Client is asking for more work and promises to pay me as bonus

[nguyuza_sandile]

I have been owrking on a presentation slide for a client which is the original scope of the project and i have billed 60 hours which amounts to $1800. The client is now saying he wants me to create a word document business plan, which was not part of the orriginal scope of the project so this is extra work and should be billed for separatly from the original scope of the project. 

Here's the issue, the client has asked me to stop billing hours and asked to pay me for this additional work as a bonus. Bonuses are only applied after ending the contract. I really do not feel comfortable with this arrangement. Once the contract ends the client might decide to run and not pay me a bonus and i would have worked for free, Scammed/tricked basically to doing extra work. I will have zero control after the project ends.

My JSS is at a very delicate 90% and i don't want it to fall below and loose my Top rated status. How can i communicate with the client to allow me to bill more hours to the amount of the the promised $600 bonus. I really don't want to say anything that can upset him where he ends up giving me bad private feedback simply because he didn't want to pay me. I cannot afford to have my JSS decrease.

Please advice on how i can best communicate with the client effectively without comming off as being demanding. afterall i can't work for free, it won't be fair, how can i get him to understand my possition as the bonus is not a guaranteed, that his pushing me to a corner to take an unfair risk.

Please advice, Thanks

[colettelewis]

I would be uncomfortable doing this too and if it were me I wouldn't accept. However, a contract does not necessarily have to be closed to get paid as a bonus, but it is inadvisable.  I would suggest to your client that if he would prefer, to close the contract and to open a new fixed-price contract for the new job.  But if he agrees to do this, make sure you are both on the same page vis à vis price and that your client funds escrow with the amount agreed.  You are less protected  with a fixed-price contract, so you need to really trust your client.  For me, his suggestion does raise a few red flags.

Keep your proposal professional.  Go back to him with your offer and your price. It is sometimes quite hard to do this. But you are your own boss, not an employee.  If he decides to end the contract and gives you feedback that brings your JSS below 90, you have two weeks in which to use your TR perk to have the entire feedback removed, which should keep your JSS stable (provided you haven't recently used the perk).

[nguyuza_sandile]

Thanks Nichola, this is really great advice, I will definately suggest a fixed contract. Great Approach. 

So when they remove the Feedaback it also removed the bad feedback from my JSS calculation?

[25005175]

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/219801228-Feedback-Removal

[nguyuza_sandile]

Thank you, This is very helpful.

[prestonhunter]

re: "this is really great advice, I will definately suggest a fixed contract."

Good luck.

Personally?
I think I would have already BLOCKED this client from ever being able to contact me again.

[prestonhunter]

re: " Client is asking for more work and promises to pay me as bonus "

[jeremiah-brown · Accepted solution]

"Sir/Ma'am, 
I appreciate the opportunity to create this presentation for you.  I would be more than happy to add the business plan into our current scope of work.  Rather than use a bonus for this, lets address it at the hourly rate of $_____, not to exceed _____ hours.  I will update the time tracker so that the notes accurately reflect this new task."

If the client is trying to get work for future pay,

"Sir/Ma'am,
At this time I am unable to extend net payment terms to clientele and customers.  Thank you for your understanding."

[25005175]

At this time I am unable to extend net payment terms to clientele and customers.  Thank you for your understanding."

---

Sometimes I forget that businesses regularly expect to pay 15-60 days from the receipt of a service, and expect their clients to do the same.

[prestonhunter]

re: "Sometimes I forget that businesses regularly expect to pay 15-60 days from the receipt of a service, and expect their clients to do the same."

Well, certainly not all businesses accept anything of the sort.

[jeremiah-brown]

Edit - comment is to Jonathan

Smart businesses leverage it to increase their cash flow liquidity.  Depending on where the business is with respect to quarterly reporting, increased cash flow liquidity can help pad their P&L statements.