Most freelancers use Net-30 terms because that's what the template said. Net-30 is also why the cash arrives well after the work does. The terms you pick on an invoice aren't a formality — they're the calendar your client's AP department works against. Change the calendar, change when you get paid.
For invoices under a few thousand euros, Net-7 is defensible and the client's AP system has no reason to push back. The €3,000 you're owed on Friday is cash next week instead of cash next month. The smaller the invoice, the weaker the argument for stretching.
For anything over two weeks of work, ask for a 30–50% deposit before starting. This is not about cash flow — it's about filtering out the clients who will waste your time. A client who won't commit a deposit is a client who hasn't actually decided to hire you yet.
"Payable on acceptance" hands the client a subjective clock that never starts. "Payable within N days of invoice date" starts a clock you can reference. If the client needs review time, bake it in: invoice issued on delivery, payment due 14 days later.
The calendar on the invoice is the only calendar the AP department runs on. Every other date you imagine does not exist.
If you're billing in the EU, put a single line on every invoice: "Late payment triggers the statutory €40 recovery fee plus interest under Directive 2011/7." Most clients won't know the reference; the ones who do will pay on time precisely because of it. Similar federal and state frameworks exist in the US and UK — name the statute.
2% off for payment within 7 days — the classic "2/10 net-30" — can work for large retainers, but avoid it on small invoices. You're giving up margin to fix a process problem. Better to set Net-7 from the start than discount yourself back into Net-30 behaviour.
Day the invoice goes out: send it. Day after due date: polite reminder. Three days after: firm reminder referencing the late fee. Seven days after: statutory demand letter with the legal language. Automate this so it doesn't depend on you remembering. The clients who need the escalation are the ones who count on you forgetting.
The point of all of this isn't to be adversarial. It's to make the easy thing for the client — paying you — measurably easier than the alternatives. Short terms, clear calendar, automated escalation. Money arrives when delivery arrives, not when the quarter ends.