Freelance Writing Payments: Receiving more Checks
As of late, I have been receiving more checks as payment from freelance writing clients. Although PayPal is still how I receive the majority of payments, more and more clients are offering to send a check instead. Generally speaking, I do not have any problem with this. Every one of these clients has made good on their promise to send a check, and some of them even overnight the payment so I do not have to wait too long.
What is the reason for more checks? While it is hard to say for sure, I think this has a lot to do with the fact that I am securing more “corporate clients.” In other words, I am working with fewer individual webmasters and more companies and national publications. As you can imagine, the majority of bigger entities pay by check because they have an accounting department that takes care of payments once a week or so.
If you have clients that want to pay by check, by all means, let them do so. Even though you may have become quite comfortable receiving payment via PayPal, there is nothing wrong with getting a few checks from time to time. Sure, you have to head to the bank to cash them, but for most people this is not too big of an issue. Plus, you do not have to pay any fees when you are paid via check!
June 1st, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I only have one that does a paper check, but I do have a couple that do checks during direct deposit. I don’t mind that a bit, but paper checks are annoying.
June 1st, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I think I meant “via direct deposit.”
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:10 am
I think there are quite a few writers (and clients) who just don’t feel comfortable with PayPal yet. It’s a relatively new way of doing business and people just don’t trust PayPal the way they trust a well-known bank. Their worries may or may not be unfounded, but they’re still there.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Unless of course you are in the Uk and are paid in dollars. The fee they chrage to convert is crazy!