Free Client Vetting Checklist for Freelancers
Word
What this is
Who it's for: Freelancers who want to spot risky clients before accepting a job, not after the first missed payment.
Score a new client in minutes before you quote a final figure or start unpaid work, and get a clear proceed, proceed-with-caution or decline band.
Free in full — download it and use it on your own freelance work.
This checklist is a judgement aid built from common freelance experience. It is not legal advice, not a background-check service, and passing it does not guarantee payment or good behaviour. A client can pass every check and still be difficult. For high-value work, use a proper written contract and, if needed, independent legal advice.
User manual
- Print the document, or fill it in Word, before you accept a new client.
- Score all 20 checks (Yes = 2, Unsure = 1, No = 0, maximum 40) and note your evidence for each one.
- Read your band plus the hard-stop rule, then send the matching safe reply from the checklist.
- Keep the completed sheet with the project file as your record.
Requirements
Word, LibreOffice or any app that opens .docx files.
Download details
Format: Word
What is inside: client-vetting-checklist.docx + cover.png
Download free — client-vetting-checklist.docx (42.6 KB)
- client-vetting-checklist.docx — 42.6 KB
Questions
What do the score bands mean?
32–40 Green means proceed, still with a contract and deposit. 20–31 Amber means proceed only with written scope, deposit and milestones, or a small paid test first. 0–19 Red means decline or paid test only.
What is the hard-stop rule?
Refusing any written agreement or any deposit caps you at Amber, and demanding free full work as a 'test' or asking for your passwords or logins is an automatic Red.
What are the five red-flag scripts?
Exposure payment, vague scope plus an impossible rush, refusing any contract or deposit, free full work disguised as a test, and dodgy payment or a client who is not who they claim — each with what to check and a safe reply.
Is this the same as the client intake form pack?
No. That pack is post-acceptance intake, collecting the brief after you have said yes. This checklist is pre-acceptance vetting: use vetting first, intake second.
What is the safest rule if I am unsure?
Get it in writing, get a deposit actually received (not just promised) before substantive work begins, and keep copies of every message that sets scope, price or deadlines.