Self employment is great when the money comes rolling in…but what about when it doesn’t? Getting paid with self employment should be simple – it’s not.
The logistics of self employment are simple enough. Professionals work from the comfort of their homes, providing service or doing jobs for clients and customers. When the work gets completed, the paycheck arrives through the mail, paypal, or direct deposit. Right? Wrong. The truth is, not everyone pays when they say they’re going to, or what they say they’re going to. In some worst-case scenarios, self employed professionals never get paid for the work they do at all.
When the money isn’t rolling in, and getting paid with self employment seems like a rare possibility instead of a regular thing, work at home gets a whole lot scarier. What’s a self employed professional to do?
Legally, your work is always yours until money exchanges hands. Even if you’ve signed a contract granting a client the exclusive use of your work, that contract is void until the payment terms outlined therein have been reached. Many times, writing a firm but professional e-mail to non-paying clients produces some results, but in a few cases you’ll get no response. If this happens, just write a follow-up mail stating that you will be taking the project elsewhere and sell it at will to other, paying clients. You will be well within your legal right to do so.
Getting paid with self employment shouldn’t be a headache. Keep records of clients, work submitted, and dates you receive payment. This will give you an idea of which customers are paying on time and which are not. Keep track of what you’re owed and who isn’t paying, and you’ll be able to avoid most payment mishaps in the future.
