Guide
How to Get Paid Faster
Late payments are the quiet killer of small businesses. The good news is that a few simple habits move most invoices from slow to on-time.
Invoice the moment the work is done
The longer you wait to send the invoice, the longer you wait to get paid. Send it the day you finish, while the work is fresh in the client's mind and the goodwill is high.
Make the terms impossible to misread
Put the due date and the payment method in plain sight. "Due within 14 days" with your banking details underneath removes any confusion about when and how.
Take a deposit and make paying easy
A deposit gets money in early and commits the client. And when your banking details are printed right on the invoice, there is nothing standing between the client and paying you.
Follow up without apology
If an invoice goes past due, a short, friendly reminder is normal and expected. "Just checking this invoice is in hand, due date was the 15th" is enough. You are not being pushy, you are running a business.
Offer more than one way to pay
The easier it is to pay, the sooner you are paid. Where you can, give the client more than one option, a bank transfer with full details on the invoice, and any other method you accept, with those details in plain sight rather than buried or left off.
Every extra step between the client and paying is a chance for the invoice to slide down the pile. Remove as many of those steps as you can, and more invoices come back on time without a single reminder.
