Freelancers and clients
A client won't pay my freelance invoice
You delivered the work, the client went quiet, and the invoice is now older than your patience. For freelancers this is the most ordinary kind of bad day, made worse by the fact that chasing a small invoice can cost more than the invoice is worth.
The strongest position comes from the boring parts: the agreed scope, the approval, the delivery, and the invoice terms. If those are clear, the argument narrows quickly to whether the work was accepted. If they are thin, a neutral process can still sort out what is fair based on what both sides actually did.
Your options
Four honest routes, including doing nothing.
Doing nothing
Write an invoice off only as a deliberate business decision, not out of exhaustion. And if you might work with this client again, a history of nonpayment is worth knowing.
A demand letter
A firm, unemotional notice that references the deliverable, the invoice number and date, the agreed terms, and a final payment date converts a surprising number of invoices. Keep it factual and save a copy.
Small claims court
For a client in your state, this is the enforceable route, and it can include the invoice amount plus filing costs. For a client across the country it gets harder, and the amount has to justify the trip and the time.
Start Over Fresh
A Standard Case produces a written advisory opinion in days with no filing cost, and both sides can take part from anywhere. It is most useful when the client disputes the work rather than simply hiding, because it puts the deliverable and the messages in front of a neutral panel.
How Start Over Fresh works for this
The timing below is for a Standard Case.
- 1
Tell your side
You explain what happened in plain words, add whatever documents you have, and name the other person. A Standard Case takes about ten minutes to file, and there is no filing fee.
- 2
They respond
The other person gets an email link and has 2 business days to answer. No account is required. We send a reminder before the deadline, and if they never answer, a default is entered, though the panel still reads everything you filed.
- 3
Try mediation, then get a decision
A neutral AI mediator suggests up to three ways to settle, and each of you has 24 hours to accept one, ask for a single change, or skip. If nothing is accepted, three AI judges decide. A Standard Case is usually decided in about 3 to 5 calendar days from filing.
Hypothetical example, not a real case
A hypothetical example
A designer invoiced $2,400 for a completed site, and the client withheld payment saying two pages were never delivered. A panel might find the invoice is owed minus a small credit for the unfinished pages. That is an illustration, not a prediction.
Questions people ask
- Does this work if my client is in another state or country?
- Yes. Both sides take part through a link, so location matters far less than it does in court. Enforcement is still the hard part anywhere, because the opinion is advisory rather than a judgment.
- What if there was no contract?
- Emails and messages that set out the work and the price often serve the same purpose. A clear approval message plus proof of delivery is a strong record even without a signed agreement.
- Can I claim late fees?
- Only if the terms provided for them and you can show those terms. Panels tend to award the invoice amount and documented costs rather than penalties.
- Will my client see my other work?
- No. Only the material you upload for this case is shared with the other side and with the panel.
Start with your side of the story
About ten minutes to file, no filing fee, and the other person does not need an account.
Start a Standard CaseRelated disputes
Other everyday disagreements and the same honest options.
Start Over Fresh issues nonbinding advisory opinions. It is not a court and does not give legal advice.