Payment Terms on Freelancer Invoices: How to Enforce Them

As a freelancer in Switzerland, you've delivered the work — but the money doesn't arrive. Often the problem isn't a malicious client, but an unclear or missing payment term on your invoice. This article shows you how to phrase deadlines correctly, which approaches actually work, and what to do if the deadline passes anyway.

Why payment terms must appear on every invoice

Swiss contract law (OR) does not set a legally mandated standard payment deadline. If your invoice lacks a concrete date or timeframe, Art. 75 OR means payment becomes immediately due — which in practice means the client can pay anytime, but without clear pressure. Paradoxically, "no deadline" leads to more payment delays, not fewer.

What must be on the invoice:

• A concrete due date (e.g. "Please remit by 15 November 2026") or
• A payment term in days from invoice date (e.g. "net 30 days")

Many freelancers combine both: "Invoice date 26 October 2026 — payment due 25 November 2026". That's unambiguous and legally watertight.

Which payment terms are standard in Switzerland?

There is no obligation to follow an industry standard. In practice, these timeframes have become established:

Situation	Typical Term
Small job, private customer	10–20 days
Standard job, SME	30 days
Large project, corporation	30–60 days
Project completion after long duration	20–30 days

As a freelancer, you can set shorter terms than large companies do — especially if the contract value is small. 10 or 15 days are entirely appropriate for micro-invoices under CHF 500. Long terms (60 days) should only be accepted if your cash reserves allow it.

Early-payment discount as a steering tool

An early-payment discount — e.g. "2% off if paid within 10 days" — can push large customers to pay sooner. It sounds tempting, but there's a catch: if you're VAT-liable, a discount granted only reduces your tax liability correctly if it's actually taken. For more on how this affects your accounting, see Swiss VAT basics 2026 — rates, duties and special rules.

Common payment term mistakes

1. Writing only "within 30 days" with no start date From when do the 30 days count? From invoice date, from receipt, from project completion? Vague wording invites stretching. Always write "30 days from invoice date" or better yet: the absolute date.

2. No payment term on the QR-bill On a Swiss QR-bill's QR-code, a due date can technically be embedded. If you omit it, some accounting systems on the recipient's end automatically treat it as "due immediately" — causing confusion. When creating a Swiss QR-bill, you should consistently fill in this field.

3. Payment terms overridden by contract Some large customers push through 60- or 90-day payment terms via their T&Cs or master agreement. If you sign it, the contract applies — your invoice term gets overridden. Read your customer's T&Cs before accepting the job.

4. Confusing payment term with service date The payment term is not the date you delivered the service. This confusion causes VAT errors. The service date determines the tax rate and tax period; the payment term only sets when payment is due.

What to do when the deadline passes

Once the payment term has expired, you as the creditor are in a clearly defined situation: the debtor is in default under Art. 102 OR. From this point, you're entitled to default interest — in Switzerland, 5% per year by default (Art. 104 OR), unless otherwise agreed.

Structured dunning process

A methodical approach protects you and keeps the customer relationship as intact as possible:

Stage 1 — Reminder (3–5 days after due date) Brief, friendly email: "Our invoice No. 2026-047 for CHF 1,850.00 was due 25 October 2026. If payment is already on its way, please disregard this note." No dunning fees, no pressure.

Stage 2 — First notice (10–15 days after due date) Written by post or email with read receipt. Set a new, short deadline (7–10 days). Signal dunning fees and default interest. CHF 20–40 per dunning notice is standard and reasonable.

Stage 3 — Second notice (after deadline expires) Final written notice with definitive deadline. Reference upcoming debt collection. List all outstanding amounts including default interest and dunning costs in a table.

Stage 4 — Debt collection File a claim with the competent debt collection office (Betreibungsamt) in the debtor's jurisdiction. Costly but effective — and an established tool in Switzerland. Many debtors pay immediately when served with the payment order.

The full process from reminder email to formal debt collection is detailed in the Swiss dunning process — from reminder email to debt collection guide.

Issue invoices professionally from the start

Correct payment terms are just one of several mandatory invoice items in Switzerland. If you get all fields right from the start — VAT number, service date, QR-IBAN, invoice number — you reduce payment delays because customers won't need to chase clarifications. With SnapBill, you can create a compliant invoice including QR-code in minutes, without worrying about the order of mandatory fields yourself.

At a glance

• Missing payment terms mean: immediately due but no clear pressure — you pay the price with late payments.
• Always specify either an absolute date or "X days from invoice date".
• For micro-invoices, 10–15 days is fair; 30 days is standard for business customers.
• If VAT-liable: record discounts correctly, never confuse service date with payment term.
• Default interest from due date: 5% p.a. by law, claimable without dunning.
• Three-stage structured dunning protects both your relationship and your rights.