Before you issue: the seven checks
- The amount ties to an accepted estimate, contract or approved change order.
- All change orders on the job are approved and included.
- Deposits and progress payments already received are applied as credits.
- Line items describe the work in the customer's language.
- Terms, due date and payment methods are on the document.
- The recipient is the person who actually pays, with any reference they require.
- The invoice is attached to the job record.
At job completion, same day
- Completion documented — photos, notes, sign-off where applicable.
- Any extras approved in writing before they were performed.
- Invoice generated from the job, not retyped.
- Invoice delivered on the customer's usual channel and delivery recorded.
- Any payment collected on site recorded with a receipt issued immediately.
Weekly receivables review
- Open the aging view and work the oldest bucket first.
- Confirm delivery evidence before treating a balance as refusal.
- Assign one owner by name to every balance over your threshold.
- Clear unapplied payments and duplicates.
- List completed jobs with no invoice and fix them that day.
- Record every promise made and the date it was promised for.
One-page collections cadence template
Copy this and set your own thresholds. Day 0 (delivery): confirm receipt, correct recipient, correct reference. Day −3: reminder with amount and due date. Day 0 (due): payment due today, with payment instructions. Day +3: different channel, ask what is blocking payment. Day +10: named person calls, obtain a commitment with a date. Day +21: written notice restating agreed terms. Day +30: escalation decision — payment plan, formal demand, or the path your attorney defined.
Two rules make the template work: never skip a step because the customer is a friend, and never invent a step because you are frustrated.