Guide contents
A milestone becomes useful when it describes what the client can check at a particular point. Completing a task on your side is not always enough: you need a result to present, a decision expected and an understandable next step.
This guide helps you build that structure and distinguish production stages from movements of money. To place milestones within the project’s wider terms, our freelance payment guide also covers initial funding, due dates and the final-file handoff.
- What specific result will be presented to the client?
- Against which criteria, and by what date, should they respond?
- Which feedback rounds are included before the next stage?
- What amount belongs to the milestone, and how does payment move?
Distinguish production, approval and payment.
Start by naming the project’s results, then group those that can be reviewed together. For a website design, “approve the designs for five pages” describes a milestone more clearly than “do design work”. The client understands what they will receive and can prepare their response.
A milestone describes a result; approval records a decision
A production milestone might cover project definition, a set of designs or a package ready for handoff. Approval indicates whether the result presented meets the agreed scope and criteria. It should relate to an identifiable version, with someone responsible for responding.
A payment point, meanwhile, states when an amount is due or what financial movement is planned. The three ideas can be connected, but they do not replace one another. Finishing a presentation does not, by itself, mean the client has responded or a transfer has been requested.
Keep a structure both parties can follow
Choose stages large enough to represent a useful decision and precise enough to avoid reopening the whole project with every comment. A list of twenty tiny tasks often makes progress harder to follow than a few coherent results.
In Dealokr, you can define the project and its milestones with amounts, deliverables and dates, then have the agreement signed before payment. The structure becomes a shared reference for following the project and requesting milestone transfers under its conditions.
Break a €3,000 website design into three stages.
Consider a fictional assignment: design five pages for a business website, with desktop layouts and mobile adaptations. The agreed price is €3,000. Writing copy, photography, development and hosting are excluded in this example.
Connect each share of the price to a reviewable result
| Milestone | Result presented | What to check | Share of price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Project definition — 30% | Brief, sitemap and wireframes for the five pages. | Objectives, page content and structure confirmed. | €900 |
| 2. Desktop designs — 40% | Desktop designs for the five agreed pages. | Complete pages and visual direction matching the agreed brief. | €1,200 |
| 3. Adaptation and handoff — 30% | Mobile versions, agreed exports and handoff notes. | Expected formats, screens and handoff materials present. | €900 |
| Total project price | €3,000 | ||
The three shares add up to 100% and the amounts to €3,000. The 30/40/30 split is a choice for this example; adapt it to the work and costs of each phase. For simplicity, taxes and applicable fees are not detailed here, so always use amounts on the same basis as your agreement.
This table distributes the project’s value. You still need to state whether the client pays in instalments or funds the whole project upfront, then how milestone amounts relate to transfers. That distinction is explained below.
Agree criteria, feedback and dates.
For each milestone, write what you will present and what the client should check. For wireframes, this might be structure and planned content. For designs, it might be the visual direction and expected screens. The criteria give an approval request a clear purpose.
Prepare a review rather than simply sending files
Identify the version, pages or files concerned and the person who consolidates feedback. Choose one channel for submitting it and an included number of review rounds. The client can then distinguish an expected correction from a preference or a new request.
Connect the schedule to the client’s availability
You might propose presentations at day 5, day 10 and day 15, for example, with a defined response window after each. Turn those markers into calendar dates before confirming the schedule, considering working days and the person expected to reply. Agree those dates with the person reviewing each stage.
The presentation date, response date and start of the next phase serve different purposes. If the client expects to be away for a week, address that dependency at the beginning. If feedback is late, repeat the action needed and confirm the schedule’s implications under the agreed process.
A response such as “looks good” can be encouraging without answering the question asked. Seek an identifiable confirmation: version reviewed, criteria met and any adjustments still needed. You will then know the basis on which the next phase can proceed.
Define what belongs within each stage.
The structure should help you handle feedback. If a page promised in the scope is missing from the designs, you can identify the expected correction. If the client adds a sixth page, the request changes this example’s scope and calls for a decision about price and timing.
Wording to complete alongside your agreement
Project [reference] comprises [number] milestones: [each milestone’s name, deliverables and associated amount]. The included scope is [description]; excluded items are [exclusions].
For each stage, presentation of [version or result] is planned for [date]. [Contact person] will send consolidated feedback through [channel] by [date], against these criteria: [review criteria]. [Number] feedback rounds are included under [agreed limits].
The accepted financial schedule is [upfront payment or instalments, amounts and dates]. Milestone transfer requests, where agreed, follow [accepted conditions]. File handoff follows [agreed conditions].
Each new request is assessed for its effect on deliverables, price and timing before implementation. Accepted changes and revised dates are confirmed in writing in [reference space or document].
Complete the wording with real decisions and remove unnecessary fields. A milestone’s name should refer to the same result in the quote, schedule and financial record. Keep a clear version of the arrangement the client accepts.
Assess a request before continuing
When the need changes, describe the difference and offer an understandable option: adjust the phase, add priced work or return to the original scope. Approval gives you a reference point; it does not remove the need to discuss a change that could help the project.
Choose when the client pays and when you request transfers.
The same project structure can support different financial arrangements. With three client instalments, €900, €1,200 and €900 are paid on the agreed due dates. With full upfront funding, the client pays the whole project before work starts; the milestone amounts then describe another part of the financial process.
| Arrangement | Client payment | Purpose of milestone amounts |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial schedule in three instalments | €900, then €1,200, then €900 on the accepted dates. | They represent payments requested from the client. |
| Fixed-price project in Dealokr | 100% of the project price before work starts. | They structure the transfers requested by the freelancer. |
With Dealokr, your client funds the fixed-price project in full through Stripe Connect at the start. You can then request transfers associated with milestones in the project, under the applicable conditions. You do not need to request another client payment at every stage, while the results presented and decisions expected remain connected to the same project.
The client can review a preview and request agreed revisions. The freelancer requests the milestone transfer under the project’s current conditions; a date being reached or an approval does not, by itself, trigger an automatic transfer. Applicable fees and commissions affect the net transfer calculation: the €900, €1,200 and €900 shares illustrate the price breakdown, without promising those amounts net in your bank account. Final-file handoff follows the project conditions; a first transfer does not unlock every file.
Five answers to keep the structure straightforward.
Do I need a milestone for every task?
Group tasks that produce a result the client can review together. A useful milestone corresponds to a decision: confirm a brief, review a set of screens or prepare a handoff. Smaller production tasks can remain within your own working plan.
Is the 30/40/30 split required?
No, it is an assumption in the example. Compare the value and effort of the phases, committed costs and schedule, then have the allocation accepted. Check that the percentages add up to 100% and that the amounts match the agreed price.
Who approves when several people are involved?
Identify one person responsible for consolidating the client’s response, even if several contributors give opinions. Specify the channel and response date. You can then work with a coherent set of decisions instead of conflicting corrections arriving separately.
What if the client does not respond at a milestone?
Check that they have the right version and understand the action expected. Follow the agreed review process, then confirm any schedule adjustments needed. Do not turn silence into a decision based only on an assumption.
How should I move a deliverable to another phase?
Document the move, its effect on the result expected and the associated amounts. Confirm the revised structure before proceeding. The client should be able to find what belongs to each stage and understand whether the financial schedule also changes.
Before confirming your project, read each milestone as a small decision to prepare: a result, criteria, a contact person, a date and an amount clearly connected to the work. You can then explain the next step without rebuilding the whole schedule.
- Dealokr — Agreements, milestones and full upfront funding for fixed-price projects
- Dealokr — Milestone transfer requests and conditions for file handoff
Adapt the example’s stages, amounts and timings to your project’s scope and schedule.
Practical guidance for clearer freelance projects and payments.