Billing a client

[Jason Clifford]

On Mon, 2013-02-11 at 07:56 +0000, Alex Brelsfoard wrote:
> Here's a slightly off-topic question for you all.
> I'm planning on doing some consulting work and was wondering what I should
> expect as the norm for delay between when I bill my client and when I
> should receive their money.
> Is there such a norm?  Or is it entirely dependent on the client and/or our
> agreement?

It's down to the contract and the client.

Specifically the contract sets out what is expected and forms the basis
on which you should expect to be paid so if the contract states payment
14 or 30 days after invoice then that is when you should be paid.

Some clients will pay on time. Some will delay payment - sometimes for a
long time. Those who delay payment are breaching the terms of the
contract and are offering you free money (well, it's not entirely free
as you have to invoice them for it and may have to use the courts to
actually get it) as you are entitled to charge statutory interest on
late payments.