If you ask for the same deposit on most jobs, there’s no reason to type it in every single time. Set your standard deposit once in your preferences, and Fee-Lion pre-fills it on every new estimate you create — so getting paid up front becomes the default, not the afterthought.
Why set a default deposit
A deposit protects your time. It confirms the client is serious, covers your early effort, and gives you cash in hand before the work ramps up. The trouble is that deposits only happen consistently if they’re easy — and the easiest version is one you never have to remember.
When you save a default deposit percentage, every fresh estimate arrives with that number already filled in. You can still nudge it up or down per job, but you’ll never accidentally send a quote with no deposit on it again.
Set your default in Preferences
Your deposit default lives alongside your other estimate and payment settings, so it’s a two-minute change you’ll only make once.
- Open Settings from the left sidebar, then choose Preferences.
- Find the Estimates section (this is where your estimate-wide defaults live, near your payment terms and tax settings).
- Enter your standard figure in the deposit default field — for example, 30%.
- Save your changes. From now on, every new estimate opens with that deposit percentage already applied.
Tip: Deposit defaults are calculated as a percentage of the estimate total, so they scale automatically with the size of the job. A 30% default asks for $300 on a $1,000 quote and $900 on a $3,000 one — no math on your end.
Picking the right number
There’s no universal “correct” deposit, but a few starting points tend to work well for freelancers and studios:
- 25–35% is a common, friction-light range for project work — enough to feel committed, not so much that clients hesitate.
- 50% suits larger or longer engagements where you’re carrying real risk before final payment.
- 0% is a fine default if you mostly invoice after the fact or run recurring invoices — you can always add a deposit to the occasional estimate that needs one.
Default vs. per-estimate
Setting a default here doesn’t lock you in. The number you save is simply the starting point that appears on each new estimate. When a specific job calls for something different — a bigger upfront for a custom build, or none at all for a trusted repeat client — you can override the deposit right on that estimate without touching your global setting.
Think of the default as your house rule and the per-estimate field as the exception. The default handles the 80% of jobs that follow your usual terms, and you only think about deposits on the ones that don’t.
When the client sees it
Once your estimate is approved in the portal and converted to an invoice, the deposit shows up as the amount due up front. Your client hits Pay, the money lands in your own Stripe account, and the project starts on solid footing.
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