Templates

Agreeing who pays, before the invoice finds out the hard way

Seven messages for confirming the payer before you start — a business’s accounts contact, a letting agent’s property reference, a main contractor’s terms, and the same question run the other way if you’re hiring another trade — fill in your details once at the top of this page and every script below rewrites itself.

The person who opens the door isn’t always the one who pays the bill. A business sends you to a job with a purchase order and an accounts department; a landlord pays for work a tenant only agreed to on their behalf; a main contractor books you as one trade of several, and their payment terms rule the job. Confirm the payer before you start, and the invoice goes to the right name the first time.

These seven scripts cover both directions: confirming who’s paying before you start, asking a business or a letting agent for the details their own process needs, agreeing terms with a main contractor, chasing one who says they’re waiting to be paid themselves, and applying the same discipline the other way if you’re the one hiring another trade. Fill in your details once at the top of this page and every script below updates to match.

Scripts

Script 01 · Confirm the payer before you start

Subject: Quick check before we start — who should the invoice go to?

Hi [Client name], Before I get started, I want to make sure the invoice goes to the right place. Should it be addressed to you directly, or to [business / landlord / another party]? If it’s someone else, let me know their name, email, and any reference they’ll need — [purchase order number / property address] — so it doesn’t get held up. Thanks, [Your name]

Why it works Confirming this before you start, not on the invoice itself, means the bill-to details are right on the first send instead of getting bounced back and redone.

Script 02 · Asking a business for its accounts contact and PO

Subject: A couple of details before I invoice this

Hi [Client name], To make sure this reaches the right person, could you send me your accounts contact’s name and email, a purchase order number if you use one, and your usual payment terms? I’ll put all of that on the invoice so it goes straight through instead of bouncing back for missing details. Thanks, [Your name]

Why it works A purchase order number and the accounts contact are the two things that most often hold up a company invoice — asking for both before you invoice saves a resend.

Script 03 · Confirming the property and job reference with a letting agent

Text

Hi [letting agent name], it’s [Your name] from [Your business] — just confirming the address for this job is [property address] and the reference is [job or property reference], so the invoice matches your records. Thanks!

Why it works A property or job reference on the invoice is what lets a letting agent’s own system match it to the right landlord and unit — without it, the invoice can sit unmatched.

Script 04 · Agreeing terms with a main contractor before day one

Subject: Before I start on site — a few terms to confirm

Hi [main contractor name], Looking forward to working on this one. Before I start, can we confirm my rate for the work, when you’ll need the site ready for me, and your payment terms — how many days after I invoice, and whether that’s from my invoice date or from when you’re paid by the client. Happy to get this in writing so we’re both clear. [Your name]

Why it works A main contractor’s own payment terms rule the job, not yours — getting them stated before day one is what stops “paid when paid” becoming a surprise later, rather than a term you actually agreed to.

Script 05 · Chasing a main contractor who says they’re waiting to be paid

Subject: Following up on invoice [Invoice #]

Hi [main contractor name], Following up on invoice [Invoice #] for [Amount], due [Due date]. I understand you may be waiting on your own client, but my invoice was to you, not to them, so I’d still like a specific date I can expect payment. Let me know where things stand. [Your name]

Why it works Naming plainly that the invoice was to them, not the end client, keeps a “paid when paid” excuse from quietly becoming your problem — unless you agreed to that term upfront.

Script 06 · When the person on site asks for extra work (and isn’t the payer)

Text

Hi [name], happy to take a look — but this job’s being paid for by [payer name / the business], so I’ll need their OK before I add anything or change the price. I’ll check with them and let you know.

Why it works Naming who actually needs to say yes, on the spot, stops you agreeing to a scope change with someone who isn’t the one who’ll be asked to pay for it — use the extra work and scope pack once it’s confirmed and priced.

Script 07 · Confirming a subcontractor’s rate, scope, and pay date

Subject: Confirming the work and the rate before you start

Hi [subcontractor name], Wanted to confirm the details before you start: the scope is [what’s included], the rate is [rate], and I’ll pay you [pay date or terms — e.g. within 7 days of your invoice]. Send your invoice once the work’s done and I’ll get it paid on that schedule. [Your name]

Why it works Agreeing the rate, the scope, and the pay date in writing before they start is the same discipline you’d want a main contractor to extend to you — it’s what keeps a mid-job disagreement from becoming a dispute about money.

Questions

What if the client and the payer are the same person?

Then none of this changes anything — most jobs work exactly the way they always have. These scripts are for the jobs where they’re not the same, so you’re not working out the wording from scratch the first time it happens.

Do I need a purchase order number to invoice a business?

Only if they asked for one when you agreed to do the work — not every business uses them. If they did, leaving it off is one of the most common reasons a company invoice gets stuck in someone’s inbox instead of paid.

The main contractor says they’re waiting on the client to pay them first — do I have to wait too?

Not unless you agreed to that upfront. Your invoice was to them, not to their client, so “paid when paid” is their cash-flow arrangement, not your payment term — chase the party actually named on your invoice.

Want the invoice to already carry the right name?

You still work out who’s paying and send these yourself — BizBinder doesn’t chase a main contractor or a letting agent for you. What it does do is keep a separate Bill to name, email, and address on every invoice, apart from the client on the job, so once you’ve confirmed who’s actually paying, sending the invoice to them is a field you fill in, not a client record you have to rename.

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