Collecting your overdue payments from clients can be stressful and overwhelming. On the bright side, this article can help you take the first steps towards getting paid what you are owed. March on, fellow freelancer, for there is a way to solve this tedious issue!
Send a friendly reminder via email
This is an easy way to let them know you are (still) owed money. Maybe they don’t have the resources or process in place, and your payment fell between the cracks. A friendly reminder is a safe way to understand what’s happening and communicate that their payment is late.
Here is an example of what you can write:
Hello [Client Name],
My records show that I haven’t yet received payment of [$2,000] for Invoice [#1234], which is overdue by [seven days]. I would appreciate if you looked into this on your end.
If the payment has already been sent, please disregard this notice. And if you’ve misplaced my invoice, please let me know, and I will gladly send you another copy.
Thanks in advance,
[Your Name]
Why this works: You are being polite, and you are stating all the facts like the amount overdue, invoice number, etc. You are giving them the benefit of the doubt in case they processed the payment. You are also offering to send the invoice once more, in case they lost it.
Call the client on the phone
If you have the client’s number (and live in the same country), calling is the fastest way to reach them. Don’t be intimidated and remember that you just want to remind them about your late payment.
Your call script can look something like this:
Hello, [Client’s Name], this is [Your Name]. I worked with you the project XYZ and sent you the invoice via email [two weeks ago], but still haven’t received the payment. I just wanted to check in and see if you saw it.
Why this works: You are still polite, and you are stating the facts. You are even assuming that they have not seen the email, which sends a message that you trust them. You simply want to understand what is happening.
Reach out to client’s associate/manager
This one takes a little bit of research if you have not had contact with anyone else. A quick Google or LinkedIn query should give you enough information to understand who the person you should reach out to is. You can choose between an email or a phone call. Again, be polite but firm- you want to send a message that you are slowly escalating the situation.
Going the extra mile:
If you still haven’t received your payments, you should consider pulling out the big(ger) guns.
You can:
- Call them every day until you get your payment. This way they know you will not give up until you are paid what you’re owed.
- Turn to good ol’ social media and publicly expose the problem. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but you won’t believe what people would do to keep their online brand intact.
- Hire a lawyer or collecting agency. This is your last resort, so keep in mind the cost of these solutions. Sometimes, it’s easier to make peace with your loss and move on.
How to prevent this in the future:
Having a legally binding contract with your client is of utmost importance. You want to ensure you are paid for your work and on time. Good news is, you don’t need to hire a lawyer to have a contract- you can use Deel.
Deel is an all-in-one payment service that enables you to make a contract with detailed deliverables and get paid for every deliverable you do. This way, you don’t need to ask for the upfront payment or wait until the whole project is completed. You just focus on your work and let Deel take care of the rest.
Do you need help with collecting your outstanding payment? We can help you!
Deel is going the extra mile for you — we are testing out a new feature where we help you get your money back as a freelancer. We have helped over 10 freelancers recover $10,000 in the last 2 weeks, let us help you too.
All you need to do is fill in this form, and we will be in touch!
Anja is the head of marketing at Deel. She is obsessed with to-do lists and stationary. Loves writing, prefers short formats. This article was probably proofread by her assistant, a pug called Dante.
