Comments on: Quit Chasing Payments: 3 Easy Ways to Get Paid on Time

By: Yvette Montague

Yvette Montague — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 19:04:00 +0000

For smaller jobs, payment is due upfront, or work will not start. For ongoing work, the Freshbooks recurring invoice feature with the ability to automatically roll hours worked to the invoice is perfect. Once an invoice is over 60 days, I suspend services until the account is brought up-to-date.

By: LMKWeb

LMKWeb — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 15:03:00 +0000

Monthly invoicing, automated reminders and late payment fees have substantially improved my cash flow.

By: Matthew Lee

Matthew Lee — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 16:04:00 +0000

I always collect a 50% deposit upfront. It definitely weeded out most of the slow payers and made my cashflow much more predictable as I was making draws against the deposits rather than waiting on clients to pay.

By: Ana Tirolese

Ana Tirolese — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 00:43:00 +0000

I now ask for a deposit up front before I start work. I have been burned one time too many.

By: Jules Webb

Jules Webb — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 03:54:00 +0000

For new clients I get a 50% deposit upfront. Current clients that have paid responsibly get invoiced monthly. I have been extremely fortunate to have clients who pay and pay timely.

By: Peter Metzger

Peter Metzger — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 02:47:00 +0000

Thankfully with my current business we have regular customers who get invoiced at the beginning of each month, and most of them pay very promptly (having online payments is a big help). In the past when I did more freelance photography and video production, I always used a contract and collected a 50% retainer fee up front, with the remainder due two weeks prior to shooting (for big jobs) or on the day of the shoot (for smaller jobs). This system worked pretty well.

By: Kerstin Auer

Kerstin Auer — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 20:12:00 +0000

I always invoice retainer clients at the beginning of the month, and have as many as possible set up on automatic payment.

By: Slayden

Slayden — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 20:04:00 +0000

We take a 30% non refundable retainer fee, it helps secure some form of payment in case their shoot doesn’t go ahead. The final payment is due one week before the event/shoot so that there’s no awkward chasing around for money afterwards.

By: Mat O'Flynn

Mat O'Flynn — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 19:42:00 +0000

Taking a revolving retainer up front has been a game changer for us. In my experience clients are actually excited to pay the next retainer because they are looking forward to getting the tasks they need help with completed.