Usual payment times for bigger assignments Thread poster: Anca Demeter
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Anca Demeter
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:02
English to Romanian
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It's the first time I've received an assignment from a company (from the US). The assignment itself was pretty big required a lot of work and had a short deadline. I received the PO however it's been over a month and no payment.
During this time the company has asked me to do further 3 assignments. One very small, for which I received a PO but no payment (it has been 9 days) and the other 2 assignments are twice as large as the first one I had done (one has been delivered just this ... See more It's the first time I've received an assignment from a company (from the US). The assignment itself was pretty big required a lot of work and had a short deadline. I received the PO however it's been over a month and no payment.
During this time the company has asked me to do further 3 assignments. One very small, for which I received a PO but no payment (it has been 9 days) and the other 2 assignments are twice as large as the first one I had done (one has been delivered just this week, and the other I am working on atm).
I think the company doesn't pay the best rates per word, but because of the volume, I found it was worth it.
I unfortunately don't have the premium subscription so I can't check the BlueBoard comments, however most of their ratings are 5 stars, with a 4.1 overall. But there are a 2 comments on google advising that the company doesn't pay. Of course, now I've started getting worried. Whenever I message their vendor management team I keep being told there is no deadline, besides the fact that my name is almost always misspelled (although it's there in my e-mail and signature), they use emojis when talking which comes off so unprofessional and always misspell words. I also need to send multiple e-mails to get answers, as sometimes they don't come back to me.
Because of all these red flags I'm thinking I will not get paid. I'm not going to take any more assignments from them unless they pay, but I was wondering for those with more experience: how long does it normally take to get payments for a bigger job, once a PO was issued?
What is the expected timeline for a payment from the ones who are more experienced? When should I start being worried? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 09:02
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| 30/45/60/90 days | Nov 9, 2023 |
Anca Demeter wrote:
What is the expected timeline for a payment from the ones who are more experienced?
This information is often written in the PO itself or in the agreement that you signed with the agency. Or, if they want you to submit your invoice via some kind of portal, then that information may be mentioned in the portal.
Good agencies pay within 15 days, less good ones pay within 30 or 45 days, but don't be surprised to discover some agencies that pay within 60 days or within 90 days. Also, less good agencies calculate the payment term not from the date of the job or the date of the invoice but the end of the month in which the invoice is submitted, which can add a week or two to the term.
Did you follow the client's invoicing instructions?
Your post does not mention "invoice". Did you sent an invoice?
[Edited at 2023-11-09 12:52 GMT]
| | | | Jean Lachaud
United States
Local time: 03:02
English to French
+ ...
| US agency, you said | Nov 9, 2023 |
Common payment times by US agencies are end of the month following the month the invoice was submitted. Sometimes more, rarely less.
Most agencies disclose payment schedules, but not all of them.
Why? Because there is no state or federal law covering payments to vendors.
Now, let's wait for flames from people who know nothing about doing business in the USA, they are aplenty here.
| | | | Anca Demeter
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:02
English to Romanian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Samuel Murray wrote: Anca Demeter wrote:
What is the expected timeline for a payment from the ones who are more experienced? This information is often written in the PO itself or in the agreement that you signed with the agency. Or, if they want you to submit your invoice via some kind of portal, then that information may be mentioned in the portal. Good agencies pay within 15 days, less good ones pay within 30 or 45 days, but don't be surprised to discover some agencies that pay within 60 days or within 90 days. Also, less good agencies calculate the payment term not from the date of the job or the date of the invoice but the end of the month in which the invoice is submitted, which can add a week or two to the term. Did you follow the client's invoicing instructions? Your post does not mention "invoice". Did you sent an invoice? [Edited at 2023-11-09 12:52 GMT]
Thanks for this!
The agreement said: "Payments are made within 7 days following NET30 after project’s deadline."
I think the issue is that every time I ask what the project deadline is they say they don't know, and the deadline refers to when they actually send it to the customer (which again I'm side eyeing as they should know when that deadline is).
Yes I did send them an invoice around the 23rd of October once they sent me the PO. However, for the second small job they said they don't require an invoice because they already have my payment details (is this weird? I feel like it's weird and will send them an invoice regardless).
Thanks for the rest! At least now I know where this agency falls between good and not so good haha.
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Anca Demeter
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:02
English to Romanian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Jean Lachaud wrote:
Common payment times by US agencies are end of the month following the month the invoice was submitted. Sometimes more, rarely less.
Most agencies disclose payment schedules, but not all of them.
Why? Because there is no state or federal law covering payments to vendors.
Now, let's wait for flames from people who know nothing about doing business in the USA, they are aplenty here.
Awesome! Thanks for that. I wasn't aware of this because I am not US based. They did mention something about taking 2-3 weeks (But I'm worried because of the red flags), so that would track with end of the month of the following month when the invoice was submitted.
I guess I'll just wait and hope that by the end of November they'll pay for the job!
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All the USA agencies I have been working with pay according to what we agreed before (in general, 30 days following the month the invoice was submitted, but I have very occasionally agreed to longer payments). All of them state their terms of payment on their POs.
P.S. Payment in instalments of some kind is not unusual for a large project, which may take months to translate.
[Edited at 2023-11-09 13:37 GMT]
| | | | conejo
United States
Local time: 02:02
Japanese to English
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| Always make sure all the deadlines and details regarding payment have been clearly set in advance | Nov 9, 2023 |
Some of the things I've read in this post sound problematic. It sounds like you weren't aware what the payment terms actually were before you started the job, and it sounded like you had already finished the job before you got a PO... these things should not be happening.
First, always make absolutely sure you are 100% clear on the detailed payment terms before you ever accept a project. Because many things can be hidden unless you ask detailed questions in advance.
- Ask them... See more Some of the things I've read in this post sound problematic. It sounds like you weren't aware what the payment terms actually were before you started the job, and it sounded like you had already finished the job before you got a PO... these things should not be happening.
First, always make absolutely sure you are 100% clear on the detailed payment terms before you ever accept a project. Because many things can be hidden unless you ask detailed questions in advance.
- Ask them what the payment terms are
- Clarify whether they have delays built into their payment system that they haven't disclosed. For example, some agencies will say "30 days" if you ask them the payment terms, but if you ask them in detail about things that delay payment, after several emails, they finally tell you that they only allow people to issue an invoice once per month at the end of the month, THEN they pay you 30 days after that date. So effectively, a system like that is definitely not "30 days." It's 30-60 days, depending on when you finished the job (example: jobs delivered Sept. 1-30 are paid on Oct. 30).
- On a big job that goes on a long time, verify how often you can issue an invoice during the project. Because if you're not careful you could end up having to work for 3 months til the project is finished, then wait 1-2 more months because their payment calculation starts at the end of the 3 months.
Second: NEVER start any job without a PO in advance. This is the biggest way to get scammed by someone with no intention of paying.
- Always get a PO before translating even 1 word.
Also, if a client is basing when they pay you on when they deliver the job to the client or when the client pays them, this is a BIG red flag. This should never happen. I would never accept any job from any customer who said something like that. Because this means they get to delay indefinitely as long as they like forever, because there is no way of knowing when they will deliver the job to the client, or when (or if) their customer will pay them.
You asked about normal payment terms in the US: I agree with what someone else said. Any "good" agency has 30-day payment terms. A so-so agency is 45 days. Anything longer than that, I do not consider to be good at all. And it's a known fact that many agencies who have payment terms longer than 60 days are putting that money in a bank account and earning interest on it while you are sitting at home wondering when you are going to get paid. This is a known practice in this industry. Please be careful. Also, even "good" agencies that mostly pay on time, even if their payment terms are "30 days" and you can invoice immediately when the project is completed, many of these agencies still have some payment delays. So even in the best scenario with a good client with 30-day payment terms, you might be waiting until day 37 or so to get paid. So keep this in mind.
[Edited at 2023-11-09 16:43 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 09:02
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Anca Demeter wrote:
The agreement said: "Payments are made within 7 days following NET30 after project’s deadline."
I think the issue is that every time I ask what the project deadline is they say they don't know, and the deadline refers to when they actually send it to the customer (which again I'm side eyeing as they should know when that deadline is).
Usually, something like "7 days following NET30 following the project's deadline" would refer to YOUR deadline, not THEIR deadline. A project can go on for many months, so if their logic is what you say it is, it would mean that you would often have to wait months before you are paid. I doubt if that is so.
So, I would interpret "7 days following NET30 following the project's deadline" to mean that they would pay you 37 days after the date that you were supposed to deliver the work. (This may be just a way to say "we wait a month and then we pay within the next week".) However, there is no standard definition of "NET30" and their accountant may mean something else by it (e.g. he might think it means one full calendar month, not 30 days).
For the second small job they said they don't require an invoice because they already have my payment details...
Yes, some clients pay automatically regardless of whether you send them an invoice. In such a case it is very important that you keep an eye on your bank statements and ensure that you have created a invoice (even if you don't send it) as part of your bookkeeping.
Then, some clients' accounting policies change every now and then, so the fact that they pay automatically now does not mean that they would pay automatically one year from now, so keep track of whether they pay.
[Edited at 2023-11-09 21:36 GMT]
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 09:02
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Anca Demeter wrote:
The agreement said: "Payments are made within 7 days following NET30 after project’s deadline."
I think the issue is that every time I ask what the project deadline is they say they don't know, and the deadline refers to when they actually send it to the customer (which again I'm side eyeing as they should know when that deadline is).
As a rule of thumb:
- Only start working after you have agreed to (in writing, be it through e-mails or a PO) the amount of words to be translated, the amount you will get paid for that and the deadline to which you are supposed to deliver your translation (never accept arguments like 'we can only pay you after our client has paid us', you have nothing to do with the agreement between your client and the end client).
- ALWAYS send an invoice. It is extremely fishy if a client says to you that there is no need to send an invoice.
| | | | IrinaN
United States
Local time: 02:02
English to Russian
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I've been doing business in the US for 30 years and has never been offered any other payment terms but 30 days. Ends, middles and beginnings of months have been utterly irrelevant. Jean, are you saying that a job submitted on June 3rd will be paid on July 31st???
Me and most of my agencies go back 30 years. Last time I signed a contract with a new agency was about 7-8 years ago. Anything other than 30 days was unheard of here since 90s but...
European practice of 45-60-... See more I've been doing business in the US for 30 years and has never been offered any other payment terms but 30 days. Ends, middles and beginnings of months have been utterly irrelevant. Jean, are you saying that a job submitted on June 3rd will be paid on July 31st???
Me and most of my agencies go back 30 years. Last time I signed a contract with a new agency was about 7-8 years ago. Anything other than 30 days was unheard of here since 90s but...
European practice of 45-60-day payments started creeping on us, slowly but surely, around 2008 or so. First it has been applied to overseas vendors who looked at it as a normalcy but, as Jean insists, looks like it has infected the entire payment practice in the US and newer agencies are spreading the disease at an alarming rate. Why not, if vendors agree... Too bad.
Still, to this day all my established colleagues work with 30-day payers only. The only agency I actively work for today as an interpreter pays on Wednesdays only, the invoice becomes due after 30 days so the payment may be 2-3 days late or early relative to the exact 30th day. Contracts that are dormant but not expired have not been updated for any new payment terms. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Joakim Braun
Sweden
Local time: 09:02
German to Swedish
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| 30 days after delivery | Nov 10, 2023 |
Most agencies I work with (mostly based in northern Europe) pay 30 days after delivery.
Some even pay within a week or two. All pay within 60 days.
Assignment size shouldn't affect payment time.
| | | | Juno Bos
Zambia
Local time: 09:02
Member (2011)
German to Dutch
+ ...
Especially "follow-up" jobs, normally I ask my clients to pay before I start on a new one.
Once dealt with an agency that just kept sending me job after job after job. But never paid for one of them. So nowadays, pay my incoice and then I will start with the next one.
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| Three things | Nov 10, 2023 |
1. You haven’t quite reached the time they said they’d pay, so don’t panic.
2. Some agencies do not issue a PO until after you deliver the job. That is entirely normal, albeit weird. If they’ve asked you to do the job by email, that is your contract.
3. Payment under 30 days is unusual. Nice, but unusual.
IME.
| | | | Anca Demeter
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:02
English to Romanian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | we can only pay after the client paid us | Nov 23, 2023 |
Lieven Malaise wrote:
As a rule of thumb:
- Only start working after you have agreed to (in writing, be it through e-mails or a PO) the amount of words to be translated, the amount you will get paid for that and the deadline to which you are supposed to deliver your translation (never accept arguments like 'we can only pay you after our client has paid us', you have nothing to do with the agreement between your client and the end client).
Yup, I'm now getting the "we can only pay you after our client has paid us" although all I am asking them is a timeline. Based on their terms of payment for clients for bigger projects there should be some kind of agreement in place (pay monthly, pay after each stage of the project). One of their PM confirmed that they have already received payment for the project from the client, however one of the vendor managers backtracked and told me the payment will be in December sometimes. Every time I ask, they simply copy paste their terms "Projects of 100$ or more will be paid upon AGENCY receipt of payment from the client." I mean, they did, now they stopped answering me all together.
Wish their Blue Board wasn't a 4.1 rating tho.
| | | | | Agreed in advance? | Nov 23, 2023 |
Anca Demeter wrote:
Every time I ask, they simply copy paste their terms "Projects of 100$ or more will be paid upon AGENCY receipt of payment from the client." I mean, they did, now they stopped answering me all together.
Did you agree to that as part of the overall agreement, in advance?
If so, you just have to accept it, I think (as a general rule, specific jurisdictions might have different rules, of course)
If agreed in advance, the stipulations in a commercial (as against consumer) contract can be anything legal. I have translated subcontracting contracts that say the same thing - you don't get paid until we are paid. If you agree to such things in advance.....
That said, I often wonder how one proves one has NOT been paid if challenged, proving a negative being notoriously difficult which is another good reason not to agree to such terms
If not agreed in advance, as countless previous threads indicate, the execution of one contract (you getting paid by a client) cannot be dependent on the execution of another (the client getting paid).
Edit to add that "pay-when-paid" clauses are not universally acceptable, and e.g. are not permitted in construction contracts in Scotland (although apparently still occur), to take one example on the first page of hits.
[Edited at 2023-11-23 18:19 GMT]
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