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maevey
Community Member

Reordering milestones after project begins

Hi,

 

I've engaged in a contract with my client where we agreed on several milestones before I began. The way we designed them was such that I could work on several milestones simultaneously (some tasks take longer than others) but make final deliveries and updates throughout the project. There has been a delay at my client's end in delivering some files that I need to begin one of my milestones.  While waiting to recieve the missing files I have completed a future milestone.  We're now at an impasse where my client cannot release the funds from the outstanding milestone to the one I have completed and I don't want to deliver the work I have done as it is not guaranteed funded.  

 

I read that it's possible to make a partial payment on a milestone and thus release the funds to future milestones. If this is done can my client then go back and pay the rest of the milestone later, once I have completed it? I don't want to be forced to accept the risk of unfunded milestones just to mainting client comfort.

 

Is there anything we can do?

7 REPLIES 7
hardorff
Community Member

Your client needs to approve the first milestone before the second one can be funded (as I've understood it).

maevey
Community Member

So if there is a delay, the whole job has to pause until that is resolved?  Even if I can be working towards other milestones?

hardorff
Community Member

Yes. You need to deliver the work on the first milestone before you can get paid for the second or third milestone.
IDK if it's possible for your client to make a bonus payment without any milestones have been paid yet. Maybe someone ells may know that?

Try giving this link to your client: Pay a Bonus
"To give a bonus not attached to a milestone

  1. Go to Jobs > My Jobs > Give bonus
  2. Fill out the bonus form and make payment"

The bonus would be a payment for a future milestone, but then the client has to carry the risk because a bonus is basically free money and since he/she already paid you for the future milestone,  I guess you could demand payment for the future milestone a second time (this is a guess).

In the future, to make your life easier, only do work for the milestone which is funded.

Hi Dimitri,

 

Just to confirm that clients can send bonus payments at any time.

 

Maeve, I would also like to remind you that our Fixed Price Protection does not cover promised funds and unfunded milestones. To learn more on how you`re protected on fixed price contracts, check out this Help Article. Thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork
mtngigi
Community Member


Maeve E wrote:

Hi,

 

I've engaged in a contract with my client where we agreed on several milestones before I began. The way we designed them was such that I could work on several milestones simultaneously (some tasks take longer than others) but make final deliveries and updates throughout the project. There has been a delay at my client's end in delivering some files that I need to begin one of my milestones.  While waiting to recieve the missing files I have completed a future milestone.  We're now at an impasse where my client cannot release the funds from the outstanding milestone to the one I have completed and I don't want to deliver the work I have done as it is not guaranteed funded.  

 

I read that it's possible to make a partial payment on a milestone and thus release the funds to future milestones. If this is done can my client then go back and pay the rest of the milestone later, once I have completed it? I don't want to be forced to accept the risk of unfunded milestones just to mainting client comfort.

 

Is there anything we can do?


Does your client need whatever it is you just completed? If not, why not just hold onto it and work on the first milestone when you have the files you need?  For future reference, this is one of the reasons it's best to ask for the first milestone to be fully-funded, because the client can then release payments in increments, and balances moves to the next milestone.

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