April Spark asked freelancers, how do you ensure you get paid on time, all the time? Here are the top tips (and a few great pics) that came out of the night’s discussion.

Top Pic: San Francisco Spark takes an Oscar-worthy selfie

Top Tip: Put a payment breakdown/schedule into your contract (ex. 40-40-20, such that the bulk payment is made before the project is over). **Negotiate a time limit **for payment, and specify a late fee if payment is not met on time.

Top Pic: Los Angeles Spark takes this month’s topic very seriously...

Top Tip: Get the contact information of someone in finance/accounting as well as the project manager. This will help you glean info on procedures, and keep your primary contact “unsullied” by the money thing: “I know you’re busy, is there someone in accounting I could ask?”

Top Pic: Manhattan Spark gets down to business

Top Tip: Set terms to help control scope creep by including a clause that the client will revise the deadline, in writing, if changes are delaying completion of the project.

Got more good tips? Share them in our National Spark Hive.

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