When does money from completed work reach the bank, and what must be paid before then? That is the central question on this page. For a small service or retail business, a few days between delivery and invoicing, a missing customer reference or an optimistic payment date can make a difference to payroll or a supplier order. The aim is to see a shortage while there is time to act, then shorten avoidable delays without damaging customer relationships. Start with dates and actual bank movements rather than a general wish to “get paid faster.”

Diagnose the gap in one hour

Take five recent customer sales or jobs. For each, write down when the work was delivered, when the invoice was sent or card payment settled, when payment was due and when the money arrived. Alongside that list, note the next four weeks of committed payments: wages, rent, stock, utilities and other known bills. If most sales are paid at the point of sale, investigate settlement time, refunds and the timing of stock purchases. If customers are invoiced, look at the interval from delivery to invoice and the interval from invoice to payment separately.

Ask: “Is the next shortfall caused mainly by money arriving later than planned, or by more cash going out than the work generates?” Both may be true, but the first is a timing problem and the second calls for a wider price and cost review. Avoid treating an invoice due tomorrow as cleared cash. A customer may raise a query, a payment may take time to reach the bank, or the invoice may not have reached the right person. If you discover an immediate gap, use a dated short-term review before making a larger forecast.

Choose the appropriate guide

Build a Simple 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast is for the owner who wants an early view of weeks in which available cash might fall below upcoming commitments. It covers opening balance, expected receipts, payments, closing balance and a weekly comparison with what actually happened. A forecast is most useful when it distinguishes dependable customer receipts from uncertain ones. It can be started in a spreadsheet or on paper; it does not require a new paid system. Read that guide if your main problem is not knowing which week becomes tight.

How to Get Paid Faster is for a business that delivers work but allows avoidable time to pass before an invoice reaches the correct customer contact, or lacks a reliable follow-up routine. It covers invoice checks, agreed terms, reminder timing and two separate measures: time from delivery to invoice and time from invoice to bank receipt. Read that guide if you can point to a recurring invoicing or collection delay. It does not assume that pressure on every customer is the answer; invoice errors and internal handoffs often deserve attention first.

What to Do When Cash Is Tight This Month is for an immediate, dated shortfall. It provides a one-page triage list of cash available, committed outflows, expected receipts and due dates. Read that guide when the next payment deadline arrives before an uncertain receipt. It discusses the trade-offs of changing spending, asking for payment or negotiating terms and identifies when to seek local professional help. A long-term spreadsheet is useful, but an urgent Tuesday payment deserves a Tuesday-specific answer.

These guides serve different time horizons. The short-term list identifies an immediate gap; the weekly forecast reveals how the gap moves; the invoicing routine may remove a recurring source of delay. Use them together only when each adds information. If the business keeps running short despite timely collection, follow the Prices and Costs topic as well to examine whether each kind of work supports the costs of delivering it.

A simple first experiment

Suppose a small maintenance company completes ten similar jobs in a month. Its invoices are prepared at the end of every second week. For the last five jobs, delivery-to-invoice time ranged from three to twelve days. The owner decides to send each complete invoice within two working days of confirming the job is finished. The same person checks the customer reference, scope, amount and payment destination before sending. For the next five jobs, the business records the delivery date, invoice date, any correction and bank receipt date.

If the delivery-to-invoice interval falls but the invoice-to-payment interval remains unchanged, the firm has probably removed part of the avoidable delay. If correction requests rise, the process needs a better completion check rather than a faster send button. If invoices go out promptly but the customer still pays late, the owner can discuss the payment process and use a consistent follow-up schedule. These are illustrative observations, not claims about what a typical business will achieve. Comparing only five jobs is a first signal; continue measuring if the cases vary substantially.

For a retail example, imagine card takings appear in reports on the sale date but reach the bank a few days later. A shop ordering stock before a busy weekend should record the expected bank settlement date, not count the transaction as immediately available cash. A missing batch settlement needs investigation, but a normal settlement lag calls for better timing of orders and obligations. Ask your payment provider about the actual schedule and fees rather than assuming all sales clear alike.

Review weekly and act early

On the same day each week, reconcile the bank balance, compare predicted with actual receipts and ask why the largest difference occurred. Mark customer promises as promises until payment arrives. Update the next four weeks of due dates, then extend the forecast as needed. Assign specific follow-up actions: correct an invoice, confirm an approval contact, ask about a payment date, or discuss terms before an upcoming supplier due date. Record the outcome so the next review starts from facts.

The Australian Government's cash flow guidance recommends clear invoices, prompt sending and following up unpaid invoices. The UK Small Business Commissioner points out that invoice errors and missing purchase order details can delay processing. Those observations support checking the process before assuming a customer simply refuses to pay. Neither source provides a universal payment term for an international audience. Contract terms, invoicing standards, collection steps and protections differ by jurisdiction; check local requirements before escalating a dispute or altering an agreed deadline.

If a shortfall threatens wages, tax obligations or essential suppliers, consult a qualified local accountant or adviser quickly. Repeatedly postponing one bill to meet another can indicate more than a scheduling problem. A new loan creates repayment obligations and should be evaluated against a realistic forecast and the underlying profitability of work. A business that is making a loss on most jobs needs a pricing and cost decision as well as a collection routine.

Next step: list the delivery, invoice and bank receipt dates for five recent jobs or the settlement dates for five retail batches. Identify the longest avoidable delay, test one change on the next five cases and compare both timing and errors at next week's review.

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