3 Big Reasons Your Clients Don't Pay On-Time (and How to Change That)

Getting paid for the work you do as a freelance designer is insanely fulfilling. Not only does it reaffirm that your work actually has value in the eyes of your client, but it also motivates you to move forward even when times are difficult as a freelancer.

But figuring out how to get paid as a freelancer isn’t quite as easy as it sounds.

Sure, you can be diligent about sending invoices. You can follow-up relentlessly. Or you can make it extremely easy to pay their invoice (some apps even have a one-click pay option).

Unfortunately, if you freelance long enough, you’ll always run up against clients that simply don’t pay you on time.

It can be extremely frustrating.

Having been on both sides of the equation (both as a freelancer and as a client) there are three extremely common reasons I’ve seen that clients don’t pay their invoices on time.

Today, I’d like to share these 3 reasons along with simple solutions for getting paid on time for the work you complete.

Here are 3 reasons your clients aren’t paying your invoices on time:

They aren’t the ones to process the invoices

When I used to work in a corporate setting, I hired freelancers from time-to-time. When these freelancers would send me an invoice, I took a quick moment to ensure the amounts looked right and then I quickly forwarded the invoice to our Accounts Payable department.

At that point, I pretty much stopped thinking about the invoice. I assumed (not always correctly) that the Accounts Payable department was handling the rest.

Few freelancers realize that the person you send the actual invoice to isn’t always the person that issues the actual payment for the invoice.

In fact, if you’re doing work for a company with more than about 10 people, it’s a pretty safe bet that someone else, besides your direct contact, is processing yoru invoices.

How to fix this problem:

To avoid getting your invoice lost in the void between departments, ask your client who you can contact or follow-up with about any payments that come due.

If they reply with “me,” follow up with something like, “So you’ll be cutting the check? I assumed maybe you had an accounts payable department I could be in touch with.”

Usually that will lead your client to put you in touch with the right person in accounting.

From there, build a positive, friendly relationship with that person. When they pay your invoice on time, thank them profusely. Don’t become a nuisance. Respect that they’re probably busy and ask if there’s anything you can do to make their invoice payment process easier.

They forgot to pay the invoice (and keep forgetting)

This sounds overly simple, but one huge reason your clients aren’t paying their invoices on time is because they just plain keep forgetting.

Your clients are busy. And many of them work a “day job” where they get paid on a regular schedule whether they show up and crush it or spend half their day on facebook.

So the idea of actually waiting on someone to process a payment in order to make a living can be foreign.

For this reason, paying you on time can sometimes fall to the bottom of their priority list.

How to solve this problem:

If you find you have clients that keep forgetting to pay your invoices once you send them, there are a few things you can do:

• Require upfront payment before you begin work on a project. The urgency of the project will naturally encourage them to process your invoice quickly.

• Use these scripts for past-due invoices to know exactly what to say if you have a mounting pile of past-due invoices.

• Use an invoicing app like Freshbooks, Bonsai, or AND.CO which will automatically follow-up with your clients about unpaid invoices so you don’t have to.

You can be caring and understanding when it comes to clients forgetting to pay. But you don’t have to be a pushover. This is particularly true if you’ve already completed the work you’re meant to be paid for.

They didn’t understand the terms of the invoice (or you didn’t)

Finally, one huge reason clients don’t pay you on time is they don’t understand the terms of the invoice.

It’s possible, also, that YOU don’t understand the terms of your own invoice.

For example, there’s a difference between “net 30” and “due in 30 days” and, as a freelancer, it’s critical you understand these kinds of nuanced differences.

How to solve this problem:

Take the time to learn how to write an invoice with all the correct terms, placement, and information required for a successful and quick payment.

When meeting with your clients to establish the terms of your partnership, you should also be 100% clear on payment terms: will you expect 50% upfront? Is there a late payment penalty? What happens if an invoice goes past-due for more than 30 days?

Clarity and communication can be one of your most important tools when it comes to getting paid as a freelancer.

You deserve to get paid

Unfortunately, there are some people out there who will blatantly ignore your frequent reminders or even try to get you to agree to forfeit your payment because they didn’t use your final work or they changed their mind.

Don’t let clients walk all over you.

You deserve to get paid for the work you do just as much as they deserve to get paid for clocking in at the office every day.

Remember that, and you’ll be well on your way to getting paid on time for your freelance work.