Getting paid: invoicing, chasing, and not losing money
Invoice, chase, track, deposit.
1. Send the invoice
Clean, itemized PDF. Payment terms. Due date. Send it the same day the final is delivered — not a week later.
🧾Invoice Generator—→2. Know if the project was profitable
Before you even send the invoice: run the profit calculator with the real crew hours and overhead. Spot the margin leaks before they become a pattern.
📊Profit Calculator—→3. Follow up when it's overdue
Three escalating tones — friendly, firm, final. Pick one, fill in the details, send. Skip the 'sorry to bother you' preamble.
📩Late Payment Letter—→4. Add teeth for next time
Amend your contract template to include a late fee clause. 1.5%/mo compounding is standard. Most clients will never trigger it — it's there for the ones who test it.
⏰Late Fee Addendum—→5. Client can't pay in one go?
Map out installments, get it signed, keep the deal. A signed payment plan beats a missed invoice every time.
📅Payment Plan Agreement—→6. Formal receipts when money arrives
Some clients' bookkeeping requires them. Sending unprompted = looking pro + avoiding future disputes.
🧾Deposit Receipt—→7. Ask contractors for W-9s early
If you paid a 1099 contractor > $600 this year, you need their W-9 before January 31 to issue a 1099-NEC. Ask in December, not April.
📋W-9 Request Letter—→8. Tax-prep: sort a year of expenses in 10 minutes
Export your business account CSV, drop it in, let keyword rules bucket everything into Schedule C categories. Your CPA will thank you.
💳Expense Categorizer—→If this feels like a lot — it is. That's why Slate automates the whole cycle: invoices auto-generate from project data, late payments flag themselves, expense imports run continuously, and your P&L stays current. Free up to 10 projects.
10 projects free. No credit card.