How to Get Paid for Commissions: Pricing, Deposits and Safe Payments
Commission work is where many artists and designers get burned: vague pricing, endless free revisions and clients who vanish before paying. Getting paid reliably comes down to written terms, money upfront and a payment method that leaves a record. Here is a complete system, from pricing to the final file.
Quick answer
To get paid for commissions, publish your prices and terms, collect the client's brief through a form, take a deposit before you start, and send the balance as a card or PayPal goods-and-services payment. Share watermarked previews for approval and release the full-resolution files only after the balance is paid. Keep every agreement and receipt in writing.
1. Work out what to charge
Start from time, not feelings. Estimate the hours a piece takes, multiply by the hourly rate you need, then round to a clean price per tier, such as sketch, flat colour and fully rendered. Add fixed extras for the things that add work: extra characters, detailed backgrounds, rush delivery and commercial use. Check what artists with similar skill and audience charge so you are in a sensible range, then raise prices when your queue stays full.
2. Publish clear commission terms
Write terms the client sees before they commit. Cover what each tier includes, turnaround time, how many revisions are included and what extras cost, what you will not draw, how and when payment is due, and your cancellation and refund policy. A common rule is that the deposit is non-refundable once sketching begins, because your time is already spent. Ask clients to confirm they agree in writing, for example by ticking a box on your intake form.
3. Collect the brief with an intake form
Chasing details across DMs is where scope creep starts. An intake form gathers the client's name, email, tier, description, intended use and deadline in one place. A OneSol form needs no sign-in for respondents and accepts file uploads up to 5 MB each, which suits reference images; ask for a link to a shared folder if references are bigger. Because every request arrives in the same format, you can compare quotes quickly and decline anything outside your terms before money changes hands.
4. Take a deposit before you start
Ask for a fixed part of the price upfront, such as half, before you begin, and full payment upfront for small or low-priced pieces where a split is not worth the admin. The deposit filters out clients who are not serious and covers your time if they disappear. If you invoice through Stripe, its Dashboard lets you charge part of an open invoice with 'Charge customer', and partial payments can be switched on in Invoice settings for the hosted invoice page. Two separate payments, deposit and balance, are just as clear.
5. Choose a payment method that protects both sides
Card payments through a checkout or invoice are trackable and give both sides a receipt. If you use PayPal, ask for a goods-and-services payment: PayPal lists Friends and Family payments as not eligible for its Purchase Protection, which makes clients wary, and US business accounts can no longer receive them from US senders. With OneSol you can connect your own Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay or Square account so commission payments go straight to it; selling through your own processor is part of the Pro plan. Avoid untraceable methods with new clients.
6. Share previews, then release finals on payment
Send work-in-progress images at milestones, such as sketch and colour, so changes happen early when they are cheap. Use a visible watermark or a reduced-size preview for approval. Once the client signs off, send the balance request and deliver the full-resolution, unwatermarked files only after it is paid. Use the revision count in your terms: when it is used up, further changes become a quoted add-on. Keep a copy of the delivery message as proof.
7. Spell out who owns the artwork
Under US law, a commissioned piece is only a work made for hire if it fits one of nine specific categories and both parties sign a written agreement saying so, according to the US Copyright Office. A transfer of copyright ownership must also be in writing and signed. In practice that means you usually keep the copyright and the client gets the usage rights you list, such as personal use, social media or commercial use. Price commercial use and full buyouts higher, and write the rights on the invoice.
8. Prevent chargebacks and disputes
Stripe recommends showing customers your full refund and cancellation policy before they pay and requiring them to agree to it, because a bare link may not count as proof. Keep all communication, since Stripe lets you submit messages and delivery evidence when you respond to a dispute. Set a recognisable statement descriptor in Stripe, between 5 and 22 characters, so clients don't dispute a charge they can't identify. PayPal's Seller Protection covers intangible items only in limited cases, so your written terms and records are your real protection.
9. When a client won't pay, and taxes
If the balance stalls, send a polite reminder with the invoice link, a second one a few days later, then pause the project and keep the finals; the non-refundable deposit already covers your time. Don't release full files on a promise. Treat commissions as business income and keep a simple log of each client, amount, date and payment method. In the US, the IRS says you must report income whether or not you receive a Form 1099-K.
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FAQ
Should I ask for payment before or after doing a commission?
Take a deposit before you start and the balance before you deliver the final files. For small pieces or brand-new clients, full payment upfront is a reasonable and common policy.
How big should a commission deposit be?
Choose a share that covers your time if the client backs out, such as half the price, and say it becomes non-refundable once work begins. Small pieces can simply be paid in full upfront.
How do I handle a client who keeps asking for changes?
Include a set number of revisions in each tier and quote a price for extra rounds. Because the limit is in your published terms, further requests become a paid add-on instead of an argument.
What is the safest way to get paid for commissions online?
Use card payments or a PayPal goods-and-services payment through an invoice or checkout, so there is a record and a receipt. Avoid friends-and-family transfers and untraceable methods, and keep your terms and messages for every job.
Does the client own the art they commission?
Not automatically. In the US, the artist usually keeps the copyright unless both sides sign a written transfer or a qualifying work-made-for-hire agreement. The client gets the usage rights you agree on, so write them down.
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