When to send an invoice for freelance work

EdHanley

So I have been freelancing for a company for about 6 months now. I have been sending through my invoice either with the completed work or the next day and everything has been fine. However, in their latest work order they state that I can't send though an invoice until I have received written confirmation that the work has been approved.

I'm just wondering when you guys send through invoices, and if I agree to these terms I am allowing myself to be taken advantage of? I really cant afford to be having to wait for approval if they feel like taking their time with it and then waiting up to another 30 days for payment. 

Kevin Albers

Do you have a contract with them? You should. If you don't, you should consider creating one. It should state when you get paid. Needing to wait for approval of the work is very common, and reasonable. Having to wait for months for approval, or having to wait for publisher approval (as opposed to studio approval) would not be very reasonable. Waiting for up to 30 days might kind of suck, but it's not crazy-unreasonable.

It's a good idea to send the invoice very soon after the work recieves approval. Sending it before the work is approved is problematic, and there usually isn't a great need to delay sending the invoice as soon as approval occurs.

EdHanley

Yeah I do have a contract with them and it states that payment is to be made within 30 days of receiving an invoice.  I'm not bothered about the 30 days but if they hold off from approving the work so I cant send an invoice for a couple of weeks then that 30 days can soon turn into 40-50 days or even longer from actually sending in the assets. 

If its kind of standard then I guess it should be OK... Just wanted to know if it was weird or not.

Thanks for the reply

pior

Ask to be paid one half at the beginning of the task, and don't get started until you receive the money.

That way they are forced to pay you, and you get a nice little motivation boost right off the bat.

cgBrad

EdHanley said:

Yeah I do have a contract with them and it states that payment is to be made within 30 days of receiving an invoice.  I'm not bothered about the 30 days but if they hold off from approving the work so I cant send an invoice for a couple of weeks then that 30 days can soon turn into 40-50 days or even longer from actually sending in the assets. 

If its kind of standard then I guess it should be OK... Just wanted to know if it was weird or not.

Thanks for the reply

I'm a freelance software engineer, and been freelancing as my primary income for 3+ years and on the side for a few years before that. So here are my thoughts.

Depending on who you work for, it's not uncommon to see 30 days to pay in contracts, especially from businesses. It's not weird. This can be really sucky as a freelancer especially when starting out. However I find most of the time you'll get paid before 30 days, but I mean it can still be weeks. Welcome to being your own boss!

Make sure to read the contract first. The good news is typically most things are negotiable, especially if the person / business wants to work with you. You may have to suck it up at first, but if you deliver the goods and treat your clients fair it should not be a problem to negotiate better terms with them in the future. Business love working with people they know, and know can do the job. If you already have a solid background and reputation as a freelancer you should be able to negotiate right away.

Don't forget the people on the other end are also human beings, so just try to explain your POV of the situation. Explain that you are just a single freelancer and not some big business that can wait 30 days to get paid.

If the job is on the small side, it should not be an issue to get half up front.

Do you have a contract with them? You should. If you don't, you should consider creating one. It should state when you get paid. 

A note on contracts. Contracts are great... for the company hiring you. I have yet to see a contract that was favorable to me. As the freelancer you have less resources typically than a business you would be working for, and you're at a sever disadvantage due to most standard contract clauses. Point being, unless there is significant money involved, a contract means shit to you as a freelancer. It's mostly to cover the hiring companies ass and make them feel warm, fuzzy, and secure.

That being said, show up, get the work done, deliver, treat your clients fairly, and you should not have a problem getting paid.

Eric Chadwick

We have some good things here
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Freelance#Invoicing

contract( ) is a rather nice starting point.

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines is also an excellent resource, jam-packed full of art freelancer info.

EdHanley

Thanks for all the advice guys. I really appreciate it and everything said here has helped me. I ended up emailing the company and they said that its fine to just send through the invoice with the completed work so it should all be ok with that company now. 

I always forget the wiki pages. I just had a look and its like a gold mine! Gunna spend some time giving all that a good look over. 

Thanks again guys