Top contractor invoice payment delay excuses revealed

Posted by Alex Turner

IT contractor accountants will be familiar with a range of excuses from client companies that delay the paying of invoices.

Speaking to Contractor UK, a leading debt recovery specialist has listed the top ten excuses that contractors are most likely to listen to when questioning and unpaid invoice.

According to Creditsafe managing director Sid Home, the most common reason is "I can't afford to pay you until my customers pay me", an excuse that cannot always be believed.

Mr Home recommends asking the client to pay an upfront partial payment of the invoice total, a step that sets a precedent about establishing a timeframe of acceptability over payment.

The "oldest line in the credit control book", he went on to say, is "the cheque's in the post", a response the payee should greet by asking whether payment was sent first or second class, the cheque's exact value, when it was paid and most importantly, the cheque number.

According to realbusiness.co.uk, another top excuse is "we haven't received the invoice".