When a client pays late, or pays less, or asks for a change you thought was extra, the argument is almost never about the invoice. It is about the quote: something that was assumed, said on a call, or left out. A good quote is the cheapest piece of cash-flow protection you have.
This is a checklist for what to put in one, and what each line is protecting you from. It is practical guidance from the Kreativo team, not a legal template.
1. What you will deliver, and what you will not
Name the deliverables in plain terms: how many designs, which formats, how many pages, how many images. Then name the edges. “Three logo concepts, one revision round on the chosen concept” is a quote. “A logo” is a debate.
The most useful sentence in a quote is often the one that says what is not included.
2. The price, and what it is a price of
Give one number for the job, or a clear rate and a cap. If expenses are separate (stock, prints, travel, licences, subcontractors), say so, and say who pays. If they are included, say that too.
A price with no scope is a number the client can reinterpret. A scope with no price is an invitation to keep adding.
3. Revisions and extra work
Say how many rounds of changes are included, and what happens after that: an hourly rate, a fixed fee per round, or a new quote. Say that extra work is agreed in writing before you start it, and that includes an email saying “yes”.
4. The deposit
Write the amount, what it is a share of, when it is due, and whether it is refundable if the client cancels. Payment providers recommend asking for one in the situations where you spend before you earn: Stripe's guide to deposit invoices (opens in a new tab) lists up-front costs, long or phased projects, and new or higher-risk customers. How to size a deposit shows how to pick the number.
5. When the rest is due
Say it in days and in events: “The balance is due 14 days after the invoice date, and the invoice is issued on delivery.” That is two facts, and you need both. Net 14 or net 30 explains how the days change which month the money lands in, and what the EU's late-payment rules add.
In the EU, payment terms beyond the standard ones must be expressly agreed, and the statutory interest on late payments counts from the due date. A date that is written in the quote is a date you can point to.
6. How long the quote stands
Prices change and calendars fill. “This quote is valid for 30 days” protects you from a client who accepts in four months, after your costs and your availability have moved.
7. How the client says yes
Decide what counts as acceptance and ask for it: a reply saying “I accept”, a signature, or a first payment. “We agreed on a call” is not acceptance. Do not start before you have it.
8. Cancellation and delays
Say what happens if the client cancels midway, and what happens if the client is the reason the project stalls. A short clause that the deposit is kept, and that work done so far is invoiced, is common. The right wording depends on where you work, so this is the line to have checked.
9. Rights and credit
If the client will own the finished work, or if you are licensing it, say which, and when the rights pass: on payment of the final invoice is a common choice. Whether you can show the work in your portfolio is part of this. Copyright and licensing rules differ between countries.
What clear and unclear wording look like
| Unclear | Clear |
|---|---|
| “Deposit up front” | “A deposit of €1,200 (40%) is due before work starts.” |
| “Payment on completion” | “The balance is due 14 days after the invoice date; the invoice is issued on delivery.” |
| “Some revisions included” | “Two rounds of changes are included. Further changes are quoted separately.” |
| “Rights transfer to the client” | “Rights transfer to the client when the final invoice is paid.” |
Keeping track of what you agreed
Once the quote is accepted, the deposit, the balance and the dates are numbers you will need again. In Kreativo, a job holds its payout and deposit, and the balance follows from them, so what you agreed sits next to what you have received. You write the quote somewhere else, and Kreativo records its numbers.
Jobs: each job with its payout, deposit and status.
The short version
Say what is included and what is not. Put a price on it. Limit revisions. Write the deposit, the terms and the due date down. Say how long the quote stands, and how the client accepts it. A quote that answers those questions before work starts is the one that gets paid.
Sources
Checked on 13 October 2026. The checklist itself is practitioner guidance from the Kreativo team, not research.
- Stripe, Deposit invoices 101: what they are and how to use them (opens in a new tab). When to ask for a deposit: up-front costs, long or phased projects, new or higher-risk customers.
- European Commission, Late payment (opens in a new tab). Payment terms beyond the standard ones must be expressly agreed; interest and a minimum fixed sum are due on late payments between businesses.