It can be difficult when a client doesn’t pay on time. Clear payment terms can help protect you from late payments. This is something I have experienced before. I learned a lot from this experience.
I’m here to help if you’re dealing with a client who doesn’t pay and don’t know what the next step is. I can give advice on how to approach the situation in a professional manner if you reach out to me.
You will learn how to deal with a client who doesn’t pay on time. You will learn how to approach difficult conversations about payment and negotiation for better terms.
How To Deal with a Freelance Client that Won’t Pay
You have to get paid what you are owed. Tell your contact that you need to be paid for the services rendered. Extra tips can be used to get paid what you deserve. It’s important to remember that negotiations are a two-way street and you need to be flexible and reasonable.
- Establish Rules from the Beginning
- Determine the Cause of Non-Payment
- Exhaust all Avenues
- Send them a Warning E-mail
- Mail out an Official Letter
- Hire a Lawyer
- Show the Client You Mean Business
- Consider Small Claims Court
1. Establish Rules from the Beginning
After being a full-time freelance writer for many years, I understand the importance of saving up a cushion of money for when times are lean, or when a client doesn’t pay you.
Thankfully, this didn’t put me in a financial bind and I was prepared for it. I was relieved to find that I had saved enough to cover the surprise expense. What if it did? It would be a huge change.
What if every client you worked with decided to pay late, or not pay you at all?
Clients would treat us differently if we were out of work. Without protection from the law, it would be very uncertain for us. This is why it’s vital youteach clients how to treat you!
You are the boss, remember? It’s time to make decisions that will lead to success. Don’t allow them to mistreat you, not pay for your work, or get away with being unethical about a business deal. Make sure you get what you deserve by standing up for yourself.
It is important to establish professional boundaries for yourself and your clients even if it takes more time than it is worth. Everyone is getting the best possible outcome from the project if both parties are on the same page.
Don’t do any more work for this client until you are paid.
If you don’t pay the electricity bill, it gets turned off, right?The same rules apply!
2. Determine the Cause of Non-Payment
It is easy to mix up the numbers, lose papers or miscommunicate important information. Errors can be costly and take a long time to fix. Not everyone is lying when they say the check is in the mail. Some people take extra precautions to make sure the check gets to you quickly and safely.
Sometimes checks don’t get lost, or the bank numbers aren’t input correctly, or they forget. If you suspect that this is the case, you should contact your bank or the person who wrote the check to make sure they have not forgotten to send it. If the non-payment reason is legit, you should figure it out. If the problem is determined to be a tech problem, work with the customer to come up with a solution that works for both of them.
It is possible that the issue is with the payment processor and not the client. It’s important to contact the payment processor directly to try and resolve any issues that may be causing a delay in payments.
It’s your job to remain calm and figure out the cause of the non-payment. All necessary steps should be taken to ensure that the non-payment is addressed as soon as possible once the cause has been determined.
3. Exhaust all Avenues
Did you do everything you could to get in touch with the people in charge or the accounting department? If you need help getting in touch with the accounting department, I recommend talking to a customer service representative.
Call their office. If you can’t locate them, you may want to reach out to other people who may be able to help. Ask friends or co-workers who worked with this client about their payment experience. Do a search online and find the client’s You can reach out to the social team. If you want to reach out to the social team, you can use the appropriate hashtags on your Twitter profile.
Do whatever you can to ensure that you’ve done your research and have exhausted all avenues of getting their attention.
Some companies are so disorganized that they don’t communicate with each other and have no idea what’s going on. In these cases, productivity is often very low.
When I worked on a campaign with a friend, I asked her if she received payment from the same client. She told me that she was able to negotiate a higher rate for herself. She said she received her full payment. She thanked her client for the smooth transaction and was pleased with the outcome.
I was relieved to know it wasn’t because they didn’t want to pay, they just had technical problems and miscommunication. It was still a very anxious situation to be in. I got to the bottom of the issue after following up with the client. I’m happy that they were able to resolve the issue quickly.
4. Send them a Warning Email
If you feel like you have done everything you can, send a warning email to your non-payment client. It may be necessary to take legal action if the issue is not resolved after the warning email is sent.
This will show them that you mean business and that you gave them enough time to fix the problem. It will 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 to 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299
List out all the methods you used to contact them, the exact dates, their specific promise to you to pay when you started the project, any other relevant information from your contract, and notice that there will be further legal action if this is not taken care of.
Funny Thing: Within 3 hours of sending an email like this I received a response from my contact (imagine that!) and within 4 days the money was in my bank account. Go figure!
Sometimes clients just need to be reminded that they can’t push freelancers around.
5. Mail a Letter of Demand
Sometimes clients need to know that you are serious about getting paid.
You can send a letter of demand. You may need to consider legal action if the letter of demand is not successful. A letter of demand is an official record of your demand for payment, so make sure to mail it with the return receipt requested. If you have to take further action, you should keep a copy of the letter of demand for your records.
Sometimes a letter of demand can be enough to get your client to pay up. It is important to remember that a letter of demand is the last resort for debt collection, as it often signifies a breakdown in the relationship between creditor and debtor.
The next step is to contact a lawyer if this method fails. Before taking legal action, it is important to exhaust all other resources.
6. Hire a Lawyer to Help
If you have taken the first few steps, your client will be able to pay your invoice. It’s important that you follow up and keep in touch with your client to make sure the payment goes smoothly. You are lucky in that case. You have the resources to make it happen. It’s time to talk to a lawyer. If you don’t understand the terms of a contract, ask for clarification.
If you don’t pay your lawyer’s fee, it will be worth it. A lawyer can help you navigate the legal system and make sure you get the compensation you are entitled to.
- Have a Lawyer Write a You should apply an X% fee to the invoice each month if you send a letter from your lawyer stating that you plan to pursue this matter further. The full amount of the invoice will be paid in full. (Hopefully, a late-payment fee is in the freelance contract, but if not you should add it.)
- Mail this letter via snail mail with the return receipt requested notifying them that they are days away from being late for payment and as per the contract you are owed. You will pursue further legal action if you are not paid within a certain amount of time. You have the right to receive payment in a timely manner. (Make sure you keep the receipt for when they sign for the letter!)
7. Show the Client You Mean Business
Is it still not possible to get a client who doesn’t want to pay? Take legal action as a last resort if you want to document all communication with the client. Follow through with your threats. It is important to consider the consequences before making a threat.
It feels good to vent, but it is your duty to look out for others so they don’t get burned working with this client. Sharing your experience can help other people.
I need to alert my entire community via social media. I hope that everyone takes the time to read the information I’m posting and that we can work together to make our community safer. Call the client or company and warn other people not to use their services. I recently had a terrible experience working with Company Name, and I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone else.
You should still be respectable about your words, but make it known that clients can’t treat business owners this way. You have the right to stand up for yourself and your business.
8. Consider Small Claims Court
There is a time when you can either give up on getting paid or take the matter to small claims court. It’s important to remember that it isn’t always easy to get what you’re owed, and that you have the right to be compensated for your work.
If you only have a small amount of money, you may not be able to devote enough time to work with clients who want to pay you. If you end up paying more than you owe, it’s important to consider the cost of your time and resources in pursuing the debt.
It is important to weigh out the principal of the matter, how much you will get paid, and any fees you will pay the court or a lawyer. It is possible to teach your client and yourself how to conduct a business. This can help ensure that both parties are happy with the outcome of the project.
Depending on your location, the specifics of whether you can represent yourself, how much money you will be able to recover, and how long the lawsuit will take are all variables. It may take a lot of time and effort to successfully represent yourself in a lawsuit.
Go to the official government website for your state to research the small claims court policies. You can contact your local small claims court directly for further information.
