Waiting to get paid is one of the most stressful parts of freelancing, and one of the most fixable. Most late payments aren't a client deciding to stiff you. They're an invoice that was unclear, easy to ignore, or sent to the wrong person. Tighten those up and the money arrives on time far more often.
Here's how to build payment terms that work, before you're stuck chasing one.
Agree on terms before the work starts
The best time to settle how and when you get paid is before you've done anything. Put it in writing at the start: your rate, your payment terms, and for larger projects, a deposit. A 25–50% deposit up front does two jobs — it covers you, and it filters out clients who were never serious about paying.
This conversation feels awkward the first time and never again. Clients who intend to pay won't blink at clear terms. The ones who push back are telling you something useful.
Invoice immediately, and put a real date on it
Send the invoice the day the work is done, while the value is fresh in the client's mind. An invoice that lands two weeks later competes with everything else on their desk.
And give it an actual due date, not a vague window. "Payment due within 30 days" quietly becomes "whenever." "Payment due October 12" gets paid around October 12. The mechanics of a clean invoice are worth getting right — our step-by-step invoicing guide covers them.
Make paying you effortless
Every bit of friction is a reason to put your invoice off. Include the payment details right on it: bank info, a payment link if you use one, the currency if the client is abroad. The client should never have to email you to ask how to pay.
Send to the right person
At a bigger company, the person you work with often isn't the person who pays. Your invoice can sit perfectly visible in your contact's inbox and never reach accounts payable. Ask early who should receive invoices, and send straight to them. This one detail clears up a surprising share of "lost" invoices.
Follow up early, and without apology
If the due date passes, send a short, friendly reminder the next day. Don't wait a week, and don't apologize for asking to be paid for work you did. Most overdue invoices are simply buried, and a one-line "bumping this to the top of your inbox" resolves them. Keep it factual: the invoice number, the amount, the due date.
If you have to escalate, the second reminder is firmer and references your agreed terms. Most relationships never get that far.
Let your tools do the chasing
You shouldn't have to remember which invoices are overdue. Keep your time, invoices, and their status in one place so you can see at a glance who has paid and who hasn't. Gigtime tracks each invoice from sent to paid and can flag overdue ones for you, so following up takes a minute instead of an afternoon. Start free — 30-day Pro trial, no credit card required.