How to set up Client Payments on a Webflow site as a freelancer or agency

Setting up Client Payments lets you hand off Site plan hosting costs directly to your client, so Webflow bills them each month instead of charging your card. You retain full Designer and publishing access unless you choose to transfer the site entirely later.

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1. Before you start: prerequisites

To set up Client Payments successfully, make sure:

You have the right Workspace plan:

• Client Payments is available on Freelancer, Agency, and Enterprise Workspace plans.
• If you're on a Core or Growth Workspace plan, you may not have access to Client Payments—you'll need to upgrade your Workspace first.

The site is in your Workspace:

• The site must be inside your agency/freelancer Workspace, not already transferred to the client's Workspace.
• If the site is in the client's Workspace, they should add their own Site plan directly—Client Payments is only for agency → client billing handoff.

The site is ready to go live:

• The site should be fully designed, tested, and ready to publish on a custom domain.
• Client Payments is typically set up at launch, not during development (though you can technically send the request earlier).

You have the client's email address:

• You'll need a valid email address for the client to send the payment request.

The site does NOT already have a Site plan:

• If you've been paying for a Site plan yourself during development, you'll need to remove or cancel it before sending the Client Payment request (Webflow will guide you through this in the setup flow).

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2. Step-by-step: set up Client Payments

Step 1 – Open the Client management settings

1. In your Webflow Dashboard, open the Client Management tab on the left side menu.

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Step 2 – Choose the site you want to charge your client for

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Step 3 – Choose the Site plan tier

Webflow will ask you to select which Site plan the client should pay for:

• Basic ($14/month) – for simple static sites, no CMS or ecommerce.
• CMS ($23/month) – for content-driven sites with CMS collections.
• Business ($39/month) – for high-traffic sites, more bandwidth, additional features.
• Ecommerce Standard ($29/month), Ecommerce Plus ($74/month) or Ecommerce Advanced ($212/month)– for online stores.

How to choose:

• Select the plan tier that matches the site's features and expected traffic.
• If the site uses CMS collections, you need at least the CMS plan.
• If the site has an online store, choose an Ecommerce plan.
• If you're unsure, start with the tier you've been testing on, and the client can upgrade later if needed.

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Step 4 – Choose billing frequency (monthly or yearly)

Webflow will ask if the client should be billed monthly or yearly.

Monthly:

• Client pays every month (e.g. $29/month for CMS).
• More flexibility for the client—easier to cancel or adjust.
• No upfront commitment.

Yearly:

• Client pays once per year (e.g. $276/year for CMS = ~$23/month, saving ~20%).
• Client saves money with the annual discount.
• Requires a bigger upfront payment from the client.

Recommendation for agencies:

• Most agencies default to monthly for client flexibility and easier onboarding.
• Suggest yearly only if the client has budget and wants to save, or if you've negotiated a long-term maintenance contract.

Step 5 – Enter the client's email and add a message (optional)

1. Enter the client's email address (make sure it's correct—this is where the payment request will be sent).
2. Optionally, add a personal message to the invitation email (e.g. "Hi [Client], here's the hosting plan we discussed for your new site. Please review and add your payment details to go live. Let me know if you have any questions!").
3. The message appears in the email invitation the client receives, so keep it professional and clear.

Step 6 – Review and send the request

1. Double-check:
   • Client email address is correct.
   • Site plan tier and billing frequency are what you agreed on.
   • Optional message is clear and helpful.
2. Click Send payment request or Send invitation.

Webflow immediately sends an email invitation to the client with a link to accept the payment request.

Step 7 – Wait for the client to accept

The client receives an email from Webflow titled something like:

"You've been invited to pay for hosting on [site name]"

The email includes:

• A summary of what they're being asked to pay for (Site plan, monthly cost).
• Who sent the request (your agency name).
• A call-to-action button to review and accept the payment.

Once the client clicks the link:

1. They land on a Webflow-hosted checkout page.
2. They enter their payment details (card, billing address, VAT number if applicable).
3. They review the subscription terms and click Accept and pay.
4. Webflow charges their card immediately for the first month (or year).
5. The client receives a confirmation email and invoice from Webflow.

Step 8 – Confirm the client accepted and publish the site

Back in your Webflow Site settings → Hosting → Client Payments, you'll see the status change from:

• "Payment request sent" → "Client payment active" (or similar).

Once the client's payment is accepted:

1. Go to the Webflow Designer and open the site.
2. Click Publish and select the custom domain (if you've already connected it).
3. The site goes live on the client's domain, hosted and billed under the client's card.

Congratulations—Client Payments is now active, and the client is paying Webflow directly for hosting!

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3. What happens after Client Payments is active

Monthly billing:

• Webflow automatically charges the client's card every month on the same date they first accepted the payment.
• The client receives a monthly invoice via email.
• You (the agency) see the billing status and renewal date in Site settings → Hosting → Client Payments.

Your access:

• You retain full Designer, CMS, and publishing access unless you explicitly transfer the site to the client's Workspace.
• You can continue making changes, publishing updates, managing CMS content, etc.

Client's access:

• The client does not automatically get Designer or CMS access—you need to invite them separately as a Workspace member, guest, or Editor if you want them to manage content.
• The client cannot cancel or change the Site plan themselves—they must contact you to request changes.

Notifications:

• If the client's payment fails, both you and the client are notified by Webflow.
• You can see the payment failure in Site settings → Hosting → Client Payments and take action (contact client, take over billing temporarily, etc.).
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4. How to manage an active Client Payment subscription

Once Client Payments is active, you can:

View billing status:

1. Go to Site settings → Hosting → Client Payments.
2. You'll see:
   • Current Site plan tier and billing frequency.
   • Next billing date and amount.
   • Payment status (active, failed, past due).
   • Client's billing email (but not their full card details—that's private).

Change the Site plan tier (upgrade/downgrade):

1. In Site settings → Hosting → Client Payments, click Change plan or Upgrade/downgrade.
2. Select the new plan tier (e.g. upgrade from CMS to Business).
3. Webflow calculates proration and charges (or credits) the client on their next invoice.
4. The client is notified of the plan change via email.

Switch billing frequency (monthly ↔ yearly):

1. In Site settings → Hosting → Client Payments, look for a billing frequency toggle.
2. Click Switch to annual or Switch to monthly.
3. Webflow applies proration and notifies the client.

Pause or cancel Client Payments:

1. In Site settings → Hosting → Client Payments, click Pause payments or Cancel.
2. Webflow stops billing the client at the end of the current cycle.
3. The site remains live until the cycle ends, then is unpublished unless you add your own Site plan.

Take over billing yourself (reverse the handoff):

1. Pause or cancel Client Payments.
2. Add your own Site plan from Site settings → Hosting → Site plan.
3. Your card is now charged instead of the client's.

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5. What to do if the client doesn't accept the payment request

If the client doesn't click the link or accept the payment within a reasonable time (e.g. 1–2 weeks):

Follow up with the client:

• Send a friendly reminder via email or phone.
• Check if they received the email (check spam/promotions folder).
• Ask if they have questions about the cost, terms, or how to complete the payment.

Resend the payment request:

1. Go to Site settings → Hosting → Client Payments.
2. Look for a Resend request or Resend invitation button.
3. Click it to send the email again to the same address (or update the email if it was wrong).

Cancel and send a new request:

• If the original request is stuck or expired, you can cancel it and send a fresh payment request with a different email or plan tier.

Temporarily pay for hosting yourself:

• If the client is slow to respond but you need the site live immediately, add your own Site plan to the site temporarily.
• Once the client is ready, remove your Site plan and send the Client Payment request.

Important: the site cannot go live on a custom domain until either the client accepts the Client Payment request or you add your own Site plan.

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6. Common issues and troubleshooting

Issue 1: "I don't see the Client Payments option in site settings"

Causes:

• Your Workspace plan doesn't support Client Payments (you need Freelancer, Agency, or Enterprise).
• The site already has an active Site plan—cancel it first.
• You're trying to set up Client Payments on a site in the client's Workspace, not your own.

Solution:

• Upgrade your Workspace plan if needed.
• Cancel any existing Site plan on the site.
• Make sure the site is in your Workspace, not the client's.

Issue 2: "The client says they can't complete the payment"

Causes:

• Their card is being declined by their bank.
• They're in a country where Webflow doesn't support direct billing (rare, but possible).
• They don't have a valid payment method (e.g. they only have PayPal, which Webflow doesn't accept for subscriptions).

Solution:

• Ask the client to try a different card or contact their bank to authorize the charge (Webflow processes payments via Stripe in the US, which some banks flag).
• If the client absolutely can't pay directly, you may need to pay for hosting yourself and invoice the client separately.

Issue 3: "The client accepted, but the site is still not live"

Causes:

• You haven't published the site to the custom domain yet.
• The custom domain DNS isn't configured correctly.

Solution:

• Open the site in the Designer and click Publish → select the custom domain.
• Check Site settings → Hosting → Custom domains to verify DNS is connected and SSL is active.

Issue 4: "I sent the request to the wrong email address"

Solution:

1. Go to Site settings → Hosting → Client Payments.
2. Click Cancel request or Revoke invitation.
3. Send a new payment request to the correct email address.

Issue 5: "The client wants to pay yearly but I sent a monthly request"

Solution:

1. Ask the client not to accept the current request.
2. Cancel the request in site settings.
3. Send a new request with annual billing selected.

Alternatively, if the client already accepted monthly, you can switch to annual from Client Payments settings after activation (Webflow will prorate and charge the difference).

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7. Best practices for Client Payments

Communicate clearly with the client before sending the request:

• Explain what they'll be paying for (hosting only, not your design/dev services).
• Confirm the monthly cost and billing frequency upfront.
• Set expectations: "You'll receive an email from Webflow to set up hosting. It's safe and secure—just follow the link and add your card."

Send the request at the right time:

• Wait until the site is fully approved and ready to launch before sending the payment request.
• Don't send it too early (client may forget or get confused), and don't send it too late (delays going live).

Use the optional message field:

• Add a personal note in the invitation email to reassure the client and provide context.
• Example: "Hi Sarah, here's the hosting plan we discussed ($29/month for the CMS plan). Once you complete this, your site will go live at yourdomain.com. Let me know if you have any questions!"

Plan for payment failures:

• Add the client's billing email to your CRM or project tracker so you're reminded to check payment status monthly.
• If a client's payment fails, contact them immediately—don't wait for Webflow to unpublish the site.

Document the handoff:

• Keep a record of when you sent the Client Payment request, when the client accepted, and the renewal date.
• Share the client's Webflow invoice link (from their confirmation email) so they know where to update their card if needed.

Retain Designer access (or transfer the site cleanly):

• By default, you keep Designer and publishing access with Client Payments active—great for ongoing maintenance.
• If you're fully handing off the site, transfer it to the client's Workspace after Client Payments is set up so they have full control.

8. Can you mark up hosting costs with Client Payments?

No—Client Payments bills the client at Webflow's standard pricing (e.g. $29/month for CMS plan).

You cannot add a markup or service fee on top of the Webflow hosting charge when using Client Payments.

If you want to mark up hosting:

• Pay for the Site plan yourself using your own card.
• Invoice the client separately for "hosting + maintenance" at a higher rate (e.g. charge them $50/month while you pay Webflow $29, keeping a $21 margin).

Pros and cons:

MethodProsConsClient Payments (no markup)Clean, automated, no manual invoicing, client sees transparent Webflow pricingYou can't add a hosting marginPay yourself + invoice client (with markup)You can add a margin/markup, more control over pricingYou carry the hosting cost upfront, manual invoicing required, more accounting overhead

Many agencies use Client Payments for simple hosting handoffs and reserve self-billing with markup for clients on retainer or maintenance packages.