A fair website advance payment is usually 30 to 50 percent, followed by a mid-project payment after you approve the design or see a working staging site, and the balance on launch. Each payment should follow work you can see. Paying 100 percent upfront removes your leverage; paying nothing until the end is unfair to the developer.
Key Takeaways
- Milestones protect both sides: the developer is paid for progress, and you pay only for work you can see.
- A 30 to 50 percent advance is common; larger advances need a good reason.
- Define each milestone as a visible result, such as an approved design or a working staging site.
- Hold the final payment until the site is live and handed over.
- Keep receipts and confirmations of every payment and approval.
How Website Advance Payment and Milestones Work
A milestone payment plan splits the price into stages. You pay an advance to start, then further payments as visible work is delivered and approved. The developer has income to cover early work, and you keep leverage until the project is finished. It is the standard structure for fixed-price website projects, and it is how we work on every project.
Example Payment Schedules in PKR
| Project | Advance | Mid-project | On launch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small website, Rs 40,500 | 40% after scope approval | 30% after design approval | 30% after launch and handover |
| Business website, Rs 85,500 | 40% after scope approval | 30% when staging site is ready | 30% after launch and handover |
| Online store, Rs 157,500 | 30% after scope approval | 40% when the store works on staging with test orders | 30% after launch and handover |
| Web application, from Rs 360,000 | Usually four or more milestones, each tied to a working feature set | ||
The percentages are examples. What matters is that each payment follows something you can see and test.
What You Should See Before Each Payment
| Milestone | Evidence before paying |
|---|---|
| Advance | A written scope, price, timeline and agreement |
| Design approval | Homepage and key page designs on desktop and mobile |
| Staging site | A working site on a test address that you can click through on your phone |
| Launch | The live site, plus all logins, files and documentation |
Why Not Pay 100% Upfront?
Full payment upfront removes your only leverage. If the developer becomes slow, changes priorities or disappears, you have no simple way to recover the money or the work. Some developers offer a discount for full payment; the discount rarely outweighs the risk. Our guide to choosing a developer lists this as one of the main red flags.
Why Not Pay Everything at the End?
Asking a developer to work for weeks with no payment is unfair and attracts only those who need work urgently. It also creates pressure to cut corners. A reasonable advance shows commitment and allows the developer to plan the work properly.
What If You Disagree at a Milestone?
- Compare the work with the written scope, not with new ideas added since.
- List specific issues in writing and agree a date to fix them.
- Pay for what has been delivered if the project must stop, and request the work in progress.
- Use the agreement's ending clause, as described in our contract checklist.
Payments for Overseas Clients
For clients in the UK, the Gulf and elsewhere, we invoice in Pakistani rupees and receive payment by international bank transfer, using the same milestone schedule. The written quote states the exact amount for each milestone before the advance is paid. Read our handover checklist to know what to request before the final payment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How We Researched This Guide
The schedules reflect our own milestone structure, published on our pricing page, applied to our published prices. Advice on staged review follows the GOV.UK Service Manual. The percentages are examples; your agreement sets the actual amounts.
Sources
- GOV.UK Service Manual — Agile delivery (staged delivery and review)
- Google Search Central — Do you need an SEO? (agreeing work with web professionals)
- ICANN — Registrants' benefits and responsibilities
Disclosure: Kamboh Associates sells the web development services discussed here. Other providers' prices are quoted from their own public pages on the dates shown and may have changed. We correct errors as soon as they are reported. First published ; last reviewed .
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