When starting your freelance business, figuring out the best ways to get paid tin exist a challenge.

If you've merely worked equally an employee in the past, yous likely just got handed a paycheck at the end of each pay catamenia or had a directly eolith evidence upward in your account. If you were salaried, yous likely didn't even take to hand in a timesheet.

The proficient news is that getting paid for your freelance work is generally a pretty straightforward affair. Y'all sign a contract, do the work, send an invoice, and get paid.

But there are intricacies to that process that tin can brand it more than probable that you go paid on time and without any hassles.

In this article, nosotros'll explicate how to get paid as a freelancer—from what options are bachelor to you to standard best practices for charging your clients.

Get a Deposit

When working with clients (especially new clients) it's crucial to get a deposit upfront for the work being performed.

Depending on the specific work, the length of the project, and the amount of money involved, deposits generally range from 25–50% of the total.

On smaller projects, 50% is adequately standard. Longer, larger projects might simply crave 25% upfront with additional payments due at item milestones.

Spell Out Payment Terms

When you send a proposal or freelance contract to your client, spell out the payment terms clearly.

Your contract should include details about when invoices volition exist sent and payments are due, what methods of payment are acceptable, and what work is included in those payments.

It should also indicate what will happen if payments are non made on time (or at all).

Invoice Promptly

When you lot consummate a projection or reach an agreed-upon milestone, it's important to invoice your client promptly.

When you lot fail to send an invoice in a timely manner, it tin can subconsciously point to your client that you don't really intendance near existence paid in a timely manner either.

Depending on how many projects you have on at a time, it can make sense to either transport whatsoever invoices that are set up on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. You can acquire how to make an invoice here.

For longer projects or projects where y'all work on retainer, setting up a bi-weekly or monthly invoicing schedule makes sense. Some accounting programs can fifty-fifty permit y'all automate this procedure.

If you're serious about nailing the invoicing process, sign up for Bonsai to assist. With Bonsai, you can create a professional invoice and customize it to your needs, as well as automate late payment reminders. You lot won't regret it.

Get in Easy to Get Paid

The last thing you desire is to make it hard for clients to pay you. Brand certain you include valid payment options right on your invoice (equally well as in the contract).

Offer more than one payment method can speed upward the process, also. If clients have to create an business relationship on an unfamiliar platform, for example, they may put off paying yous.

It'southward a proficient idea to offer options that include online payment processing systems as well as an address for clients to mail a check.

While most clients are probable to pay yous electronically, some will nevertheless adopt to ship a check (partly considering it tin can be less expensive than some other payment methods).

Payment Methods

As already mentioned, how freelancers get paid varies, especially in terms of payment methods. Offering more than ane payment method can make information technology easier to get paid promptly.

Here is a list of payment options you can offer your freelance clients.

Checks

Accepting checks is good standard practice. While most companies prefer to brand an online payment, there will be some out there who prefer to pay via onetime-fashioned cheque.

Include a mailing address and who the check should be made payable to on your invoice.

PayPal

PayPal has congenital a trustworthy reputation in the marketplace. They make accepting payments via credit cards or bank account easy.

In that location are downsides, all the same. Outset, you'll pay a processing fee on payments. Second, information technology tin take a few days to transfer money from your PayPal business relationship into your bank business relationship unless you want to pay an additional fee for a faster transfer.

PayPal does offer a debit card, though, where you can spend directly from your PayPal balance.

Ready to Start your Freelance Design Concern? Get Leads Today!

Larn More

Venmo, CashApp, and Similar Apps

Also PayPal, several other apps offering secure payment options.

Just know that each platform will vary greatly in their terms: how piece of cake information technology is to access your coin, and whether they charge fees (and how much)—just they're worth looking into.

Bank Transfer

Bank transfers are preferred by some clients. You'll want to brand sure that you deeply transmit your banking concern business relationship information to those clients (some bookkeeping software has provisions for this).

You should also check into fees for incoming transfers. Some banking company accounts don't accuse for this, while others may accuse $10-25 or more.

Accounting Apps

Various bookkeeping apps, such as Bonsai, offering piece of cake payment options, including credit card payments directly through their platform or links directly to your preferred payment options. Nearly will let you to offer multiple payment options also.

Setting these upwardly can streamline your invoicing process, equally they usually make it like shooting fish in a barrel to update settings for all of your clients simultaneously in case you change accounts or want to finish (or start) offer sure options.

Ever Follow-Upwards

Your invoices should include a payment due date. If that date passes without payment, information technology's important to follow up with your client.

At that place may be a perfectly logical explanation for why the payment is late: delays in their accounting section, an invoice that savage through the cracks, etc.

If the corporeality in question is large, and payment is not forthcoming later a couple of follow-ups, it may be worth contacting a collections bureau or lawyer. Assuming yous accept a graphic pattern contract in mitt (which you absolutely should), you may be able to recoup some or all of the money owed to you.

Removing obstacles to getting paid makes it more likely clients will pay you promptly. Brand it every bit like shooting fish in a barrel every bit possible for them to pay you and be sure to acknowledge timely payments to permit clients know you appreciate their business (and encourage them to pay promptly on future projects).