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Poll: Which of these do you consider the lowest unacceptable payment term? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Which of these do you consider the lowest unacceptable payment term?".
This poll was originally submitted by Iulia Parvu. View the poll results »
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 15:39
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Is this even close to proper English ? My reply is based on the assumption that 'the least acceptable' is meant here.
Although I have clients who pay me after 30 and 45 days, I'm perfectly fine with clients who only pay after 60 days. The only thing that matters is that they pay (more or less) at the agreed date.
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Kay Denney 
France
Local time: 15:39
French to English
There was one client who waited 60 days then till the end of the month to pay me. They have since moved to one of those anonymous platforms with a CAT tool bundled in, so I no longer intend to work with them. Nowadays my clients have mostly all paid up within a couple of months, which is fine.
My previous employer used to ask translators to sign a document saying they had understood they would not be paid for 6 months which was ridiculously cruel. Then they had trouble keeping good trans... See more There was one client who waited 60 days then till the end of the month to pay me. They have since moved to one of those anonymous platforms with a CAT tool bundled in, so I no longer intend to work with them. Nowadays my clients have mostly all paid up within a couple of months, which is fine.
My previous employer used to ask translators to sign a document saying they had understood they would not be paid for 6 months which was ridiculously cruel. Then they had trouble keeping good translators. At least they paid the salaries on time. A young lad asked me whether I could recommend his services to them and I told him he'd be better off working in retail. ▲ Collapse
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Iulia Parvu
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:39
Member (2022)
English to Romanian
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| Clarification | Apr 5, 2023 |
[quote]Lieven Malaise wrote:
Is this even close to proper English ? My reply is based on the assumption that 'the least acceptable' is meant here.
Although I have clients who pay me after 30 and 45 days, I'm perfectly fine with clients who only pay after 60 days. The only thing that matters is that they pay (more or less) at the agreed date.
[I am the creator of the poll and I need to add that this question was edited by the Proz.com staff. My question referred to the maximum acceptable period of time for payment and am sorry for the misunderstanding]
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 15:39
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
| Flabbergasted | Apr 5, 2023 |
Kay Denney wrote:
My previous employer used to ask translators to sign a document saying they had understood they would not be paid for 6 months which was ridiculously cruel.
That is beyond ridiculous, indeed. Who would accept that ?
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 15:39
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Iulia Parvu wrote:
[I am the creator of the poll and I need to add that this question was edited by the Proz.com staff. My question referred to the maximum acceptable period of time for payment and am sorry for the misunderstanding]
That's no problem at all. Thanks for the clarification.
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| As long as they pay reliably, 60 days is the absolute limit | Apr 5, 2023 |
I normally insist on end-of-month + 30 days.
That is because I send my invoices at the end of the month, and then expect to be paid within 30 days of the invoice date.
If a job is delivered early in the month, that gives them 45+ days in practice.
I had one client who paid quarterly to save bank charges - she has now joined up with an agency who ask for monthly invoices, and pay within 30 days like the rest.
Another long-term client pays 60 days from the invoice ... See more I normally insist on end-of-month + 30 days.
That is because I send my invoices at the end of the month, and then expect to be paid within 30 days of the invoice date.
If a job is delivered early in the month, that gives them 45+ days in practice.
I had one client who paid quarterly to save bank charges - she has now joined up with an agency who ask for monthly invoices, and pay within 30 days like the rest.
Another long-term client pays 60 days from the invoice date. They do not send anything like as much work as they used to. I suspect they think I am expensive, and I have stopped recommending them to colleagues. People ask if I really work for the rates they offer! But they pay.
I voted 30 days. ▲ Collapse
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| 60 days is my limit | Apr 5, 2023 |
My payment terms are 30 days, so these are the most commonly used by my clients, though I have agreed very occasionally with 60 days (huge jobs). Some very dear regular customers (5) pay the day after receiving my invoice, one client needs to be reminded every now and then but he pays immediately after that…
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 15:39
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| Highest acceptable term | Apr 5, 2023 |
Iulia Parvu wrote:
I am the creator of the poll and ... this question was edited by the Proz.com staff. My question referred to the maximum acceptable period of time for payment...
Perhaps the ProZ.com staff member who edited it is not a native speaker of English... thinking that "lowest unacceptable term" is better than saying "longest acceptable term".
For me, the maximum acceptable term is 120 days. About half of my clients maintain 60 days. A quarter do 30 days, and a quarter do 90-120 days.
[Edited at 2023-04-05 09:28 GMT]
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Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 15:39
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
However, many agencies that have a 30 day NET pay much later manipulating the policy, 30 days but "at the end of the following month" or similar. And almost all of them are generally late and have to be chased for payment.
I am sure it's no different with 60 NET agencies, and they would be late as well.
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Thomas Krogh
Denmark
Local time: 15:39
Member (2016)
Danish to English
+ ...
In China or India they try to get away with 90 days or even 60 days. I think both are unacceptable. Especially if you do a translation around the first of the month and the terms are 60 days end-of-the-month. That can quickly end up basically becoming 90 days anyway.
30 days all the way. Maximum 45. If they pay before 30 days they are heroes in my book.
[Edited at 2023-04-05 09:52 GMT]
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| 60 days is the limit | Apr 5, 2023 |
I have only one client who pays after 60 days. My best client pays me as soon as I deliver my translations and others pay me at the end of the month, which is perfectly fine with me.
[Edited at 2023-04-05 10:00 GMT]
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Bruno Depascale
Italy
Local time: 15:39
Member (2009)
English to Italian
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| I would say 3-4 months | Apr 5, 2023 |
I had a client in Italy (a publishing house) who had a peculiar invoicing procedure: I had to bundle all the jobs perform in the last three months in a single invoice and then I should wait about 6 months to be paid (from the invoicing date). So I could wait more than 9 months to receive the payment of some jobs (!)
[Edited at 2023-04-05 10:56 GMT]
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… that payment at 30 days was a legal requirement in the EU?
I wouldn’t accept payment any later than that, and I don’t think I’ve ever been offered payment later than that.
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Damian Fryc
Poland
Local time: 15:39
Polish to English
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| It doesn't matter as long as they pay on agreed terms | Apr 5, 2023 |
My clients usually pay me 45-60 days after issuing an invoice, which for some jobs means 75-90 days without payment but I have no problem with it as long as they pay on the agreed terms
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