"Net 30" is a shorthand term businesses use on invoices. It indicates that a customer has 30 days to pay. It's a popular payment term among small businesses. But it's not the only term you can add to invoices.
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How do businesses use invoice payment terms?
Businesses use invoice payment terms mainly to point out when payment is due. On top of Net 30, there's also Net 10, Net 20 and Net 60. These mean your customer has 10, 20 or 60 days to pay, respectively. Net 30 EOM is another option. This means the payment is due by the 30th day of the following month. If the invoice is dated Oct. 15, for example, the payment is due on Nov. 30.
If this shorthand doesn't feel intuitive, though, there's no pressure to use it. You can simply write the specific due date out instead. Or you could opt for a phrase like "due within 30 days of the invoice date."
Invoicing software typically lets you create default payment terms for clients. Then they'll auto-populate each time you create an invoice.
Alternatively, some businesses use different time frames for different clients. For example, trusted customers with a record of on-time or early payments might get a longer time frame as a courtesy or perk.
How to get paid faster
An invoice is essentially a loan with 0% interest. So the faster your clients pay you, the better. Here are some ways to encourage quick payments:
- Offer a discount for early payments. For example, a payment might be due within 30 days, but you could offer a 2% discount if the buyer pays within 10 days. This can be written as "2/10 Net 30."
- Send invoices ASAP. Sending invoices to customers can sometimes float to the bottom of a to-do list. If you're looking for ways to speed up your cash flow, get invoices out the door immediately.
- Include a link to a payment page. Doing so in your digital invoices removes friction and can speed up payment time.
- Add a late fee. This can discourage late payments. Automatically apply the fee to overdue invoices.
- Automate reminder emails. A set number of days before the deadline, automatically nudge customers who haven't settled up. Then, prompt them if they still haven't paid when the deadline passes. Or, send an alert to every customer whose invoice is past due with one click.
How Net 30 shows up in reporting
When you send an invoice, the amount is added to your accounts receivable. When a customer pays, you subtract the amount from accounts receivable and add it to your cash account. Accounting software can help automate this process.
Most accounting and invoicing software programs also have dashboards that let you know when invoices are due. This helps flag late payments. Similarly, accounts receivable aging reports shows you a breakdown of when each invoice payment is due.
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