Invoicing 50/50 is Risky Business

INVOICING 50/50 IS RISKY BUSINESS

50% DOWN 50% UPON COMPLETION: This is a commonly taught invoicing strategy and it is not ideal.⁣

50% INVOICE AT THE START OUT OF BALANCE

NO INVOICE AT THE START OUT OF BALANCE

SOLUTION: KEEP 'AMOUNT COMPLETE' AND 'AMOUNT PAID' CLOSELY IN BALANCE

CLIENT AND DESIGNER BOTH ARE HAPPIER IN BALANCE

PRO TIP: LEAVE THE SMALLEST INVOICE FOR LAST!

This protects you from the problem with billing, a client owes you 50% of the payment when you have done 99% of the work. (And they won't give you final and won't pay!)

CUSTOMIZE YOUR PAYMENT TERMS FOR EACH PROJECT OTHER PAYMENT TERM OPTIONS

PAYMENT TERMS BEST PRACTICES

• 50% down and 50% upon completion is risky⁣
• Keep amount paid and work completed in balance⁣
• Risky (or difficult) clients pay more at start⁣
• Customize payment terms for each project⁣
• Always charge something at the start⁣
• The last invoice should be the smallest⁣
• Never get so deep in work completed vs. amount paid that you aren’t able to fire a bad client⁣