Catch the Sun Blog (Is a sun blog like a sun dog?)
Catch the Sun Blog (Is a sun blog like a sun dog?)
editor, freelance editor, online editor, book editor, textbook, textbook editor, editorial service, manuscript editor, editor service, Kingston, Ontario, NCR, Lake Ontario, school, classroom, basal, educational editor, education, ancillaries, teacher guide, teacher resource, substantive editor, multiple intelligences, learning theory, teaching theory, instruction, differentiated instruction, Parry Sound, Georgian Bay, invoice, invoicing
Most people don’t know how to run a business. Why would they? People spend years in school to learn that, and even MBAs can screw up royally (witness, the not-too-long-ago “global economic downturn”).
The difficulty I find is that freelancers (and artists) want to do the job, not run a business. They find the business side of things aggravating and a waste of time, so they neglect it. I say you have three choices: learn it, farm it out, or find a j-o-b.
Having just received another terrible invoice. The several government departments I contacted claim there are no official requirements, so here are my own suggestions.
1.do invoice
2.invoice promptly, or for longer projects, on a regular basis. For the sake of your cash flow, I recommend every two weeks
3.include the PO#, project title, contact name and address, date and/or invoice #, and any other info that will help your invoice move through the client’s accounts payable stream
4.include your GST/HST # if you have one. If you don’t have one, you can’t collect GST. It’s not a speculative system (in that way). If you collect GST, you must submit it. It’s not a “don’t pass 30k, keep the cash” kind of game.
5.include your name, address, business number or SIN (either, or; not both)
6.include any other info about how to contact you, as a reminder to hire you again
7.state the terms of payment, such as COD or net30
8.be sure you are sending the invoice to the right person, and/or ask that your contact forward it to the right person
When the due date passes, send a friendly query about the status of payment. Include a copy of the invoice.
When payment arrives, send a quick note acknowledging receipt and thanking the client again for the work.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Idiot’s Guide to Invoicing