Force clients to make all milestones as funded and equal to contract price.

[viktarbel]

I'd like to suggest some solution that will help to protect freelancers more.
1. Currently, when contract is started (let's say for $200) then client can create any number of milestones with any amount (let's say) $50. It would be funded milestone but he is able to not create any other milestones with the rest of the sum.
2. If client creates 2 milestones (let's say $50 & $75) then one of them can be funded but the other one can be "not funded". Then when he closes the contract and pays the rest of the sum with some other way then if he has some issues with his payment method then you don't have a guarantee to get all (not funded) milestones or the rest payment in that case.

So my suggestion is to force clients to make any milestones as funded and that amount of all milestones should be equal to agreed contract price.

Some examples:
Contract is for $200.

1. Client wants to create one funded $200 milestone.
2. Client wants to create 2 funded milestones (it can be $100 & $100 or $50 & $150 or $120 & $80 but all of them should ve equal to $200 - you see the pattern).

The same is with more milestones. Then the freelancer has some safety to get all payments if the work is done.

Some clients just don't know how to do some things and they ask me how to do it but I don't know - I don't have a client's account. If you'd insist so you should create only funded milestones and wait while they do it and check that amount is correct then they can just find another freelancer.

I created a support ticket already to make this suggestion but I thought if more freelancers would agree with me then they will take it more seriously.

Don't you think it's a good idea?

[wlyonsatl]

Viktar,

Rule 1) Don't start work on a milestone that hasn't been fully funded by the client. 

Rule 2) If you decide to ignore Rule 1), don't submit work to a client to complete a milestone if that milestone isn't fully funded.

Once you submit the work for a milestone, the client has 14 days to object to the milestone payment being released. (Don't re-submit the work - that restarts the 14-day clock.) You can tell the client you will work on the next milestone, but let the client know you won't submit that work until the previous milestone's payment is released. Most (honest) clients will confirm payment on each milestone pretty quickly, so they don't have to wait 14 days for you to submit the work for the next milestone.

Any client who expects you to do otherwise is either dishonest or doesn't understand how Upwork's fixed price contracts with milestones work.

[viktarbel]

Hi Will,

Thanks for your reply. But you know it's not that easy in the web development.

If client is planning to create 2 milestones then it's hard to evaluate that half work was already done for example (or 2/3).

And usually you can't not submit your work to a client because you work on their site and they see everything.

I believe it would be easier for Upwork to make all milestones funded without any alternatives like empty milestones.

[kat303]

Viktar - Each milestone must include the scope of work to be done. and the amount of payment you expect to receive. I don't know anything about web development. But, I'm assuming that milestones are worked the same way in all categories. If the 1st milestone equals the most amount of work then it should be funded with the most amount of money equivalent to the amount of work. Once you compete the scope of the milestone, then you wait for the next milestone to be funded before starting work. If the clients sees what you're doing, that's great, as they will see you are working on what you're supposed to be working on for whatever milestone.

[jefframlee]

Clients do actually have the option to fund the whole project. Then set up contracts as they go along, or even layout all the milestones from the get-go.

And as you may already have gathered, they even have the option to only fund the first milestone.

[viktarbel]

Jeff,

"And as you may already have gathered, they even have the option to only fund the first milestone." - this is a bad thing in my opinion. They can fund the whole project (but if they don't want this they can easily fund only one piece) and they can fund only first milestone so why do we need as freelancers other milestones that aren't funded at all?