Want to get your invoices paid faster?
Invoices that are not paid (on time) cost you money. Money that you have worked so hard for as a freelancer. In practice, it appears that 50% of all invoices are paid late, with the average payment term being more than 70 days. More than half of companies even send a reminder after 60 days. All these facts ensure that you as an entrepreneur run debtor risk. In many cases this is unnecessary and you can influence this positively yourself.
Make good agreements in advance
Careful debtor management actually starts in the quotation phase. Make sure you know who you are dealing with. For example, request your customer's details from the Chamber of Commerce . In addition, it is wise to check the creditworthiness of your new customer in advance with a credit reference agency.
In addition, make sure that you set a good example yourself. Send your quotes and order confirmation on time. Answer questions quickly and professionally. In this way you let them know that you are not letting things run their course, and this gives you a good basis for careful debtor management.
Provide a clear invoice
When you send a clear invoice yourself, you avoid unnecessary questions or ambiguities with your customer, which can cause a delay in payment. For example, note the following points:
- Provide a clear specification of the invoice. For example, give a clear description of the specific products / services provided instead of just an item number.
- Many invoices only indicate the payment term of, for example, 14 days. Add the exact date of final payment here.
- Make sure that debtors can recognize the total amount at a glance. This way you prevent the amount being transferred without VAT.
- When you send your invoices digitally, the turnaround time is many times faster and the chance of a faster payment is also greater. In addition, online invoice programs in many cases already ensure that your invoice meets the requirements.
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Remind in steps
When you have your debtor management in order, you have direct insight into outstanding invoices and you can also send your payment reminder on time. In order not to disrupt the relationship with the customer, you can choose to contact us by phone first. If the invoice is still not paid, then immediately send a business reminder containing the invoice number, invoice date and payment due date.
If the customer still does not pay, you send the customer a reminder. It is advisable to send this summons by registered mail, so that you prevent the customer from indicating that he has not received this reminder. You can also charge statutory interest. A debtor is obliged to pay statutory interest after exceeding the payment term. The amount of this statutory interest is adjusted every six months.
Reclaim VAT
If your customer will most likely no longer pay the invoice, for example if the customer has been declared bankrupt, you can submit a request to the tax authorities for a refund of the VAT that you have already paid for these customers. This request must be submitted immediately after the annual accounts have been adopted, whereby you also submit documentary evidence of the irrecoverability of the claim. In many cases, a curator is required for this.
TIP With an online accounting program you can be sure that your invoice meets all the rules, you have insight into outstanding invoices at all times and your payment reminders are sent out on time. Below we have already selected 5 packages that help you to get a grip on your accounts.
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