Earnest payment – in most jurisdictions this term has the meaning of advance payment (or deposit) per contract to demonstrate a commitment. When detailed as an earnest in a contract, per the provisions of the Contract Law in cases of non-performance by the party which has initially received it, then it may be claimed back, somewhere in double amount by the other party; or respectively to be kept by the party which has initially received it, if the party which paid the earnest, does not perform their obligations properly.