Invoice Deposit Calculator

Split a project fee into the deposit you take upfront and the balance you invoice across milestones — so both sides know exactly what is due, and when.

Currency

Total project fee

Deposit percentage

Often 25–50% upfront.

Milestone invoices

How many to split the balance into.

Deposit upfront

$2,000.00

then 3 × $1,000.00

Total fee$5,000.00

Deposit$2,000.00

Remaining balance$3,000.00

Per milestone (×3)$1,000.00

Why take a deposit and split the balance

A deposit protects you from the two most common ways fixed-price work goes wrong: a client who vanishes after the kickoff, and one who keeps the deliverables but pays slowly. Money upfront confirms commitment, covers your early costs, and means you are never funding a stranger's project out of your own pocket. Splitting the remaining balance into milestones keeps cash arriving as the work progresses, rather than waiting for one nervous payment at the end.

This calculator takes the total project fee, the share you want as a deposit, and the number of milestone invoices you plan to send for the rest. It returns the deposit, the outstanding balance, and the amount per milestone, so you can write clear figures into your proposal instead of rough guesses.

Choosing a deposit and milestone count

A deposit of 25–50% is typical for freelance and small-studio work. Lean higher for new clients, bespoke work you cannot resell, or projects with heavy upfront costs; lean lower for repeat clients you trust. The deposit is usually non-refundable once work starts, so say that in writing.

Tie milestones to deliverables a client can see — a design concept signed off, a build deployed to staging, a final handover — rather than to dates alone. Each completed milestone triggers its invoice, which keeps the project moving and your cash flow steady. Three to five milestones suit most projects; too many creates invoicing overhead, too few brings back the end-of-project lump-sum risk.

Frequently asked questions

How big should a deposit be?

Most freelancers take 25–50% upfront. Go higher for new clients, custom work you cannot resell, or projects with large early costs; go lower for trusted repeat clients. On a 6,000 invoice a 50% deposit means 3,000 upfront, with the remaining 3,000 split across your milestones — for example three milestone invoices of 1,000 each.

Is a deposit refundable?

That is your decision, but most freelancers make the deposit non-refundable once work begins, because it covers commitment and early costs. State the policy plainly in your contract and on the deposit invoice so there is no dispute later. This tool does the arithmetic, not the legal terms.

Should the deposit count towards the total or be on top of it?

This calculator treats the deposit as part of the total fee, not an extra charge. The deposit plus every milestone payment always add back up to the project total you entered, so the client never pays more than the agreed price.

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Last updated 2026-06-02.