The Freelancer Guide to Getting Paid on Time

Chasing money is the least enjoyable part of freelancing and the most avoidable. Almost every late payment traces back to a decision made before the work began.

Get the money committed before you start

This is the whole point of escrow. When a milestone is funded, the money has already left the client's account. Payment is no longer a decision they have to make later, under pressure, competing with their other bills.

A freelancer who starts work on an unfunded milestone has extended credit to a stranger.

Invoice immediately

Not at the end of the month, not when you get around to it. The day the work is delivered, while it is the most recent thing on their mind and the value is obvious.

Make the terms explicit and short

Net thirty is a convention, not a law. Net seven is perfectly reasonable for freelance work, and clients pay it. Whatever you choose, write it on the invoice and in the agreement.

Chase early, calmly, in writing

One day after the due date, not three weeks. A short factual note, no apology and no anger:

Invoice 0042 was due yesterday. Could you confirm when it will be processed?

Most late payments are administrative. Somebody forgot, or it needs a second approval, and a prompt reminder resolves it.

Stop work at the boundary

If a milestone is unpaid, do not start the next one. Say so plainly and without drama. Continuing to work while unpaid teaches the client that payment is optional, and it makes the eventual conversation much harder.

The pattern to watch

One late payment is life. A second is a pattern. Decide then whether this client works on prepayment or not at all, while you still have the leverage of work they want.