How much deposit should you take?
Half, for a project with a fixed price. The first month, for work that runs for months. Enough to cover the day, for anything that blocks a date nobody else can book. Take it before the work starts, and say in your terms what happens to it if either of you cancels.
A deposit answers one question for both of you: is this happening? Without one, a client can walk away at no cost, and you’ve turned down other work for weeks that are now empty.
| The work | A deposit that suits it | Why that much |
|---|---|---|
| A fixed-price project | Half | On a $5,000 project, $2,500. Enough to commit the client, and enough to cover you if they stop halfway. |
| A wedding, an event, a talk | Enough to cover the date, often a third to a half | You can’t sell that day twice, so the deposit pays for the day you held. |
| An engagement of several months | The first month | The work starts paid, and every month after bills the same way. |
| A session or a package | The full price, at booking | It’s short enough that a deposit would only add a second payment. |
What your terms should say
- How much is due up front, and when the rest is due.
- Whether the deposit comes back if they cancel, and up to when.
- What happens if you cancel. It comes back, in full.
Taking one in WorkWith
On Link, set what’s due at booking on the offering, anywhere from 1% to 99%. The client sees both figures before they pay, and pays the share. The rest waits as an invoice nobody has sent, and Today shows it with one button. Tap it when the work gets to the point you agreed, and the invoice goes out with your usual due date.
For work agreed by email or on a call, make an offer from the client’s row and set the share there instead. The rest is invoiced from the same row when the work is done.
A deposit is how one date gets into two calendars.
Checked 2026-10-10.