Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

c/billing-issues

4

michael_williams•3d ago

I finally figured out why my invoices kept getting 'lost' after 45 days

Turns out a client in Austin was filtering my emails straight to spam because I used the word 'overdue' in the subject line. I switched to saying 'gentle reminder' and suddenly they saw it within a day. Took me 3 months of chasing to learn that little trick. Anyone else run into weird filters like that?

23

casey268•3d ago

Heard a freelancer at a coffee shop say they send invoices with a 'due on receipt' note and get paid in 3 days flat

I always give 30 day terms and end up waiting 6 weeks, so maybe I should try their approach and see if it works without scaring off new clients.

5

gray314•4d ago

Net 30 terms cost me $1,200 last month with a flaky contractor

I had a contractor in Phoenix who paid on time for six months, so I gave them Net 30 terms on a $1,200 job. They ghosted me after I sent the invoice, no replies to emails or calls for three weeks. I finally drove to their shop and found out they shut down without warning. Now I'm stuck chasing a deadbeat through small claims court, and it's probably not worth my time. Has anyone else been burned by a long-term client suddenly going under?

15

troyc17•6d ago

Found out sending invoices on a Tuesday gets me paid 3 days faster

I read a study from FreshBooks that said invoices sent on Tuesday get paid 3.2 days faster on average than ones sent on Friday. I run a small repair shop in Phoenix and always used to batch my invoices Friday afternoon, thinking it didn't matter. Switched to Tuesday morning and my average payment time dropped from 18 days to about 14 days in just two months. Has anyone else seen a difference based on what day you send bills?

18

logan_anderson40•7d ago

Unpopular opinion: following up on invoices is 90% of getting paid on time

Been doing freelance graphic design on the side for about 3 years now. Used to think sending a clean invoice was the hard part. Turns out the real skill is sending the "hey just checking in" email at the right time. I had a client last month sit on a $750 invoice for 18 days. I sent a polite nudge on day 14, nothing. Sent another on day 18, paid within 4 hours. Anyone else notice this pattern or is it just my clients?

18

shane170•7d ago

Switched from net 30 to payment on delivery and my cash flow changed completely

For about 7 years I always billed clients on net 30 terms because that's what everyone in my field did. But after getting stiffed on a $1,200 invoice from a remodeler back in March of 2023, I decided to switch things up. Now I ask for payment right when I finish the job, or at least 50% upfront for bigger projects. Some clients grumbled at first, but the ones who pay on time actually prefer it because they don't forget about the bill later. My receivables went from averaging 45 days to under a week. Has anyone else dumped net terms entirely and seen their late payments disappear?

12

sean48•8d ago

Tried net-30 terms for the first time and got burned on a $3,200 invoice

I had this client in Phoenix who always paid on delivery, but last quarter they asked for net-30 terms. I figured it was a solid relationship so I agreed. Sent the invoice on June 1st and didn't see a dime until August 12th after three follow up calls and a formal letter. They kept saying the check was in the mail but it wasn't. I learned that net-30 just gave them permission to drag their feet without any consequence. Now I charge a 2% late fee after 15 days and require a deposit for anything over $1,000. Has anyone else had net-30 backfire like this with a client you thought you could trust?

21

blake_kelly19•9d ago

Three years of letting a client pay late finally clicked last week

I had this one commercial client who always paid 45 days late, and I just let it happen because I liked the work. Last week I was sitting in their lobby waiting for a check, watching the receptionist scroll on her phone, and it hit me that I was the only one stressed about it. I finally sent a note saying new terms are net 15 or 2% interest after that, and the owner called me an hour later to apologize and set up a payment plan. Has anyone else had a moment where you just snapped and changed how you do billing?

11

shane_wilson•9d ago

Took me 6 months to realize I was overpaying for a software subscription I barely used

I signed up for FreshBooks on a yearly plan back in January, thinking I'd use it for all my invoicing. Turns out I only sent like 4 invoices total and was paying $50 a month for features I never touched. Canceled it today after tallying up $300 down the drain. Has anyone else gotten burned by annual subscriptions that seemed like a deal at first?

14

casey268•11d ago

Tried sending invoices on a Tuesday morning instead of Friday afternoon

I used to batch all my billing Friday after lunch because I figured clients would see it over the weekend. But after 3 months of late payments averaging 12 days past due, I switched to Tuesday at 9am. Last month 8 out of 10 invoices were paid within 3 business days. Has anyone else noticed a specific day or time that gets faster results?

23

kevinw94•11d ago

Flat fee vs hourly for a 2 month project in Pittsburgh

I took on a website build for a local coffee shop chain. I quoted them a flat $4,500 because I thought I knew exactly what they wanted. But they kept adding features like a loyalty program and custom menu builder. It stretched to 3 months and I ended up making like $11 an hour. Should we stick to hourly rates for projects like this or just charge more upfront?

14

the_elizabeth•12d ago

Found the exact law that forces late payment interest in my state

I dug through my state's business code last night and found a statute that lets me charge 1.5% monthly interest on invoices over 30 days past due. Has anyone else actually used one of these laws to get a slow payer to finally send a check?

16

emma_jones•12d ago

Spent 3 hours on a '5 minute' invoice template fix

Last Tuesday I was sending out my monthly invoices and noticed the tax calculation was off by $12. I figured I'd just tweak the formula in my spreadsheet real quick. Three hours later I had rebuilt the entire sheet from scratch because the error went back to a column I set up in 2021. Turns out I had accidentally linked some cells to a discontinued rate table. Now I have to double check every single invoice I sent for the past 4 months. Has anyone else had a simple fix snowball into a whole day project?

13

laura_wilson•13d ago

Debate: is it worth chasing a $200 late fee or just let it slide?

I waited 45 days on a $850 check from a client who kept giving me the runaround, and when they finally paid I had to decide if adding a late fee was worth risking the whole relationship. Some folks say you gotta stand your ground, others say just take the money and move on. What do you do when a client is slow but not malicious?

7

brian_hart•14d ago

Had a client ghost me for 6 weeks after I sent the invoice for that kitchen remodel near Portland

I spent three days chasing them down and finally got paid $4,200 today but not after they tried to knock off $600 for a “delay” that was their fault, has anyone else had to deal with clients who just ignore the invoice until you call them out?

10

viola_garcia56•15d ago

Appreciation post: that late fee email template I found saved me $400

I had a customer in Austin who kept paying 2 weeks late every month for 6 months straight. I finally tried adding a friendly but firm late fee notice template at the bottom of my invoices instead of sending separate reminders. Has anyone else found one specific wording change that actually got slow payers to send money faster?

7

finley_smith•16d ago

Pro tip: started sending invoices with a 5 day net term instead of 30...

I normally give my clients 30 days to pay but I kept waiting 45 to 60 days for checks. Earlier this month I switched to net 5 terms on all my new contracts without warning anyone. Two clients got upset right away and one called me asking 'what changed?'. I told them I had bills to pay too. One of them actually paid within 3 days so far. The other one is still grumbling but at least I know where I stand. Has anyone tried shorter terms and gotten pushback or did folks eventually get used to it?

15

barbaradavis•16d ago

Vent: Took me 4 days to realize a dumb billing error on my end

I spent hours chasing a client who was 2 weeks late on a $800 invoice, only to find out I'd typed their email address wrong in the billing system so my reminders were going to spam the whole time. Has anyone else wasted forever on a simple mistake that was totally your own fault?

7

ben_fisher•18d ago

Spent 90 minutes on hold with a payment processor over a $78 fee

My invoicing platform charged me a $78 late fee for a payment that cleared on time. Called their support line and got bounced between three departments before someone found the glitch. The guy on the phone admitted their system tags payments wrong when the invoice number has a dash in it. Has anyone else dealt with automated billing systems charging fees for their own mistakes?

16

rivera.hannah•19d ago

Burned $150 on a so-called automated invoicing tool that double-billed my regulars

I signed up for this app called BillBee Pro back in March because the website promised it would save me 10 hours a week. First week it sent a client named Sarah two separate invoices for the same project. I thought okay glitch happens. Then it did it again to three more people the next month. I spent more time fixing errors than I did just sending invoices myself. Emailed support four times and got nothing back. So I cancelled after two months and lost $150. Anyone else fall for a billing tool that just created more work?

16

susan_allen•19d ago

A client's blunt feedback made me ditch my 30-day payment terms

I used to offer Net 30 to everyone, figuring it was standard. But a small client in Austin called me out after I sent my third reminder on a $2,400 invoice. They said 'you're basically giving me an interest-free loan and then acting annoyed I took it.' That stuck with me. I switched to Net 15 with a 2% discount for paying in 10 days, and I've seen payments come in 3 weeks faster on average. Has anyone else found a shorter window actually improved their cash flow?

23

wesley639•19d ago

Why does nobody talk about the "check arrived but it bounced" loophole

I had a client last month who mailed me a check for $1,200 and I was so relieved. Deposited it through my banking app and three days later it bounced with a $35 fee from my bank. Called the client and they said "oh yeah we forgot to move funds over, send it through again." Sent it again and it cleared but I'm still out that $35 fee and they won't reimburse me. Has anyone else dealt with checks that clear the first time but cause bank fees later?

19

jamesc79•21d ago

Can we talk about clients who "forget" to pay until you show up in person

I had a guy in Sandy Springs owe me $2,800 for a water heater swap and repipe job. Three weeks go by, he keeps saying he'll mail a check. Finally I just drove over there on a Friday afternoon with my invoice in hand and suddenly he "found" his checkbook. Why do so many small biz owners make us chase them like this? Anyone else have to physically show up to get paid?

34

wyattramirez•23d ago

Debate: Should you send a reminder invoice before the due date or only after it's late?

An old freelancer buddy of mine told me I was being too pushy sending a "friendly reminder" 3 days before the due date. He said clients hate that and I should wait until 5 days past due instead. But I swear I've gotten paid faster ever since I started those early reminders! Over the last 6 months, my average payment time went from 22 days down to 16. Has anyone else changed their approach based on feedback like this? What side are you on?

6

abbyhall•25d ago

Heard a guy at the coffee shop say he 'just pays the last invoice in the stack'

Made me switch to putting the due date in bold red at the top of every bill. Anyone else have a trick to make sure yours gets seen first?