Getting Paid as a Freelancer: What You Need to Know
Delivering work is one thing. Getting paid is another.
Some people begin freelance life with a lot of intention and some fall into it by accident.
My first client approached me about writing a whitepaper. I said yes, without giving much thought to how I would collect payment once the work was delivered.
That’s often the case with freelancers: you seize an opportunity, know you can do the job, and don’t think about the logistics until you’re scrambling.
But getting paid is the most important thing when you’re getting started. If clients can’t pay you easily, you don’t have a freelance business.
Here are things to consider and ways to set yourself up for success.
PayPal isn’t good enough
If you have a PayPal account, it might be tempting to ask clients to send you payments that way. However, I’ve heard enough horror stories from freelancers to steer clear of this option.
PayPal is great for buyers and embedded payments on a website. But I’ve known more than one freelancer who has had PayPal place a mysterious “hold” on funds. I’ve also had it happen: PayPal told me that a payment was being held for “security reasons” and I…
