Confused/newbed-out about invoicing - help?

**d000hg** · 19 December 2011, 21:42

You probably need to discuss with them first, otherwise payment terms you write on the invoice are meaningless and will get ignored.

**northernladuk** · 19 December 2011, 21:45

This has to be the troll we seem to have attracted. No way is this a serious question.

**ChickenWing** · 19 December 2011, 21:52

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

This has to be the troll we seem to have attracted. No way is this a serious question.

Wow, you seem helpful and fun. Do you just wait for new threads to come up so you can post stuff like this? There are probably some local activities you could get involved in if you've got that much time on your hands, you know. Maybe try your local community centre.

I have no interest in justifying myself to you, but for anyone else who may be reading, this is a real question and I am not a troll.

**administrator** · 19 December 2011, 21:58

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

This has to be the troll we seem to have attracted. No way is this a serious question.

No, I think the OP is real. As he says:

Originally posted by ChickenWing View Post

Hi all. I'm new to self-employment (and not an IT contractor, but you're an accepting lot, right?). I work with charities as a freelancer and consultant. The end of December will mark the end of Month 1 of my first contract (set to run for a total of three months).

I think the chap just wants some advice

As d000hg says above, I would be talking to them about this. Find out who controls the purse strings and talk to them about when you are likely to get paid. Personally I would not have waited this long as there is nothing worse than financial pressure when you are starting out, especially when jumping from perm to contract. Money can run out very quickly.

So find out where invoices are sent to, who signs them off and actually pays them and then yes, get the invoice in to them straight away. Who hired you? If it is someone with some clout then explain the situation to them and see if they can ease the passage of this invoice through for you so that you get paid as soon as possible in Jan.

Good luck!

**AllezFrance** · 19 December 2011, 22:05

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

This has to be the troll we seem to have attracted. No way is this a serious question.

Give it a rest. He's asking for some advice.

**ChickenWing** · 19 December 2011, 22:20

Originally posted by administrator View Post

No, I think the OP is real. As he says:

I think the chap just wants some advice

As d000hg says above, I would be talking to them about this. Find out who controls the purse strings and talk to them about when you are likely to get paid. Personally I would not have waited this long as there is nothing worse than financial pressure when you are starting out, especially when jumping from perm to contract. Money can run out very quickly.

So find out where invoices are sent to, who signs them off and actually pays them and then yes, get the invoice in to them straight away. Who hired you? If it is someone with some clout then explain the situation to them and see if they can ease the passage of this invoice through for you so that you get paid as soon as possible in Jan.

Good luck!

THANK YOU. Yes, I did just want some advice. I've got no self-employed friends or family I can ask, and I'm not comfortable going to any of my competitors with a question like this.

I also should have clarified that I had wanted to put clear payment terms and a schedule into the signed contract, but as yet there has been no signed contract. I prepared one prior to the job starting, but the lady I'm dealing with - HR manager and also a contractor - won't let me send it to her. She keeps insisting on using her own contract document and saying she'll get it to me "in a few days" (hasn't happened yet).

I wouldn't normally let this kind of situation continue and would want to submit my own contract to the client, but I trust the organisation and the manager of the department for which I'm working has asked me for a proposal for longer-term contracting. I'm prepared to allow some squirreliness on the part of the HR manager in light of the possibility of ongoing work.

But anyway, to return to the invoicing thing - you and d000hg are probably right, I do just need to ask them and then get the invoice in ASAP. I know the people in the finance department so hopefully they'll be helpful.

**ChickenWing** · 19 December 2011, 22:22

Originally posted by AllezFrance View Post

Give it a rest. He's asking for some advice.

Thanks dude. I'm female, but otherwise, spot on.

**tarbera** · 20 December 2011, 00:05

Im 90 days payment terms with one of my directs

Originally posted by ChickenWing View Post

Hi all. I'm new to self-employment (and not an IT contractor, but you're an accepting lot, right?). I work with charities as a freelancer and consultant. The end of December will mark the end of Month 1 of my first contract (set to run for a total of three months).

I need to give them an invoice covering the first month in order to get paid. I would like to get paid as close to the end of the month as possible, seeing as I've gone straight from employment to contracting and so last got paid at the end of November. Of course, I know it's not a case of giving them an invoice at the end of Dec and getting paid within a couple of days. I want to get it to them ASAP to give it time to percolate through the finance department, and I know I also need to give a payment window/terms - payment within 7, 10 or 14 days, for example.

I was thinking maybe I could give them an invoice tomorrow or the next day to cover the entire month of December, with terms requiring payment within seven days of 31 December. However, this would mean submitting an invoice covering work not yet done, as I'm working next week as well as this. Do people do this? Is this what's known as a pro forma invoice? Any other suggestions??

Any guidance much appreciated....

be prepared for at least 45 days payment terms rather than 7 or 10 - unlikly to happen mate

**JamJarST** · 20 December 2011, 08:14

Originally posted by ChickenWing View Post

Hi all. I'm new to self-employment (and not an IT contractor, but you're an accepting lot, right?). I work with charities as a freelancer and consultant. The end of December will mark the end of Month 1 of my first contract (set to run for a total of three months).

I need to give them an invoice covering the first month in order to get paid. I would like to get paid as close to the end of the month as possible, seeing as I've gone straight from employment to contracting and so last got paid at the end of November. Of course, I know it's not a case of giving them an invoice at the end of Dec and getting paid within a couple of days. I want to get it to them ASAP to give it time to percolate through the finance department, and I know I also need to give a payment window/terms - payment within 7, 10 or 14 days, for example.

I was thinking maybe I could give them an invoice tomorrow or the next day to cover the entire month of December, with terms requiring payment within seven days of 31 December. However, this would mean submitting an invoice covering work not yet done, as I'm working next week as well as this. Do people do this? Is this what's known as a pro forma invoice? Any other suggestions??

Any guidance much appreciated....

There is a lesson to be learned here. Agree terms BEFORE you sign the contract. In fact read your contract properley, the terms are probably in there.

Confused/newbed-out about invoicing - help?