How to get a deposit before starting freelance work

Why the usual way fails

A deposit only works if it is a real rule, not a polite request you drop when a client pushes back. When you track projects in one place and invoices in another, it is easy to start work before you notice the deposit never arrived. Writing a separate deposit invoice by hand each time takes effort, so it gets forgotten on busy weeks. And without a shared place where the client can see what is due, the conversation about money happens in scattered emails and chat messages. The longer the work runs without a payment, the harder it gets to stop, because walking away means losing the hours you already put in. So the safest moment to ask is before anything starts, and that is exactly the moment people feel least comfortable asking.

How Freveo helps

Freveo makes the deposit part of the project itself. Every new paid project opens with a deposit invoice, set to 25% unless you change it, and the project stays put until that invoice is paid. Your client sees the deposit and how to pay you in their portal, where you can also talk about the project. Freveo does not touch the money, so the client pays you directly by the methods you list, and you mark the invoice paid when it lands. If a due date passes, the invoice is marked overdue the day after, so nothing slips without you noticing.

Step by step

1. Add the client once with their name, address and currency.
2. Create a paid project and check the deposit share, or keep the 25% default.
3. Send the deposit invoice by email with the PDF attached.
4. Watch when it is delivered and opened, and talk in the client portal if needed.
5. Mark the deposit paid, and the project moves forward on your board.

Tips

• Set your deposit share once and keep it the same for every new client. When the rule is built into the project, you are not negotiating it from scratch each time.
• Put your payment details on the invoice so the client never has to ask how to pay. Bank details or a payment link on the PDF remove one excuse for delay.
• Keep money questions in the portal chat instead of WhatsApp or long email threads. Everything about the deposit then sits next to the project and the invoice it relates to.
• Mention the deposit early, ideally in the first quote, not after the client has already said yes. A clear number at the start feels normal, while a late request feels like a surprise. Most serious clients expect it and will not argue.

Questions