers and small studios who want part of the fee paid before a project starts, but worry that asking will sound pushy. A deposit request is a normal business step. Stated early and plainly, it rarely feels awkward to a client who is serious about the work.
The basics
Why deposits are normal, and where to state them
Put it in the proposal first
The easiest time to mention a deposit is before anyone has said yes. If it’s in the proposal, the later request is just a reminder of something already agreed.
Repeat it in the contract and invoice
State the deposit amount, when it’s due, and that work starts once it arrives. Then send a deposit invoice with a real due date and a payment link.
The amount
How much to ask for
It varies
There’s no single right figure. Pick an amount that fits your risk: how long the project runs, how much you’ll spend up front, and whether you’ve worked with this client before. The templates below use a bracketed [X%] placeholder so you can fill in your own number.
Consider milestones
On longer projects, some freelancers split the fee into a deposit plus payments at set milestones, so no one waits until the end for most of the money.
Say what it covers
Make clear whether the deposit is credited against the final invoice, and what happens to it if the project is cancelled. Write that down in your agreement.
Copy-paste wording
Deposit request templates
Replace the bracketed parts. Delete any sentence that isn’t true for your situation.
In the proposal
Payment terms
A deposit of [X%] ($[amount]) is due when you accept this proposal. Work begins, and your start date is confirmed, once the deposit is received. The deposit is credited toward the total project fee of $[total]. The remaining balance of $[balance] is due [on delivery / by date / at milestones listed below].
After the client says yes
Subject: Next steps for [Project]: deposit and start date
Hi [Name],
Great news, and thank you. I’m looking forward to working together.
As outlined in the proposal, the [X%] deposit of $[amount] is due before work begins. Here’s the invoice and payment link: [link].
Once it arrives, I’ll confirm your start date of [date] and send the project schedule.
Best,
[Your name]
Kickoff is close, deposit is missing
Subject: Deposit for [Project] before our [date] kickoff
Hi [Name],
A quick reminder that the deposit for [Project] needs to arrive before our [date] kickoff. Here’s the payment link again: [link].
If it arrives after [date], I’ll confirm the next available start slot. If anything is holding it up on your side, such as a PO number or a vendor form, just let me know and I’ll send what you need.
Thanks,
[Your name]
Shorter versions of the last two are in the script library under Prevention.
If they hesitate
What to do if a client pushes back
Ask what the concern is
Sometimes it’s just process: their accounts team needs a vendor form or can only pay on certain dates. That’s solvable without dropping the deposit.
Offer a smaller first step
You could lower the deposit and add milestone payments, or start with a short paid discovery phase before the full project.
Hold the start date, not the work
A calm line works: “Happy to start as soon as the deposit arrives.” You don’t need to argue. Decide in advance which options you’ll accept, and when you’d rather pass on the project.
Sample reply: “I understand. A deposit is how I reserve time in my schedule for a project. If [X%] up front is difficult, I can do [smaller amount] now and the rest in [two] milestone payments. Would that work for you?”
After the deposit
When the balance comes due
Polite reminders
For the final invoice, see how to ask for payment politely, with wording for before the due date, on the day, and after.
A full reminder schedule
The free reminder generator turns one due date into six dated, copy-ready emails.
If it’s still unpaid
After several reminders, a final notice email gives one firm deadline.
Not legal advice. This page shares general templates and information. It isn’t legal, tax, or accounting advice, and it can’t guarantee payment. Whether a deposit is refundable, and how cancellations are handled, depends on your written agreement and the rules where you and your client are. Check the official rules that apply to you, or talk to a licensed attorney.
Free tool
Plan the rest of the payment, free
Once the deposit is in, the late-invoice reminder generator can plan follow-ups for the balance. It runs entirely in your browser. For more short replies, see the script library. If you’d like ready-made proposal payment-terms wording, the Get Paid Kit ($9) includes it, along with a tracker sheet and scope-change form. The free tools stay free.