There's no universally "correct" payment term — Net 30 isn't more professional than Due on Receipt, and Due on Receipt isn't more aggressive than Net 15. The right choice depends on three things: who your client is, what your industry expects, and how much of a cash flow gap you can personally absorb.
Start with your own cash flow, not convention
If a 30-day gap between finishing work and getting paid would genuinely strain you, Net 30 is the wrong default regardless of what's "standard" in your field. Due on Receipt or Net 7 are completely legitimate choices for independent freelancers and small operations — the client either accepts your terms or you learn that early, which is useful information either way.
Match the client's size and process
| Client type | Likely expectation |
|---|---|
| Individual / small business, direct relationship | Due on Receipt or Net 7 is usually fine and often expected |
| Established small-to-mid business | Net 15 is a common middle ground |
| Larger company with an accounts-payable process | Net 30 is frequently their standard cycle — shorter terms may just get ignored until their normal payment run |
That last point matters: a large company's AP department often processes vendor payments on a fixed schedule regardless of what your invoice says. Matching their known cycle (ask, if you don't already know it) sometimes gets you paid faster than insisting on stricter terms they'll functionally ignore.
New clients vs. established relationships
Shorter terms — or a deposit plus Due on Receipt for the balance — are a reasonable default for a first engagement with any new client, regardless of their size. You can loosen terms once trust is established; tightening them after offering generous terms to a new client is a much harder conversation.
You can offer a discount for faster payment instead of shortening terms
"Net 30, 2% discount if paid within 10 days" gets you some of the benefit of short terms (an incentive to pay fast) without the friction of imposing them outright on a client who expects a longer cycle. This is a common compromise in industries where Net 30 is deeply the norm.
Whatever you choose, state it every time
The specific term matters less than consistency and clarity — always state it explicitly on the invoice itself, and keep it the same across invoices to the same client so there's never ambiguity about when payment is actually due.