One piece of advice comes up again and again in Indian freelancer communities: take an advance. A common rule of thumb shared by experienced freelancers is a 50% advance, no matter how small the work.
Why advances matter
An advance does two things: it filters out non-serious clients before you invest time, and it limits your exposure if a project goes wrong. A client who refuses any advance on a fair scope is worth a second look.
Splitting work into milestones
- Tie each payment to a concrete deliverable (e.g. design approved, first draft, go-live).
- Keep milestone sizes small enough that no single unpaid stage is catastrophic.
- Mark each milestone delivered and paid, with a timestamp, as you go.
How tracking helps
When every delivery and payment is logged, there's no ambiguity about where a project stands. Pakkawork lets you split any project into milestones, mark them delivered and paid, and send payment reminders — so a small overdue amount gets caught early instead of becoming a large write-off.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For high-value or complex disputes, consult a qualified advocate.