Hold Card / Waiting on client feedback

Free template

Waiting on client feedback.

You sent the draft. The ball is with them. Your calendar still shows the old due date. Copy this, fill the brackets, and put the hold in writing so the delay is not blamed on you later.

Subject: [Project]: timeline on hold pending your items

Hi [Client],

Hope you are well. I am pausing work on [Project] until I have what I need from your side. The original due date was [due date]. I have been waiting [N] days on items from your side.

What I need: [feedback / assets / approvals].

Timeline resumes when you send [those items].

Happy to resume as soon as those arrive. Thank you,
[Your name]

How to write a waiting-on-client email

Keep it to the facts. Who. What job. What you need. How long you have waited. When the clock resumes. Then stop.

1. Name the project in the subject so they do not have to hunt.
2. Say you are pausing on your side. Vague "just checking in" does not create a record.
3. List exactly what you need: feedback, files, or written approval.
4. Say when the timeline resumes. That is the hold. Without it, the old due date still looks like yours.

What this is not

This is a timeline hold note from you. It is not a contract rewrite. It is not legal advice. It is not a penalty.

• Do not invent fees for waiting unless your agreement already says so in writing.
• Do not dress this as a legal notice or threat. You are documenting a pause.
• Do not apologize for asking. Waiting on them is normal client work.

Why freelancers need the paper trail

Independent designers, developers, and consultants get blocked on feedback all the time. Weeks later someone asks why launch slipped. A clear email plus a one-page PDF they can forward is enough for most jobs.

Revisions stalled with silence? Read client not responding on revisions.