Net 30 Blog

5 Steps to Take if You Don’t Get Paid as a Freelancer

June 8th, 2010 by Alex Coté

So you landed the big client, performed your job to perfection and invoiced them for your work. The clock starts ticking. Three weeks go by and you ask your customer about your payment. “Let me check with AP.” A few more weeks go by as you work with other clients and still nothing yet. Another call in and this time you get voicemail. This is not how you want to be spending your time making collections calls and potentially jeopardizing your future relationship with the client. Here are some tips to get paid:

Call AP: Cooler heads prevail, so be professional and calm. Instead of calling into your primary contact, call the main office line and ask for Accounts Payable. Usually a simple inquiry can determine if your invoice has been approved for payment and submitted. If they have no record you’ll need to go back to your primary contact. If they do have a record of it, ask when the check will be processed. Some companies have long payment cycles, so you might be stuck in a holding pattern, but at least you’ll know that you will eventually be paid for your services.
Follow-up regularly: If your invoice has not made it to Accounts Payable call your primary contact again and ask specifically who you should talk to about getting your invoice approved for payment. Follow-up with the same message in email to document your conversation or voicemail. Be firm, factual and reference any legal agreement you have in place that specifies your payment schedule. It is worth asking if there is any problem with your work. Set a reminder in your calendar to call back/email in two days. Try also calling during off hours (early in the morning or after 5:00 pm) or even their mobile phone if they travel for business often.
Send a letter from your attorney: If your client is no longer responding and it has been months since you expected payment, you will need to be more forceful and send a letter demanding payment or face legal action. There could be still be a reasonable explanation, but the likelihood of future business is unlikely so you should focus on simply getting paid. A letter from your attorney addressed to your primary contact, the senior-most person in that department and the attorney for your client will get their attention.
Tell the world: In today’s connected world, there are more and more places to express any dissatisfaction with a business. Tell the Better Business Bureau, websites like Yelp and Cortera allow you to post online reviews about your experience. Businesses monitor their reputation online carefully so a few negative ratings across the major websites might just get their attention and you eventually paid.
Take them to court: As a last resort you can take them to small claims court. Most small claims courts allow you to represent yourself in court. Small claims court is also very informal making it accessible to anyone.