I love working for myself. Ever since leaving the corporate world I have, for over ten years, been self-employed, providing services for different clients and running different online businesses. In this freelance capacity, I have had maybe two instances in a decade where I have gotten beyond infuriated with chasing invoices. This is by far and above the worst part of being a freelancer.
The Unpaid Problem
If I got paid for the amount of time I spend chasing invoices, I would double my annual salary. I understand that freelancers occasionally have to chase the odd overdue invoice, life is busy for everyone after all and sometimes things get missed. I suppose that is true in all areas of business, not just freelancing.
However when things are promised, when emails are ghosted, when clients literally ignore you, it’s debilitating. The work is often done well ahead of the promise of payment. We meet long payment terms and the services we’ve provided have been completed months before the date we’re expecting the payment to land in our accounts. Yet that date comes and goes. Another week goes on.
They eventually get back to you and tell you the payment will be made at the end of the month or they’ve had some money issues. The excuses can go on and on and at some point, you wonder what exactly you are working for.
Value Your Freelancers
If you value a freelancer enough to outsource work to them, to allow them to write for your website, work on services for your company or bring your website to life, then you should value them in all aspects of their work. This includes paying them what they have invoiced you when they need you to pay it. Put yourself in their shoes. What would you do and how would you feel if your salary wasn’t paid into your bank account when you needed it to be? What would happen to those bills you had to pay or the mortgage payment you needed to make? Would you feel annoyed, upset, or demoralised?
This is how you are making your freelancers feel. They have done the work for you, sent it over, and invoiced you for it. They have bills to pay as well. Finances have likely been organised to get through the month and they’ve already figured out where the money you owe them will be directed to. They did not plan to be chasing payment. If there is a problem, be open and honest about it. Ignoring emails or messages is not conducive to a good working relationship. There really is no excuse for leading freelancers to continue chasing invoices.
My Experience In This
I have been chasing outstanding invoices for a good while. Electronic invoices certainly make things easier as there is an easy trail to follow. However, twice not I have felt myself get to the point of wanting to give up.
Lost Friendship
The first time I was working for a company that was co-run by one of my best friends. They aren’t a best friend any longer because of this incident. I invoiced for the work like I do everything else, monthly. So payment was due basically two months since I started the work. The work in February, for example, was invoiced at the start of March with 30-day payment terms. So it was due at the end of March/beginning of April. The 30 days came and went, and I sent emails. Nothing.
This continued for some time until I decided to add the charge and interest that are detailed on the invoice. This is perfectly legal and in accordance with The Late Payment of Commercial Debt (Interest) Act. Suddenly I got a text message from my friends (who was nothing to do with the actual work or the invoicing process) saying that my new invoice hadn’t gone down very well in the office and that if I resend the invoice without the extra charges they would sort it today.
It shouldn’t have needed to get to that point. If it is so easy to ‘sort today’ then why not sort when it was due? I replied and said that the charge was perfectly acceptable and detailed how long I’d been waiting for payment. Asked them to put themselves in my shoes or think about what they’d do if their wage hadn’t been paid. They didn’t. They took the side of the family firm and our friendship is pretty dead these days.
More Chasing Invoices
Another time is when I had already given a client extra time because the money they were going to pay me with was tied up in PayPal and they were having to give PayPal extra paperwork or something. It didn’t sound right but I accepted that it would be paid in a couple of weeks and finally, after more chasing, they got around to it a couple of days before Christmas.
However, the next invoice was late. I emailed asking when it would be cleared, but they ignored me. I sent another and finally got a reply giving a date. This date came and went and then amazingly, after a ‘shirty’ email first thing one more, it was paid within 5 minutes of that email being sent. If it is that easy, pay when it is due! Needless to say, I no longer work with either of these clients. They don’t value the work I do. If they did they would pay on time.
Chasing Outstanding Invoices
The bottom line is that we as freelancers shouldn’t find ourselves continuously chasing invoices. If we value ourselves we will work with clients who pay us when the payment is due. I have an amazing client who pays so speedily, often within a few hours of the work being sent over. I’m not expecting all clients to be like this but stick with the payment terms mapped out on the invoice. It is only fair. Unpaid invoices and overdue invoices lead to stress, anxiety, annoyance and time being spent chasing rather than working. If a client is leaving you chasing invoices and intentionally ignoring your emails, don’t be afraid to drop them as a client. It can be extremely liberating.
