Milestone payment

Split the project where the client can actually make a decision.

A milestone is a phase with a result, payment step, review and understandable next stage, rather than an extra invoice for its own sake.

Create a Dealokr deal Use the guide

Dealokr supports the deal and its history. Payments and file permissions remain with the relevant providers.

The framework

A good milestone resolves uncertainty rather than merely ending a week.

Choose stages from real client decisions: starting, choosing a direction, approving a version or receiving the final package.

01
Discovery
An audit, scoping exercise or information gathering that enables the next phase.
02
Direction
A recommendation, architecture, concept or priority needing approval.
03
Production
A production phase reviewed against an identified deliverable.
04
Handoff
Handoff of the agreed final items, sources, access or documentation.
05
Continuation
A new phase only if it creates a distinct, understood result.

In practice

Make the next action clear.

Each step should show who decides, what needs checking and what follows. That makes the workflow useful day to day.

Split by risk rather than an arbitrary percentage.

A useful split isolates points where the project can change direction. Site structure and visual direction may need decisions before integration. Strategy may move from audit and recommendation to activation. A product may move from design to development.

The aim is to avoid committing all production before a decision that should have happened earlier, rather than adding payments.

Each stage should explain what it covers.

Present the milestone as a work phase: what you will do, what the client sees at the end and what permits the next stage. The client understands the payment step and why it does not automatically cover the entire project.

The configured provider processes payment. Dealokr makes the relevant status visible without holding funds or promising their availability.

Keep a real decision point between phases.

At a milestone’s end, the client should be able to approve, request an agreed revision or decide not to start the next phase. This makes the split credible and supports discussion before cost or timing increases.

If a request creates a new result, make it an explicit phase rather than fitting an extra project into an already approved stage.

Distinguish milestones, approval and final delivery.

A review version can support a decision without being the complete handoff. Source files, access or final assets may require a distinct step in the deal.

This detail is especially useful for design, development, strategy, content, no-code and marketing services.

Operational checklist

Check a milestone before proposing it.

A milestone is ready when it gives the client a readable decision and the freelancer a manageable work phase.

The phase

It produces an identifiable result rather than only time spent.
Its beginning and end are understandable.
Required client inputs are clearly named.

The payment step

The client understands what this step starts.
The total and any fees are checked before action.
Provider status is not presented as a Dealokr guarantee.

The next transition

The review decision is explicit.
Included revisions are distinguished from new needs.
The next phase does not begin on an unspoken assumption.

Useful wording

Simple language for the moments that matter.

Adapt the bracketed details to your situation. These examples clarify the project; they are not legal clauses.

At the quote stage

Explain the split clearly.

“I suggest three phases: scoping, direction and production. Each ends with a result to confirm before we start the next.”

The client understands the logic before the details.

Before a new milestone

Confirm the next phase.

“Phase [name] is ready for approval. Once the decision is made, the next stage covers [result] and can begin on the planned schedule.”

Separate the current decision from the next production phase.

If the scope changes

Avoid scope drift.

“This request creates a result outside the current phase. I suggest adding it as a separate milestone so its budget, schedule and review are clear.”

Welcome the need while keeping the project readable.

A system, rather than an abstract promise

A deal becomes reliable when everyone sees their next action.

The value comes from connecting scope, payment, review, approval and handoff. Keep your commercial documents, obligations and external permissions current separately.

Common questions

Useful answers before starting the project.

How many milestones should I plan?

The right number depends on useful decisions. Three or four phases are often clearer than a very detailed split, but adapt every project to its context.

Does a milestone guarantee payment?

No. It structures the commercial and operational phase. Payment depends on the client, configured provider and applicable rules.

Can the client stop after a milestone?

That depends on the parties’ agreement. The split makes this decision visible before starting the next stage.

A protected next deal

Keep payment and final handoff in the same deal.

Create a clear project for you and your client, with a protected payment flow through the configured provider, protected delivery and visible approval.

Create a Dealokr deal See the workflow