My advice to anyone who asks is the same: 30 to 50% advance, no exceptions. In my experience, the clients who refuse an advance are the ones who ghost later. The advance isn't about the money, it's a filter for clients who actually intend to pay. But the rule only works if it's written down where the client sees it before saying yes, and usually it isn't. Here's how to put a payment schedule in a quotation, with wording you can paste for 50/50 and 50/30/20 splits.
The quick answer
Write the schedule as a short list in the quotation itself, under "Payment terms". Each line has a stage, a percentage, the rupee amount and a trigger. When the client accepts the quote, the schedule is part of what they accepted, and you have a dated record of it instead of a chat thread nobody can search.
Why the schedule belongs in the quotation
A schedule agreed in conversation has three weak spots.
- It lives in chat. Weeks later, finding "yes, 50 now and the rest on delivery" means scrolling through hundreds of messages.
- It gets reinterpreted. "On delivery" means different things to you and the client unless a trigger is written down.
- The ask comes too late. Asking for an advance after the client has said "go ahead" feels like a new demand. Asking inside the quote feels like part of the price.
If a client refuses an advance even when it's in the quote, that's a separate problem. The post on what to say when a client refuses an advance has replies for it.
Three common schedules
Pick the one that matches the size and risk of the project.
50/50. Half before you start, half on delivery. Works for short projects, such as a logo or a landing page. Example for a ₹40,000 project: ₹20,000 to start, ₹20,000 on delivery.
50/30/20. Half to start, 30% at a mid-point, 20% at the end. Works for projects that take weeks, such as a website with several rounds. Example for a ₹1,20,000 project: ₹60,000 to start, ₹36,000 at the approved design stage, ₹24,000 on final handover. Interior jobs often split further, by site stage: the interior design quotation format shows one.
30/30/40 or similar. A smaller advance, with more weight on the final payment. Some clients push back on 50% upfront. A smaller advance still covers your time for the first stage.
These are common splits, not rules.
Payment schedule wording you can paste
Put this under your payment terms:
Payment schedule
Stage 1: Advance, due on acceptance of this quotation
50% of ₹1,20,000 = ₹60,000
Stage 2: On approval of the design stage
30% of ₹1,20,000 = ₹36,000
Stage 3: Before final files are shared
20% of ₹1,20,000 = ₹24,000
Work on each stage begins after the previous payment is received.
Prices are in INR. This quotation is valid until 15 Nov 2026.
Three details matter.
- Triggers, not dates. "On approval of the design stage" is clearer than "mid-November". If the project slips, the payment moves with the work, and nobody argues about whether a date still applies.
- Amounts beside percentages. Clients check the rupee figure, not the percentage.
- The "work begins" line. "Work on each stage begins after the previous payment is received" is the sentence that protects you. Write it plainly and keep it short.
Stage 3 ties the last payment to the final files. If you work that way, releasing work in stages has delivery wording to go with it.
A quotation also needs a validity date so the price doesn't stay open forever. The guide on how long to keep a quotation valid covers that.
Add a revision limit while you are there
The schedule and the scope belong together. If stage 2 is "design approval", say how many rounds of changes are included. Revision limits in a quotation gives wording for that.
Turning each stage into an invoice
A schedule only helps if you bill each stage when it comes due. This is the easy part to forget: you agree 50/30/20, finish stage 2, and the second invoice goes out three weeks late.
In Riffit, you build the quotation on the dashboard and put the schedule in its Terms field, which prints on the quote and shows on the client's link. The client accepts from the link, with no sign-up. Once it's accepted, you can convert the quote to an invoice and bill it in parts, by picking line items or entering an amount, and Riffit shows how much of the quote is already billed and how much is left. Step by step, that flow is in converting a quotation to an invoice. For how to word each stage's invoice, see milestone billing.
The schedule is text in your terms, so Riffit doesn't create the stage 2 and stage 3 invoices on its own when a stage is reached. You decide when each one goes out.
Build the quotation on the dashboard, share the link, and bill each stage from the accepted quote.Try Riffit freeMistakes to avoid
- Percentages with no total. Always show the full project amount next to the split.
- "Balance on completion" with no definition. Say what completion means: final files shared, site live, or client sign-off.
- A huge final payment. If 70% is due at the end, you carry most of the risk. Move some weight earlier.
- Changing the schedule mid-project. If scope changes, issue a revised quotation instead of renegotiating in chat. See how to send a revised quotation.
A note on legal weight
A quotation the client accepted is a clear record of the terms. This post doesn't say it will hold up in a dispute. For a large project, a written agreement and advice from a lawyer are a safer base than a quote alone.
FAQ
Add a Payment schedule section with one line per stage. Each line has a trigger such as on acceptance or on design approval, the percentage, and the rupee amount. End with a line stating that work on each stage starts after the previous payment.
It splits the project fee into three payments: 50% to start, 30% at a mid-project milestone and 20% at final delivery. For a ₹1,20,000 project that is ₹60,000, ₹36,000 and ₹24,000.
Both. State the advance in the quotation so the client agrees to it before work starts, then send an invoice for the advance amount so there is a payment record with a number. If you are GST registered, ask your CA how to handle GST on the advance.
Milestones, where you can. A trigger such as on design approval moves with the work, so a delay on either side does not leave a payment due for work that is not done yet.
Yes, on the dashboard. After the client accepts, convert the quote to an invoice and either pick line items or enter an amount. Riffit shows how much of the quote is already billed and how much is left. You send each part yourself when the stage is reached.
Send a revised quotation with the new schedule so the change is accepted in writing. Do not agree to changes only in chat.