How to avoid unlimited revisions
"Until the client is satisfied" turns a fixed price into an open-ended job. A good revisions clause says how many rounds are included, what a round is, and what happens after.
Why it matters
Revisions are where fixed-price projects lose money. Each round looks small, but with no limit there is no end, and the final payment often waits for a sign-off that never comes.
What a fair clause says
- How many rounds are included, for example two rounds per deliverable.
- What a round is: one set of consolidated feedback, sent at once, not a stream of messages.
- What a revision is not: a new direction, a new deliverable or a change to the brief is a change request with its own price.
- The rate after that: an hourly rate or a fixed price per extra round.
- A feedback deadline: if the client is silent for a set time, the work counts as approved.
Talking to the client about it
Most clients accept a limit when it is framed as planning, not as a restriction: "Two rounds are included so we can plan the schedule; anything beyond that I quote separately, so you always know the cost first."
Connected clauses
Revisions interact with payment on acceptance (no acceptance deadline means no payment date) and with termination (a client who stops the project mid-revisions should still pay for the work done).
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ between countries and states, and a clause that is common in one place can be unenforceable in another. For a high-stakes contract, ask a lawyer where you or your client are based.
Check your contract before you sign it
Upload a client contract (PDF or DOCX) and SoloOps shows the terms worth discussing, the protections that are missing and what to ask for. Your first check every month is free. No card needed.
Check a contract free