Checklist
Client fit checklist
Use this after a first conversation and before you send a quote. It is easier to decline or reshape a poor-fit project than to rescue one halfway through. Tick what is true. The unticked items are the questions to ask or the risks to price in. Allow about 10 minutes.
Your ticks are saved only in this browser, on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
How to read the result
There is no passing score, because one serious red flag can outweigh ten ticks. A missing tick on clarity can often be fixed with a discovery call. A missing tick on money, written agreements or respect is harder to repair, so weigh those more. If several boxes are empty, you have three options: ask more questions, change the offer (a smaller first project, a deposit, stricter scope), or decline politely.
The common red flags
Vague scope means the client cannot say what success looks like, which makes approval hard later. Urgency without clarity often leads to rushed revisions and pressure on your boundaries. Discomfort with discussing price, or constant pressure to justify it, tends to continue after the work starts. Requests for free work, refusal of any written terms, and a story of previous freelancers who all let them down are worth a second look. None of these proves a client is bad. They tell you where to slow down.
Limits
This checklist is a thinking aid based on common freelance experience described in public guidance, not a prediction. Some good clients are disorganized at first, and some polished clients are hard to work with. Do not use it to discriminate against anyone on grounds protected by law, and keep decisions about each lead on the work, the money and the process.
Where this comes from
The items are general freelancing practice gathered from the site's own guides. They are not drawn from a formal standard or a study, and we have not tested them on real leads.