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Net 7 vs Net 30: pick a due date finance can actually honor

#freelancing #career #productivity #beginners

“Net 30” sounds professional. For a solo freelancer, it often means you finance the client for a month and then spend another week chasing.

The due date on your invoice isn’t a vibe. It’s the day you agreed cash should clear — and it only works if both sides can honor it.

What Net 7 and Net 30 actually mean

Net 7: payment is due 7 days after the invoice date.

Net 30: payment is due 30 days after the invoice date.

Not “I’ll start thinking about it in 7 days.” Not “ASAP.” A calendar date you can put in a reminder sequence.

If your agreement says Net 14 and the invoice only says “due upon receipt,” you’ve handed AP an ambiguity. Write the date.

Why freelancers default to Net 30 (and why that’s often wrong)

Net 30 is corporate muscle memory. Big companies run pay cycles. Your rent does not.

A practical way to choose

Ask one question before you send terms: Who is paying, and how do they run AP?

  • Solo founder / small shop / new client: Net 7 or Net 14. Deposit before kickoff. Final files after balance clears.
  • Mid-size with a real AP inbox: Net 14 is a common compromise. Confirm the billing contact and whether they need a PO.
  • Enterprise that only pays Net 30 / Net 45: Either accept it and raise the price / use milestones so you’re not floating the whole project, or walk. Don’t pretend Net 7 will survive their pay calendar.

Also match terms to project shape: milestone invoices (due Net 7 each) beat one giant Net 30 at the end when all leverage is gone.

Make the due date operable

Whatever you pick:

  1. Put it in the agreement and on the invoice as a real date
  2. Send to the billing contact, not only your day-to-day contact
  3. Reuse the same Day 0 / 7 / 14 reminders after that date — process, not pep talks
  4. Pause new work only if you already wrote that right before you needed it

A due date finance can’t honor is decoration. A shorter Net term plus a deposit usually beats a polite Net 30 you can’t afford to wait for.

I keep agreement, SOW, invoice, and those reminder emails in one $5 starter pack here: https://kitdesk.carrd.co
For new or small clients, long terms increase:

  • Your unpaid exposure while you keep delivering
  • The chance the invoice gets buried in a monthly batch
  • The awkwardness of follow-ups that start a month late

Net 30 can be fine for trusted retainers or enterprises that will not pay faster — if you priced the wait into the fee and you can float the cash. It is a poor default for first projects with strangers.

Buy Freelancer Kit ($5) — contract, SOW, invoice templates + payment emails: https://workspace50.gumroad.com/l/cpzjm

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