and what to do about it.
by ed mendlowitz
101 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice, the complete 2-volume set
q: i always have large amounts owed to me from clients. is there anything i can do about this?
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a: absolutely! my feelings are that large a/r balances are your fault. accounting fees are almost never material to a business’ cost structure, but letting fees pile up can make them somewhat material.
we need to recognize that we are businesspeople and part of that is to maintain cash flow. i also find that one of the worst things about accounting is collecting what was billed. this is a usual question i get and usually get it when the accountant is frustrated because he or she needs to collect the money and gets a lot of heartache speaking to clients about the payment.
based on many conversations i had with cpas (and my own conversations with clients), here is a listing of some of the reasons clients give for not paying:
- i misplaced the bill.
- i did not understand the bill.
- i thought i could pay it over time.
- i did not think it would be so high.
- i did not realize it was past due.
- i never pay a bill until i am asked to pay it three times.
- my bookkeeper should have paid it. let me check with her.
- business is slow and my customers haven’t paid.
- i am waiting for a big check from a customer and when i get it, you will be the first person i’ll pay.
- you made the bill out to the wrong company. as soon as you send me a correct bill, i’ll pay it.
one thing that truly upsets me is when clients ignore the bill and wait until they are badgered for payment. i detest doing that and resent that i haven’t been promptly paid when i did the work promptly. i also get the feeling that if my call wasn’t made, i would never be paid. who do these people think they are? they are stealing from me! and they resent my calls?!
when you neglect to ask for payment after sending the bill and let it lie, you are either signaling that you think the bill was too high and don’t really expect to be paid or indicating that you are not a good businessperson. either way, you will lose out.
i have a simple solution that has always worked for me. when i prepare my monthly bills and statements, i call anyone who did not pay the previous bill. i make the call myself – delegating this never seemed to work well for me. i tell the client that i noticed that the last bill wasn’t paid and ask if there is a problem with the bill. if there is a problem, i can address it right then and there. if there is no problem, i tell them i would appreciate it if they could put a check in the mail right now or give me a credit card to charge the payment.
doing this is uncomfortable for sure, but it brings in the money and, after a couple of such calls, the client gets the idea they need to pay the bills timely. my hobby is collecting stamps, not working for people without being paid! this also limits my a/r buildup and reduces the really uncomfortable calls when large balances are past due.
3 responses to “10 reasons clients don’t pay”
judy just
we have been able to keep a/r to a minimum be putting four billing systems in place.
for all monthly billing clients we set them up on autopay, on the 10th of each month i automatically process their balance due through ach or credit card. (client fills out a payment authorization form)
tax returns – returns are billed when complete and not filed until all signed docs and payment are received.
all other work projects – billed and payment is collected when the work is delivered.
tax resolution clients – retainer is collected at the first appointment, plus client fills out a payment authorization form with their credit card information, allowing us to automatically process (agreed upon) monthly payments while the tax resolution case is being worked. if at any time their credit card payment is declined, all work is stopped until payments have been brought current.
henry l. williams
great article! you nailed it! i have a relatively small accounting, bookkeeping, and tax preparation service and use the same simple solution that you outlined in the article! this procedure works 99% of the time fo me!
frank stitely
#6 is a really frustrating one. for almost all tax returns, we don’t file until we get paid. it’s part of our workflow.