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Getting paid on time

Updated · 3 min read

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In short

  • Before you start: agree the price and when you’ll be paid.
  • On every invoice: a due date, the amount and how to pay.
  • Around the due date: a reminder before, a follow-up the day after.

Before you start

  1. Send a quote

    What you’ll do, by when, and the price.

  2. Agree when you’ll be paid

    Upfront, a deposit, on delivery, or a set number of days after.

  3. Get a yes in writing

    An email or message you can point back to.

  4. Ask where invoices go

    And whether they need an order number on it.

An invoice that’s easy to pay

Everything the person paying needs, on one page.

Gets paid

  • A due date: “Due 30 November”
  • The amount, matching the quote
  • Your bank details
  • The invoice number, as the payment reference
  • Sent to the person who pays

Gets put off

  • “Payment due soon”
  • A total that doesn’t match the quote
  • No bank details
  • Sent to the wrong inbox

Remind, then follow up

Short, friendly and specific: the amount, the date, how to pay.

  1. Day 0

    Send

    The day the work is done.

  2. A few days before

    Friendly reminder

    Amount, due date, bank details.

  3. Due date

    Check your bank

    Paid? Record it.

  4. Day after

    Follow up

    Ask when it will be paid.

  5. A week late

    Call

    Agree a date, then confirm it in writing.

Keep every reminder with the invoice.

When money comes in

Match each payment
By invoice number
The reference your customer used.
Part paid
Record what came in
Then follow up the rest.
Quote, invoice, reminders
Keep them together
They show what was agreed, and when.
Registered for VAT?
VAT is due either way
Usually for the period you invoice, paid or not [1].

Selling to government

National and provincial departments must pay within 30 days of receiving your invoice, unless the contract says otherwise [2].

  1. Send a complete invoice to the right office

    Missing documents and misfiled invoices are among the reasons departments give for paying late [2].

  2. Still unpaid after 30 days?

    National Treasury takes supplier queries at 30daysqueries@treasury.gov.za [2].

References

General guidance, not tax or legal advice.

  1. [1]South African Revenue Service, “VAT 404 Guide for Vendors, Issue 15,” SARS. Accessed: Oct. 23, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.sars.gov.za/legal-pub-guide-vat404-vat-404-guide-for-vendors/ (opens in a new tab)
  2. [2]National Treasury, “Non-compliance with payments of invoices within 30 days, Q3 2025/26,” National Treasury. Accessed: Oct. 23, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://archive.treasury.gov.za/legislation/pfma/Compliance%20on%20Payment%20of%20Suppliers/Non-compliance%20with%20payments%20of%20invoices%20within%2030%20days%20-%20Q3%20-%202025-26.pdf (opens in a new tab)

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