Step 1: Conduct a background check
If you want to get paid on time, you must find the right clients to work with. Some people start by offering a lot of projects, and they need your help right away. Because of the short notice, you should start working right away. This way, you will not be able to think about other things. Run a background check to ensure that you know the real side of the company. Take 30 minutes to have a background check before taking on any project. A quick check will not take too much time, and you will know the truth about them. Use the following approaches to know more about them.
- Search the company and check related reviews
- Check their social media, mention, and recommendation
- Search them on Facebook groups and LinkedIn groups for the freelancer
- Ask your network about this company
Step 2: Have written proof
A written contract is one of the ways to protect your work and save your time from miscommunication. At the beginning of cooperation, sign a contract to protect your rights. You have to share the contract with your client, sign it, and exchange the copy. During the process, you can confirm the essential details like the detail of service, extra fee for revision, the timeline for receiving the payment, and when you will send an invoice. We recommend that you always start working after signing a contract. In Useme, we have special protection when working with a new employer. We will double-check if they are ready to work with you. You have the right to work on the project after they confirm the cooperation. You can check more details here. If the employer is hesitant to have a contract for protecting both of your rights, that is a red flag.
Step 3: Ask for a deposit
It can be hard for your employer to send the whole payment in advance. To make it easy for both sides, the deposit is a solution. The amount of the deposit depends on the amount of the project, type of project, and scope of work. You can discuss the amount of the deposit while discussing the agreement. Then add them to your contract. You can discuss the following details with them.
- Amount of the deposit: How much do they have to pay?
- Refund requirement: For example, if any party cancels the project, will you refund the deposit?
Step 4: Confirm the details
Check with the employer when they should receive the invoice and requirements. Some financial departments may have special requirements, such as having a limited time to send the payment to the outside contractor. You need to send the invoice at a certain time of the month to receive the payment on time. The earlier you know those details, the better for you to organize your workflow. Also, ask the person who processes the invoice. Because the person in charge of the project may not be the person who takes care of the payment. This way will decrease the chance that your invoice gets lost between emails or they forget to process your invoice.
Step 5: Send the invoice with full details at the right timing
Your invoice will be a reminder of the payment. The client may not remember when they should send the payment. It is important to send the invoice at the right time to get paid quickly. Send it right after finishing work. So, everyone remembers the full details of the project, such as the extra revision fee. This will reduce the chance that anyone forgets about this project or asks for additional information. You can also provide several options ways for clients to pay for your work, such as Paypal, credit card payments, and your bank account number. If your employer delays the payment, you can send a follow-up email with the invoice.
Step 6: Stay organized and keep all of the records
As a professional contractor, you have countless short-term and long-term projects. In every cooperation, you need to remember many things such as which bill you should send and when you should send an invoice. Keep all of the records in one place and stay organized. So you can always check them. Also, you will need those invoices for reporting taxes and organizing your work schedule.
Bonus tip: A simple way to protect your work and get paid safly
We know how hard to protect your work without the headache. The client may be hesitant to send the whole payment in advance. That is why we design a path, especially to protect your payment. This path, only allows the client to download the work after paying for it. You only need to fill one online form then we will guide them through the process. We will send a tax invoice to your employer so they can easily pay for your work.
