Guide
2026-09-27
Ask for a deposit before a US project starts
Billing the full amount at the end is how finished US freelance work goes unpaid. A deposit or milestone checks that the client can actually pay.
The riskiest US freelance structure is “I’ll invoice you when it’s done.” You carry all the cost until delivery, and a ghost at the end has the files. A deposit does two jobs: it funds the start, and it proves their payment path works while the relationship is still new.
For a job longer than a few weeks, split the price. A common pattern is a deposit to start, a milestone in the middle, and the rest on delivery. Write the amounts and dates in the agreement, not in a text the night before you begin.
How to ask without sounding harsh
“To hold the dates, I invoice 40% to start and the rest when the files are delivered. I’ll send INV-1 today with ACH details.” Clients who cannot pay a deposit are telling you they also cannot pay the final bill on time.
Do not start the full project against a promise to “sort payment next week.” Create the deposit as its own due in JobPay, with its own due date. Chase that due the same way you chase any other invoice.
If the deposit is late
Do not keep producing work to be polite. Send one clear reminder with the amount and the payment method. If it is still open, pause the calendar and say the start date moves until the deposit clears.
When it clears, mark that due paid so you do not remind them for money you already have. The final invoice is a separate due.
Late fees belong in the agreement
If you want interest or a late fee on US invoices, the client needs to have agreed it before the work. Adding it onto an overdue bill after the fact is a dispute, not a reminder. JobPay helps you chase the amount you already agreed.
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