There's no fixed percentage an agency should take as a deposit before starting a project. The right amount depends on what you'll spend before the client sees any work, how long the project runs before its first sign-off and how well you know the client. A useful starting point is a deposit that covers the money and team time you commit to the first stage, with the rest invoiced at milestones agreed in writing.
In this article
The short version
- No rule sets a standard deposit percentage for agencies.
- Base the deposit on what you'll spend before the first sign-off.
- Project length, client history and your monthly costs all change the amount.
- Stage the rest of the fee at milestones written into the proposal.
- A payment link with pay by bank gets the deposit in quickly.
What changes the right deposit amount
You'll find plenty of agencies quoting a favourite percentage, but no rule or official guidance sets one. The Small Business Commissioner's advice is to ask for part of the payment up front to cover the cost of materials or labour, and to agree it in writing. So it's more useful to work out what that cost looks like on the project in front of you.
Five things tend to move the figure:
- Money you'll spend before delivery, such as freelance designers or developers, stock and font licences, plugins, hosting and media, all leaves your account before the client has anything to approve.
- The time before the first sign-off, since a two-week sprint carries less risk than a ten-week build where nothing is invoiced until launch.
- How well you know the client. An existing retainer client who has paid reliably for a year is a different proposition from a first-time buyer you met last month.
- The size of the job against your monthly costs. If losing the fee would make payroll tight, a larger share up front protects you.
- The way the rest of the fee is staged, because regular milestones let you take a smaller deposit and you're never far ahead of what's been paid.
None of these produce a single right answer. They give you a reason for the number you choose, which also makes it easier to explain to a client who pushes back. A client who can see the deposit covers real costs in the first few weeks is less likely to argue it down than one who's been quoted a percentage with no explanation.
A worked example for a website build
Say you've quoted £5,670 for a website build that runs about eight weeks. In the first three weeks you'll pay a freelance developer £1,240 and buy £190 of licences, so £1,430 leaves your account before the client signs off a design.
A deposit of £1,890 covers that outlay and part of your own team's time on discovery and design. The remaining £3,780 could then be split into two equal invoices of £1,890, one at design sign-off and one at launch.
Change the inputs and the split changes with them. If the same build came from a long-standing retainer client and needed no freelancers, a smaller deposit with more weight at launch would be easy to justify. If it needed a large media budget committed in week one, you'd want that covered before booking it.
How the deposit and the rest of the fee get paid
A deposit tends to be paid fastest when the client can pay it the moment they've signed, from whatever device they signed on. With Adfin, you can send the deposit invoice as a payment link by email, SMS or WhatsApp, and the client pays by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or pay by bank. Pay by bank reaches you the same day, which helps when your start date depends on the deposit arriving.
On larger deposits the method affects the fee. Adfin charges 1% + 20p per successful payment, and the percentage is capped at £4 on direct debit and bank payments, so a £1,890 deposit paid by bank costs £4.20. Cards are never capped, so the same deposit by standard card costs £19.10.
Once the deposit is in, ask the client to set up a direct debit or save a card as the next step. Milestone invoices are then collected on their due dates, and the client is told before each collection, so the balance doesn't depend on someone in their accounts team remembering. If an invoice does go unpaid, Adfin's collection agents can follow up within rules you approve, as part of the paid Enhanced credit control plan.
Whatever you decide, put it in the proposal. State the deposit, each milestone and its amount, when each invoice is due, and what happens to the deposit if the project is cancelled. Send it with the quote, so the client agrees the payment schedule at the same time as the price.
Common questions
What percentage deposit should a marketing agency charge? There's no standard percentage. Base it on what you'll spend before the first sign-off, how long the project runs and how well you know the client.
Should a web design deposit be refundable? That's your decision to make and write into the proposal, so the client knows what happens to the deposit if the project stops.
When should the balance of a project fee be paid? At milestones you've agreed in writing, such as design sign-off and launch, with a due date on each invoice.
Can a project fee be split into milestone payments? Yes. List each stage and its amount in the proposal, then invoice each one when it's reached.
What's the quickest way for a client to pay a deposit? A payment link they can open on their phone and pay by bank or card. Pay by bank usually reaches you faster than a card payment.
Should an agency start work before the deposit has cleared? That's your call. Some agencies hold the start date until the deposit arrives and say so in the proposal, which avoids an awkward conversation later.
Sources
- Small Business Commissioner - Ten tips for negotiating fair payment terms in your contract (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk/top-tips-for-contracts
- Small Business Commissioner - Building good payment practice in your new business (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk/help-and-guidance/all-advice/building-good-payment-practice-in-your-new-business/
- GOV.UK - Invoicing and taking payment from customers: payment obligations (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.gov.uk/invoicing-and-taking-payment-from-customers/payment-obligations
