How is a payment schedule decided?
There is no single fixed formula; it is clarified in the proposal for your scope and delivery model.
Payment schedules are not identical for every project. Scope, duration, third-party costs, and delivery model change how stages and installments are structured. Publishing a universal “always X% upfront” promise on a website would be misleading.
A common approach is to split work into meaningful stages with written outputs, so both sides know what progress is being paid for. Exact ratios, deposits, and milestones are still set in your proposal and agreement—not as a global rule for every client.
In discovery we discuss budget range, urgency, and how clear the scope is, then map a payment frame to that context. Vague scope makes rigid payment guarantees risky for everyone.
In short: payment terms are explained early and written down so they are not a surprise. Details are specific to your project.
