Late payment is usually not a decision. It is friction. An invoice sits because something about it is unclear, or because it never reached the person who pays. Most of what follows is about removing reasons to put your invoice down.
Before you start the work
Agree the terms in writing. How much, when it is due, and what happens if it is late. A line in an email is enough.
Ask who pays and how. In a business of any size, the person who briefed you does not pay you. Ask for the accounts email and the purchase order number before you begin. An invoice sent to the wrong inbox without a PO number can sit for a month before anyone tells you.
When you send it
Send it immediately. The value of your work is highest in the customer’s mind on the day it is delivered. An invoice that arrives three weeks later feels like an old obligation.
Give a date, not a period. “Due 12 September” is unambiguous in a way that “Net 30” is not.
Make it trivially easy to pay. Bank details on the face of the invoice. A payment link if you have one, or a QR code that opens it. If you take mobile money, the number and the registered name.
Check the entity name. An invoice addressed to a trading name rather than the registered company is a legitimate reason for an accounts department to reject it, and some will.
When it is late
Chase early and without drama. A short, friendly note the day after it falls due, addressed to the accounts contact and copied to the person who briefed you. Most late invoices are resolved by this one message.
Ask a question rather than making a demand. “Can you confirm this is scheduled for payment?” gets a reply. “Payment is now overdue” often does not.
Escalate slowly, in writing. A second note at a week. A phone call at two. Anything further belongs in writing so there is a record.
What to do about repeat offenders
Ask for a deposit before the next job. Fifty per cent up front changes the relationship, and a customer who will not pay a deposit is telling you something worth listening to.
What does not work
Late payment interest clauses almost never get invoked and rarely change behaviour. Aggressive wording on the invoice tends to slow things down, because it moves the conversation from accounts to somebody more senior. Being easy to pay works better than being frightening.