How to Handle Payment Delays From International Clients

You sent the invoice three weeks ago.

The client loved your work. They said everything was perfect. But the money? Still not in your account.

And now you’re stuck refreshing your bank app every few hours, wondering if you should send another follow-up email or if that makes you look desperate.

This is the reality for thousands of remote workers across Latin America working with US, UK, and Australian clients.

The work gets done. The praise flows in. But the payment? That’s where things get complicated.

Why International Clients Pay Late

Here’s something most people don’t talk about: around 85% of freelancers report getting paid late at least some of the time.

This isn’t just you. It’s basically normal now, which is exactly the problem.

The banking nightmare nobody warns you about

Cross-border transfers are genuinely slow and expensive.

A wire transfer from the US to Mexico can take 3-5 business days on a good week. 

Add fees of 2-5% on top of terrible exchange rates, and suddenly that $1,000 payment costs your client $50 in fees and you receive $920 after conversion.

So what do companies do? They batch payments. They wait until month-end. They delay until they have “enough” invoices to justify the transfer cost.

Latin America still doesn’t have one unified payment system that works smoothly everywhere. 

Companies juggle Wise, PayPal, local banks, and specialized platforms. 

Each one has different requirements, different processing times, different documentation needs.

Errors happen constantly. Wrong CLABE numbers in Mexico. Missing tax IDs in Brazil. Currency control complications in Argentina.

One typo and your payment bounces back to the sender, adding another week to the wait.

The accounts payable black hole

Most late payments aren’t malicious. They’re bureaucratic.

Your contact at the company isn’t the person who actually sends payments. 

That person reports to someone else, who needs approval from someone else, who’s waiting on a purchase order from another department.

Your invoice sits in a queue with 47 other invoices. Nobody’s actively trying to delay you. But nobody’s actively pushing your payment through either, unless you make noise.

The expectation gap

US and UK companies think 30-45 day payment terms are perfectly normal.

Because in their world, with strong social safety nets, easy credit, and stable currencies, they kind of are.

But for a remote worker in Bogotá or Buenos Aires? Thirty days might as well be six months when you’re living paycheck to paycheck with no credit card cushion and no unemployment insurance to fall back on.

This isn’t a cultural difference. It’s an economic reality difference.

The Contract Terms That Prevent Delays

If you only do three things before starting work with an international client, do these.

Make your payment terms stupidly specific

Don’t accept “Net 30” just because that’s what’s in their template.

Negotiate for Net 7 or Net 14 if you can. If they push back, meet in the middle at Net 15. 

But get a real number that reflects the fact that you don’t have a finance department and six months of runway in the bank.

And define exactly what triggers payment. Not “upon project completion” (which they can stretch indefinitely), but “upon delivery of final files” or “upon client approval, which must be provided within 72 hours of delivery.”

Make them commit to a timeline for approval, or payment triggers automatically after the review window closes.

Get money upfront, especially with new clients

Thirty to fifty percent deposit. Always. No exceptions for first-time international clients.

If they refuse a deposit, they’re not serious about working with you. And you definitely don’t want to complete $3,000 worth of work for someone who wouldn’t even pay $900 upfront.

For ongoing retainer work, flip the script entirely: payment in advance for the month. If the invoice isn’t paid by the 5th, work pauses automatically on the 6th.

Late fees that you can charge

Put a late fee in your contract. Two percent per month is standard.

But here’s the thing: you have to actually charge it.

First reminder at day 7: friendly, no fee, just restating the due date.

Second reminder at day 14: add the contracted late fee and ask for a specific payment date.

Third reminder at day 21: higher fee, formal tone, clear notice that work is paused and you’re considering next steps.

The late fee isn’t really about the money (though getting paid for your time chasing payment is fair). 

The clause that actually gives you leverage

Your contract should say two things clearly:

Which laws govern the agreement (ideally in a place where you can actually enforce things, like the client’s home jurisdiction).

That all intellectual property and usage rights transfer only upon full payment.

That second part is your nuclear option. If they publish your work without paying, you have grounds to file DMCA takedowns, demand removal, or threaten legal action.

What to Do When Payment Is Already Late

You did everything right. Contract signed, deposit paid, work delivered perfectly, invoice sent on time.

And they’re still late.

Days 1-3 after the due date

Send a friendly reminder. Reattach the invoice. Restate the due date.

“Hi [Name], just wanted to confirm you received the invoice I sent on [date] for [amount]. The payment was due on [date]. Let me know if you need anything else from me to process this. Thanks!”

Keep it light. Keep it simple. Don’t apologize for following up.

Days 7-10 after the due date

Firmer tone, but still professional.

Mention the late fee if it’s in your contract. Ask for a specific date when you can expect payment.

Copy the accounting or finance email if you have it. Your project manager might not have any control over payments, but accounts@company.com usually does.

Days 14-21 after the due date

Time to escalate and pause work.

This email goes to someone senior. The project manager’s boss. A director. Whoever actually has authority to push payments through.

Summarize the work you delivered. State exactly what’s owed and how late it is. Make it clear that no new work begins until previous invoices are cleared.

Attach the invoice again. Attach the signed contract.

The Legal Options When They Still Won’t Pay

For amounts over $2,000, it might be worth consulting with a lawyer in the client’s jurisdiction and sending a formal demand letter.

For smaller amounts, the cost of legal action often exceeds what you’re owed.

Using intellectual property as leverage

If they’ve published or are actively using your work without paying, this is where your IP clause matters.

You can file DMCA takedown notices against their website, their social media, their distribution platforms.

Most companies will settle immediately rather than deal with content takedowns and potential legal complications.

When to walk away

Sometimes the amount isn’t worth the time and stress of chasing it.

You send the final escalation email. You write off the loss. You never work with them again. And you tighten your upfront processes so it doesn’t happen next time.

Walking away isn’t giving up. It’s choosing your mental health and future earning potential over throwing good time after bad time.

The Real Lesson Here

Payment delays from international clients are common, predictable, and mostly preventable.

You prevent them with specific contract terms, upfront deposits, clear payment methods, and boundaries you actually enforce when clients test them.

You handle them when they happen by following up systematically, escalating appropriately, and knowing when to pause work or walk away.

The goal isn’t to become an expert at chasing payments. 

The goal is to build systems that make chasing payments rare, and to work with clients who respect you enough to pay on time without being chased.

Those clients exist. And they’re actively looking for reliable remote workers in Latin America who deliver quality work.