How to Get Web Design Clients to Pay (Deposits, Contracts, and Late Invoices)

Most "client won't pay" threads on Reddit end with the same advice: the fix happens before the project starts. Here is the short version, in order.

1. Take a deposit before you start

Ask for 50% upfront for small local business sites. Redditors commonly suggest 30–50% for bigger builds, and some charge 100% upfront on small jobs. Call it a non-refundable upfront payment once work begins, not a "deposit," so nobody expects it back after you have spent hours on the design.

A deposit also filters clients. Owners who won't pay anything upfront rarely become easy to collect from at the end.

2. Split the rest into milestones

One r/webdev freelancer described charging 50% upfront, 25% after the design stage, and 25% on completion, so if a client disappears they've already been paid 75% (thread). They also define "completion" as launch or agreed-finished, so a client who sits on a finished site can't stall the last payment.

3. Use a short contract that protects your leverage

You don't need a 20-page legal document. A one-page agreement (or a signed proposal) should cover:

• What's included: pages, features, and how many revision rounds.
• Price and payment schedule with due dates.
• Extra requests billed separately at a stated rate.
• Ownership of the site and files transfers only on full payment.
• Launch, DNS changes, and handover happen after the final invoice is paid.

Our website proposal guide shows how to lay out scope and price so the client can sign it in one step.

4. Don't hand over the site until you're paid

Keep the build on your staging link or your hosting until the last payment clears. Share previews, not admin access. Once you transfer the domain, files, or logins, your leverage is gone. When it is paid, follow a clean website handover checklist.

One r/web_design user built a site for a mobile detailer and let him pay at the end. After rounds of changes, the client stopped replying and didn't pay. Their only leverage was that they still controlled the site (thread).

5. Invoice fast and follow up on a schedule

Send the invoice the day a milestone is approved, with an actual due date (for example, net 7) and a card or bank pay link. If it's late:

1. Day 3: a friendly email with the invoice attached again.
2. Day 7: a phone call, then a short written recap.
3. Day 14: a written notice that work is paused until payment.

Keep every message factual: the scope agreed, what was delivered, the amount, and the deadline.

6. What to do if a client won't pay for a website

Stop work, then send a formal demand letter citing the agreement, the amount, and a final deadline. If that's ignored, small claims court or a collections agency are the usual next steps. Don't delete or deface a live site the client owns; suspending hosting you provide should follow the notice terms in your contract.

One r/webdev contractor took an agency to small claims after a final invoice was ignored. Filing cost about $70, and they were awarded half of what they claimed plus court fees (thread). Their advice: bring dated proof of the work, and get paid early and often.

Where Locasly fits

Locasly's pipeline lets you move each business from Lead to Contacted, Proposal, and Sold, so you can see at a glance which deals have a signed proposal and which are still waiting. It won't collect payments for you, but it keeps your outreach organized so you spend time on clients who are ready to pay.

FAQ

How much deposit should I ask for a website?

50% upfront is the most common answer on Reddit for small business sites, with 30–50% plus milestones for larger projects.

Can I take down a website if the client doesn't pay?

Only if you control the hosting and your contract allows suspension with notice. Don't touch hosting or a domain the client owns.

Should I launch the site before the final payment?

No. Make launch and handover conditional on the final invoice being paid.

Is small claims worth it for an unpaid website?

It can be, since filing is usually cheap, but winning doesn't guarantee you get paid. A clear contract and a deposit save you from needing it.