Most of the work happens before the invoice exists. Agree the payment term and the payment method when the client signs your terms, collect the purchase order and accounts contact up front, and send each invoice with a way to pay in a couple of taps. Then put a reminder in front of the client a few days before the due date, while paying on time is still easy.
In this article
The short version
- Agree the payment term and method when the client signs your terms.
- Collect the PO number and accounts contact before the first invoice.
- Set repeat temp clients up on direct debit and give each client unique bank details.
- Send every invoice with a payment link and the due date as a date.
- Send a reminder a few days before the due date.
Agree payment when the client signs
The day a hiring manager signs your terms is the day you have the most leverage, because they want your candidates. Use it to settle how you'll be paid, and keep the conversation away from the moment an invoice is already overdue.
Put the payment term in days from the invoice date, for example 14 days. Ask who in their accounts team approves supplier invoices, and whether they need a purchase order number before anything can be paid. A perm invoice without a PO can sit in an approvals queue for weeks while nobody tells you, and in a larger business the person who signed your terms may never see it again.
If you offer a rebate on perm placements, make it conditional on the fee being paid by the due date. It gives the client's own team a reason to process your invoice promptly.
Set up how each client will pay
Decide the payment method per client before the first invoice, so paying is a default and not a decision they make each time.
Repeat temp clients suit direct debit. Get the mandate signed alongside the terms of business, and each weekly invoice is then collected on its due date for that week's amount, with the client told the date and amount at least three working days before. You won't need to ask again each week, and the client doesn't need to remember.
Perm clients pay a large, one-off fee, so most will pay by bank transfer. The weak point is the reference, which someone in accounts may or may not type correctly. Giving each client their own bank details to pay into removes that dependence. With Adfin, each client sees unique bank details and the account appears in the name of your business, so a payment is matched to the right invoice and marked paid in Xero or QuickBooks without anyone checking the reference.
What every invoice should carry
An invoice gets paid on time when the accounts team can approve it in one pass. Before it goes out, check it has:
- The client's PO number and the name of the person who approved the placement or timesheet.
- The candidate's name, start date and the fee calculation (salary and percentage), so nobody has to come back with a question.
- The due date as a date, not just "14 days".
- The bank details and a payment link that takes card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or pay by bank.
- One line saying overdue invoices carry statutory late payment interest.
Send perm invoices on the start date and temp invoices on the same day each week. Clients tend to learn the rhythm, and their payment runs can start to line up with it.
Card fees deserve a thought before the first big invoice. Business cards cost more to accept, and on a £7,000 fee the difference adds up. With Adfin you can stop offering card payments, for everyone or for particular clients, or add a surcharge to business card payments, while bank payments cost 1% + 20p with the percentage capped at £4.
A reminder before the due date
The most useful message is often the one sent before anything is late. A short note three or four days before the due date ("Invoice 1042 for £7,000 is due on Friday, here's the link") catches the invoice that's stuck waiting for approval while there's still time to fix it.
Late payment is common in the sector. Of invoices paid to recruitment agencies using Adfin in 2025 and 2026, about a third arrived more than 14 days after the due date. Treat it as directional only, because it covers an early, small set of agencies and a few businesses account for much of it. A reminder before the due date gives a missing PO or an unanswered query the chance to surface while the invoice can still be paid on time.
Write the reminder in your own voice and send it from a real person's email address where you can. Schedule the follow-ups now, at the point you create the invoice, so they don't depend on someone remembering on a busy week. AI agents can now handle this for you, sending reminders over email, SMS or WhatsApp on the schedule and within the rules you've approved, and you can pause them for any client where the relationship needs a lighter touch.
Common questions
When should I send a perm placement invoice? On the candidate's start date, which is when the fee is earned in most published agency terms. Waiting for month end only pushes the due date back.
Is it worth asking for a PO number before I invoice? Yes, if the client uses them. An invoice without one can stall in their approvals process without anyone telling you.
Can I take direct debit from recruitment clients? Yes, from businesses, and it suits repeat temp clients best. Sign the mandate with your terms of business and each invoice is collected on its due date.
Should I send a reminder before an invoice is due? A short reminder a few days before the due date tends to surface missing approvals or queries while there's still time to pay on time.
What should I do if a client pays late anyway? Follow up promptly and consistently, and remember that business clients owe statutory late payment interest on overdue invoices.
Do card payments cost too much on large perm fees? They can, because business cards cost more to accept. You can steer large fees to bank transfer or surcharge business cards up to your cost.
Sources
- GOV.UK - Late commercial payments: when a payment becomes late (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.gov.uk/late-commercial-payments-interest-debt-recovery/when-a-payment-becomes-late
- Adfin - An introduction to Adfin bank transfers (accurate as of October 2026) https://support.adfin.com/en/articles/12600901-an-introduction-to-adfin-bank-transfers
- Adfin - Getting started with direct debits (accurate as of October 2026) https://support.adfin.com/en/articles/10192945-getting-started-with-direct-debits
- Adfin - Accept payments (accurate as of October 2026) https://adfin.com/accept-payments
