Getting paid on time, without chasing
2 articles on getting paid on time, for people who do the work first and send the bill afterwards. Almost every late payment is a process fault rather than an awkward customer: the terms were never stated, no deposit was taken, the invoice went out on a Friday, and nobody followed it up until it was six weeks old.
The order that gets you paid on time
Deposit, terms in writing, invoice the same day the job finishes, one polite reminder before the due date and a firmer one after it. Each of those is a five minute change, and together they’re usually worth more to a small business than a price rise, because the money you’re owed is money you have already earned.
Start with how to get paid faster: eight things that work, and keep the wording that gets an invoice settled for the message you hope not to send. If the admin is the part that beats you, the invoicing in your dashboard raises the estimate, turns it into an invoice, takes the card payment and chases the late ones on its own, and the booking calendar can take the deposit at the moment someone books.
Where to start
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Late payments: the wording that gets an invoice settled
Chasing late payment as a small business: the four messages that work, word for word, what your terms let you charge, and when to send a demand letter.
Iwan Petrescu · 9 min read
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How to get paid faster: eight things that actually work
How to get paid faster as a small business: eight changes that work, from deposits and payment terms to the wording that settles an overdue invoice.
Callum Reid · 8 min read
Questions
What people ask about getting paid
Short answers, with the long version linked. Anything not here, ask us on live chat or by email and a person answers, usually the same business day.
What payment terms should a small business use?
Fourteen days for consumers and small firms, thirty when you invoice a large company whose accounts run on a monthly cycle anyway. Whichever you pick, write it on the estimate as well as the invoice, because it’s where it becomes part of the agreement.
Can I charge interest on a late invoice?
If it’s written into your terms before the work starts, usually yes. There’s no federal statute that hands it to you automatically the way some countries have one, so it lives or dies on what the customer agreed to: put the rate and the grace period on the estimate and repeat them on the invoice. Your state caps how much you may charge, so check that figure before you set one. Late payments: the wording that gets an invoice settled has the four messages that usually make it unnecessary.
Should I take a deposit before starting work?
For anything over a few hundred dollars, yes. A quarter to a half covers your materials and confirms the customer is real, and it changes the last conversation from asking for money to asking for the balance. Taking deposits has the wording for regulars who have never been asked before.
What is the fastest way for a customer to pay me?
A card link in the invoice email. It’s one tap, and the money is with you the same week. An ACH transfer is free but relies on someone typing a routing number correctly, which is exactly the moment they decide to do it later.
Do I need accounting software to send an invoice?
No. Quotes, invoices, payment links and reminders are already in the dashboard your hosting carries, at no charge on top of it, and it exports what your accountant asks for. The invoicing page sets out what it does. An accountant is usually the point at which people add something more, and nothing here stops you handing them the export.
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