A client asks for "Net 30" and you nod like you know what it means. Maybe you do. But a lot of good tradespeople quietly wave through payment terms that decide when — and whether — they actually get paid. Net 30 is simple once someone explains it straight, and it changes how you handle your invoicing.
Net 30 means the client has 30 days from the invoice date to pay you in full. "Net" is the whole amount owed, no discounts; "30" is the number of days they've got. So if you invoice on the 1st, payment is due by the 30th. That's it. It's not a discount, it's not optional after 30 days, and it's not a suggestion — it's a deadline you set and the client agrees to when they hire you.
The term comes from the business world, where big companies expect to buy now and pay later. You'll hear Net 15, Net 45, and Net 60 too — same idea, different number of days. For a solo tradesperson the shorter the number the better, because every day on that clock is a day your money sits in someone else's account instead of yours. Net 30 is common; that doesn't mean it's right for every job.
Here's the detail that trips people up: 30 days from what? Almost always it's 30 days from the invoice date, not from the day you finished the work. That means if you wait two weeks to send the bill, you've quietly turned Net 30 into Net 44. The lesson is the same one that fixes half of all late payments — send the invoice the day you finish, so the clock starts while the job is fresh.
Put the actual due date on the invoice, in plain numbers, not just "Net 30." Some clients genuinely don't know the term, and "Due by August 31" leaves no room to wonder. A specific date is a firmer anchor than a rule they have to do math on, and it quietly removes the "oh, I thought I had longer" excuse before it can ever be used.
"Due on receipt" means pay now — the day you send the bill. It's the fastest terms you can offer and, for most one-off residential jobs, the right default. "Net 15" gives a fortnight, a fair middle ground for a repeat client you trust. Net 30 is generous; it makes sense for a builder or property manager who runs everything through accounts payable and literally can't pay faster than their cycle allows.
The trap is offering Net 30 to a homeowner who would happily have paid you on the spot. You don't win the job by giving longer terms nobody asked for — you just wait a month for money you could have had that afternoon. Match the terms to the client. Cash-in-hand residential work should be due on receipt; corporate and trade accounts are where Net 30 earns its keep.
Offering Net 30 means you're lending the client money, interest-free, for a month. For a big commercial customer that's the cost of doing business — they pay reliably, they just pay on a cycle. For a random homeowner it's a gift with no upside for you. Ask yourself one question: is this a client I'll bill again and again, who pays through an accounts department? If yes, Net 30 is normal. If no, ask for the money sooner.
You can also make Net 30 the outer limit while nudging for faster. Some tradespeople offer a small early-payment discount — "2% off if paid within 10 days" — so the client has a reason to move. Others simply set due-on-receipt and only stretch to Net 30 when a valued account asks. Whatever you pick, decide it before the job, not after the invoice, when you've already lost your leverage.
Net 30 only works if you actually track the 30 days. An open invoice you've forgotten about isn't Net 30 — it's Net whenever-they-feel-like-it. Keep a running list of what's owed and what's overdue, and the day something crosses its due date, follow up. A calm reminder on day 31 gets paid; a sheepish call three months later often doesn't. The terms mean nothing if you don't hold the line on them.
For bigger jobs, protect yourself with a deposit up front so you're never fronting a month of materials on trust. Bill the balance on Net 30 if you must, but never carry the whole cost yourself. And keep your invoices numbered and itemized — when a client's accounts department pays on a cycle, a clean, clear bill moves through their system faster than a scrappy one that gets set aside for questions.
Workeey puts a due date on every invoice and tracks each one as draft, sent, paid, or overdue, so your Net 30 bills never slip out of sight. The dashboard shows what you're owed and what's gone past due at a glance — no spreadsheet, no guessing which client is sitting on your money. When the clock runs out, you know the same day, not months later.
You can also switch on automatic email reminders that nudge the client on a schedule until they pay — so Net 30 doesn't turn into Net 90 just because a bill got buried in an inbox. Connect your own Stripe and the invoice carries a pay link, so even a slow-paying account can settle by card or bank transfer in a couple of taps. See how to get clients to pay faster for more.
Yes. Net 30 means 30 calendar days, not business days — weekends and holidays count. If you invoice on the 1st, payment is due by the 30th regardless of what falls in between. If you need business days, write "30 business days" explicitly.
They still owe you the full amount — the deadline passing doesn't cancel the debt. Follow up right away with a reminder. If you stated a late fee on the invoice, you can apply it, but check it's legal where you work and that you flagged it up front.
Not for most solo tradespeople. Due on receipt gets you paid faster, which is almost always what you want. Net 30 mainly makes sense for commercial clients who pay on a fixed cycle and can't move quicker anyway.
Sometimes, if you state the late fee or interest rate on the invoice before the client agrees to the work, and local rules allow it. You can't spring a fee on someone after the fact. Keep it reasonable and put it in writing on every bill.