Billing for Freelance Work

Question

One of my clients is starting to get lazy about paying when I send the bill. Out of courtesy (because he has never "not" paid) how long would you wait before sending a reminder?

2-3 days? 1 week?

This time he has really pushed it.

Thanks

Answer 1

its maybe a good idea to ask for a deposit in advance if they do miss a payment. then refuse to do any more work until the last bill is payed

Answer 2

I always get "warnings" when someone is not going to pay.  I always kick myself later because i didn't pay attention.  No more work for this client.  Stop.  And don't start again unless you are paid in advance.  If they refuse, you know what was going to happen.

This will happen to you many times in your business career.  You will never stop it.  But you can stop from using "wishful thinking" as a business approach. /

Answer 3

In your position I'd wait a week, maybe two, and if I waited two weeks I'd ask when I could expect the payment. If you're going to wait until it's a week overdue, it's usually sufficient to ask if they have "any news" on your payment. He could be waiting for a big receivable himself, hence the delay.