What does net 30 mean on an invoice?
“Net” is the full amount of the invoice; “30” is the number of days the customer has to pay it. The clock starts on the invoice date. Net 15, net 45 and net 60 work the same way with 15, 45 or 60 days.
Does net 30 include weekends?
Yes. Net 30 is counted in calendar days from the invoice date, so Saturdays, Sundays and holidays count. If you want business days instead, say so in your agreement. Either way, printing the due date as a date settles it: if day 30 lands on a weekend, the customer can see which day you mean.
How to write net 30 payment terms
Put the term and the actual date together, so nobody has to count. Copy and adapt these lines:
Terms: Net 30. Payment is due by December 2, 2026.
Please include invoice number INV-2207 with your payment.
Pay by ACH to [account details] or by check to [your business name].
In Invoice Maker the last two lines go in Payment instructions (Settings > Invoice defaults), set once and printed under the totals on every invoice; the terms line goes in the notes.
Agree the terms before the work starts, in your quote or contract. An invoice is a poor place to introduce net 30 for the first time.
Net 30, net 15 or due on receipt?
| Terms | Due | Where it tends to fit |
|---|---|---|
| Due on receipt | The day you send it | One-off jobs for homeowners; small amounts |
| Net 7 | 7 days after the invoice date | Short jobs where you want cash quickly |
| Net 15 | 15 days after | Repeat customers you know |
| Net 30 | 30 days after | Business customers with an accounts team |
| Net 60 or 90 | 60 or 90 days after | Large companies; only if you can wait that long for cash |
The longer the terms, the longer your money sits with the customer. If you pay for materials up front, ask for a deposit or shorter terms on that job.
What does 2/10 net 30 mean?
The customer may take 2% off if they pay within 10 days; otherwise the full amount is due in 30. It rewards early payment, but the 2% comes out of your margin. Invoice Maker has no discount lines, so write early-payment terms like these in the notes.
Adding a late fee
A late fee only works if the customer agreed to it before the work, for example in your contract. On the invoice, point back to that agreement:
A late fee of [x]% per month, as set out in our signed service agreement, applies to balances unpaid after the due date.
Put in the rate you agreed. A monthly rate adds up over a year (1.5% a month is 18% a year), so check it against your state’s rules before you use it.
Interest limits are set by state law and differ from state to state, so check the rules on interest and late fees where you and your customer are. This page is not legal advice.
Before charging a fee, send a short reminder a few days after the due date with the invoice attached. Most late invoices are forgotten, not disputed.
Net 30 in Invoice Maker
In Settings > Invoice defaults, set your payment terms to Within 30 days. Each new invoice then gets a due date 30 days after its issue date, and you can change the date on any one invoice. The PDF prints the due date, and a sent invoice that passes it shows as overdue on the home screen. The other choices are Due on receipt, Within 7 days and Within 14 days; with Due on receipt, the PDF prints “Due on receipt” instead of a date.