How to Reply When a Client Requests Work Outside the Agreed Scope

Acknowledge the extra request, state your understanding of the agreed work, and give a specific decision. If you can accept, explain the additional deliverables, price, timing, and approval needed before starting.

By MailCat · Published 9 October 2026

Separate the request from your decision

A client asking for more work has not told you whether the current deadline, budget, or priorities can change. Before answering, check what was agreed and what you can actually deliver. A friendly acknowledgment can open the conversation without approving the addition.

Choose among three useful answers: offer the addition under stated conditions, schedule it after the current work, or decline it. Avoid “No problem” when you still need to assess capacity or cost. The examples below illustrate communication choices; check your own agreement before describing a request as additional scope.

The request: two more deliverables, same deadline

In this fictional project, the agreed work is one desktop homepage design for $800, due Thursday. Social graphics are not included. The client has asked about three things: added work, delivery, and price. Each needs an answer, even if the answer is a condition or a decline.

Map the choice before writing

These are alternative fictional fact sets. Pick the one that matches your situation; do not borrow the example's availability or price as though it were yours.

Option one: accept with a stated fee and dependency

Here, Mira has checked her workload and can complete the graphics Thursday if the client approves the addition and supplies final copy by Tuesday noon.

Option two: defer the addition

In this alternative, Mira can do the graphics next Monday, but cannot fit them into Thursday's delivery. The price has been assessed independently of the first option.

Option three: decline the added work

Here, Mira has no capacity for the graphics and has no verified referral to offer. A clear decline is more useful than an unsupported suggestion that someone else can take the work.

If the original scope is unclear

Review the proposal and prior correspondence first. If they do not settle the question, write: “My understanding was that the current fee covers the desktop homepage. Could you point me to the part of our agreed brief that includes the graphics? I will check that before confirming a price or delivery date.” Resolve the uncertainty before declaring an extra charge or making a commitment.

Check the offer before sending

• Have you answered work, timing, and price separately?
• Are the exact deliverables and revision expectations clear?
• Did you check capacity and explain any input deadline?
• Does proposed work require approval before it begins?
• Are currency, tax treatment, recipients, and existing commitments correct?

If you use MailCat in desktop Gmail, supply your actual decision in the relevant cards or instructions. Compile Reply creates an editable preview; check that the fee and approval condition survived before explicitly inserting it and sending yourself. MailCat cannot approve extra work or establish your availability. For broader context, see professional client replies and the freelancer workflow. When feedback mixes revisions and new deliverables, use the client feedback guide.