Keeping payments on track is
one of the toughest — and
touchiest — aspects of contracting.
A good payment schedule
covers the contractor's costs while
also being fair to the client.
If the schedule is too front-heavy
— that is, if the payments are
weighted toward the beginning of
the job — the client worries about
losing his leverage with the contractor.
If the payments are weighted
too much toward the end, the
contractor effectively lends the
customer money and runs the risk
of losing his shirt should the customer
default on those last big payments.
A good schedule avoids
both problems and is simple to use
and understand. This makes it easy
for the contractor to get paid and
sets