A client who does not pay is the number one occupational risk for a UGC creator. The good news is that almost every unpaid invoice is prevented before delivery, and the ones that are not get resolved with an orderly sequence rather than with increasingly angry messages.

The three things you do beforehand

A quote accepted in writing

An email with scope, price, deadline and rights, answered with an agreement, is already a contract.

A deposit from new clients

Between thirty and fifty per cent before shooting. It is normal and it filters out anyone who never intended to pay.

Delivery in two steps

Watermarked or low resolution for review, final file after payment. It is not distrust, it is process, and agencies understand it.

The sequence when it has already happened

Day 1 after the due date

A short, neutral reminder with the invoice attached. Half of all late payments are an administrative oversight.

Day 7

A second notice, in writing, with the amount, the due date and a specific deadline. Shift to a formal tone without aggression.

Day 15

Suspension notice: you stop working on anything else for that client and you withdraw the usage licence while the invoice is unpaid. That last point is your best lever, because the video is already running.

Day 30

A formal claim through a channel that leaves a record, stating that late payment interest for commercial transactions will apply.

After that

A claim for the amount. For small sums there is a simplified procedure designed precisely for this.

The levers that actually work

A licence conditional on payment. If the contract says usage rights transfer on payment, a brand with the ad in circulation has a real problem and solves it quickly.

A correct invoice. If a tax detail is missing, accounting returns it and you lose the argument.

A written record. Keep the whole conversation in email, and if you speak by phone, summarise what was agreed in writing afterwards.

The warning signs before accepting

Extreme urgency with no quote, refusal to sign anything, payment promised when the end client pays, and continuous change requests without closing the scope. None of the four means fraud, but the four together do predict a problem.

Where to go next

Getting paid is part of the job, not an added nuisance. Our guide on how to become a UGC creator covers pricing, contracts and working with agencies.