The problem is almost never a refusal to pay. It is the gap between the moment you deliver and the moment the system on the other side triggers a transfer.
Small clients pay quickly
That is the good side of the lower end of the market.
A shop, a practice, a small brand often pay within the week, by instant transfer, sometimes before even receiving the files. The risk is not the delay, it is the absence of anything written: nobody signs anything, and the job changes along the way.
So send a written confirmation in three lines before shooting, even for a modest amount.
Large clients have a circuit
They do not pay when you send, they pay when their system accepts.
That means being registered as a supplier, providing identification documents, often an internal order reference, and respecting a fixed payment calendar. With no reference, your invoice is not rejected: it waits, which is worse.
Ask two questions in the first exchange: what do you need from me to set me up, and what are your payment days.
Cross-border payments
The displayed rate is not what lands in your account.
Count the receiving fees, the exchange margin and the intermediary charges, then say in writing who bears them. On a small job, those deductions sometimes exceed the discount you had granted.
The rules applicable to receiving funds from abroad and to the records to keep depend on your situation: they are checked with an accountant before the first job, not after.
A deposit is normal on large jobs
It is not a sign of mistrust, it is professional practice.
A share on ordering, the balance on delivery, written into the agreement. It protects your cash flow, it commits the client, and it filters out projects that do not really exist.
A serious client does not argue that point. One who argues it at length is telling you something.
What to write before shooting
Five lines, sent by message, are enough.
What is delivered, in how many versions. The delivery date. The amount and the currency. The payment date, not the term. And what happens if the job changes along the way.
That last line is the one always missing, and it is what turns a free correction into extra work that gets invoiced.
How to chase without falling out
With a calendar, not with emotion.
A neutral reminder on the due date, a second at seven days, a call at fifteen. Recall the invoice number, the agreed date and the amount, without comment. Most delays are administrative, and a factual reminder unblocks them.
The three ways of getting paid, and their risk
| The method | What it protects | Its risk |
|---|---|---|
| Payment framed by a marketplace | Funds held from the order onward | A commission known in advance |
| A deposit then the balance | The time already worked | The balance can drag |
| An invoice after delivery | Nothing | Outright non-payment |
What makes the difference in a dispute
Writing. A quote accepted by message, a dated order and a timestamped delivery are often enough to unblock a payment, whereas a verbal agreement carries no weight.
What to do before a new client's first order
A deposit, or a framed payment. It is not a sign of distrust but normal practice, and a serious client never takes offence, which also makes it a useful test.
When to stop working for somebody
When the second job arrives before the first is paid.
It is the most useful rule in the trade: you do not start again until the previous balance is in. It will cost you a job now and then, and it will save you from losing a quarter.
