A client in Austin told me to just 'send an invoice whenever' and it messed up my whole quarter
I mean, I took them at their word and sent one after 3 months of work, but then they acted surprised and took another 60 days to pay. Now my taxes are a mess because the income landed in the wrong quarter. How do you guys handle clients who are super casual about billing?
Oh man, that "send an invoice whenever" line is such a trap. Learned the hard way to just set a simple schedule for myself, like sending an invoice on the last Friday of every month no matter what they say. It keeps the cash flow steady and saves a ton of accounting headaches later. Clients usually don't mind the regular reminder, and it stops that awkward surprise when a giant bill shows up. Sticking to my own system saved my sanity more than once.
Big facts right here. @carter.cora has the right idea with that last Friday schedule. I do the same thing but I send mine out every other Monday morning. Clients just get used to it and it keeps my bank account from going on a roller coaster ride. Really cuts down on the awkward money talk too.