Contractors carry the biggest invoices in the solo economy - and the biggest late-payment exposure. Materials are fronted, the job's done, and the final draw slips 30, 45, 60 days while your credit card interest doesn't.
You're not imagining it: Bonsai's analysis of 100,000+ freelancers found 29% of invoices are paid at least a day late, and QuickBooks reports 47% of small businesses carry invoices 30+ days overdue.
What works specifically for contractors
- Progress payments, in the contract: deposit at signing, draws at milestones, final on completion day - never one giant invoice at the end.
- Change orders in writing, signed and priced, before the work happens. The text-thread change order is where contractor margins go to die.
- Offer card and instant pay links even for large sums. "I'll mail a check" adds two weeks; a pay link on your phone at the final walkthrough closes the job while everyone's standing there happy.
The universal layer
- A pay link in every invoice - payment friction is measured in taps.
- Due-soon reminders before the deadline, automatic nudges after. Consistency collects better than charisma.
- State terms before work happens - on the agreement or intake form, signed. Terms announced after the fact are requests.
Need the words for an overdue balance? Our payment reminder templates cover the full sequence, and the get-paid-faster guide has the structural fixes.
Invoicing that runs itself
Ivy sends invoices with pay links, auto-charges cards on file, and nudges overdue balances automatically - payments go straight to your Stripe, 0% platform fees.
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