Can we talk about a clause I saw in a contract template about 'killing fees'?

I was looking at a contract template from a freelance writer's group, and it had a section for a 'kill fee' of 25% if the client cancels the project after the work is started but before final delivery. I'd never seen that spelled out before (I usually just have a deposit). It made me think about how to handle mid-project cancellations fairly, especially for work that can't be resold. Do you think a 25% fee is standard, or is that too low for something like a half-finished website design? How do you all handle this in your own contracts?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivanp781h ago

Miaprice makes a good point about billing for actual work done. Would a kill fee plus payment for hours already logged be more fair than a flat rate?

miaprice2h ago

You said "mid-project cancellations," but that kill fee is for after work starts, not necessarily halfway through. A flat 25% is low for a half finished project because you can't bill for the time you already spent. It should be based on the work completed, like an hourly rate up to that point.