QUESTION: Freelance: how to protect payments and work with prepayment?

Protecting your financial security and working with prepayments is a crucial skill for any independent specialist who wants to avoid working for free and being scammed by dishonest clients. For successful freelancing, it is critically important to get feedback not only on the quality of your code or text, but also on the terms of cooperation from more experienced colleagues, mentors, or a professional community.

Without timely feedback and the analysis of other people's mistakes, you risk making the same errors over and over, continuing to work without an advance payment and losing money. Experienced freelancers always insist on milestone-based payments or a fixed prepayment of 30 to 50 percent before starting any active work on a project.

To properly protect your payment, you can use official contractor agreements, escrow services on freelance platforms, or invoices for the self-employed that have legal force. Clearly state the refund conditions, payment schedule, and the responsibilities of the parties in the event of unilateral project cancellation in your documents or correspondence.

If a potential client categorically refuses to pay a prepayment and cannot provide solid guarantees of their reliability, it is better to politely decline such cooperation. Remember that your time and professional skills have value, and respecting financial boundaries is an indicator of a high level of professionalism.