How to tell client I cant do any more changes till they pay invoice?

Question

I am new to freelancing. I have developed a project for a client. I am waiting for the final invoice to be settled - fixed price project. The client has requested revision changes 3 times. By revision changes I mean, I have presented the project to them and they have given me a list of changes to implement (this has occurred 3 times). Now I have been given a 4th list of revision changes.

I'm unsure how to phrase or communicate that I cannot do anymore change till my previous invoice has been paid. Can you provide some advice and/or examples?

Should I/can I simply say; I cannot perform your requested changes until the last invoice has been settled?

Answer 1

Assuming you have a contract stating the fixed price and the three changes, you simply refer to that very contract.

Having delivered the contractually agreed upon work, I am happy to work on further refinements. However, this will require payment of invoices and agreeing on a future hourly rate.

Insist on an hourly rate, as this benefits the client as well as you.

Continuing in a fixed price mode most often leads to a souring of the client relationship, as they naturally try to extract as much additional work from you as possible, often with no issue being too small.

Agreeing on a pay-as-you-go hourly rate means every change costs them money, which limits their nice-to-haves and will result in a more rapid final delivery and probably avoids ending badly.

Answer 2

In my 6 months of freelancing I have faced these kinds of clients many times. At first I didn't mention the charge for extra revisions, which turned into a problem pretty quickly. But nowadays I give a fixed package with 3 revisions. If they want more, they have pay extra. I clear the terms beforehand.

tldr; say it straight: if you are working extra, you should be paid extra, and clear the revision terms before starting any future projects.