Guide
Influencer payment terms: Net 30 vs deposit
This page is not legal, tax, financial, or other professional advice. For a live deal, talk to a lawyer and a tax or finance specialist in your jurisdiction — BlueRateCard is not either.
Deal-size payment structure
Pick the cell before you negotiate creative. A brand that “only does Net 30” on a $600 package is asking you to underwrite their test budget. A brand that needs Net 30 on a $30,000 always-on series may be workable if milestones and deposits are real.
| Deal size | Default structure | Acceptable fallback | Hard no |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $1,000 | 100% before production (card, wire, or platform payment hold) | 100% on signature, shoot within 7 days | Full Net 30 after post |
| $1,000–$5,000 | 50% deposit on signature + 50% before shoot (or 100% platform payment hold) | 50% deposit + 50% Net 15 from delivery invoice | 0% upfront + Net 45/60 |
| $5,000–$25,000 | Milestones (e.g. 25/25/25/25) or 50% deposit + 50% platform hold pre-shoot | 40% / 40% / 20% with objective triggers | Net 60 on the full fee with no deposit |
| $25,000+ | Written SOW + platform payment hold or staged wires tied to milestones | 30% on signature, 40% pre-shoot, 30% on delivery Net 15 | Verbal “campaign budget” with AP terms TBD |
Example: $3,200 Reel + Stories. Quote 50% ($1,600) due on signature, 50% in a platform payment hold before the shoot day. Net 30 on the back half only if they are a proven payer and you add ~10% float.
What Net 30 actually costs you
Cash stuck for 30–45 days is not free. If you average two $2,500 deals a month on Net 30, you are routinely floating $5,000 of receivables — enough to miss a lens rental, an editor, or rent. Brands use Net 30 because their ERP is built for software vendors, not for a creator who already spent Saturday filming. Your counter is not a lecture on fairness; it is a prepaid price and a Net price on the same PDF.
Show both numbers. “Prepaid / platform hold: $2,000. Net 30 after delivery: $2,200. Net 60: $2,350.” Procurement understands line items. Guilt does not move AP. If they pick Net 60, you have been paid for the float on paper — still prefer a platform payment hold, because paper interest does not clear when they ghost.
Repeat buyer
After two clean prepaid deals, you may allow 50% deposit + 50% Net 15. Do not open with Net 30 on deal one.
Marketplace / affiliate hybrid
Separate the flat content fee (prepaid) from any performance bonus (Net 30 after report). Never let the flat fee wait on affiliate dashboards.
Always-on retainer
Monthly retainers bill on the 1st, due on the 15th, or auto-charge. Net 30 retainer billing is how month two starts unpaid.
Worked quote: $2,000 Reel, new brand
| Structure | Cash timing | What you invoice | Take / refuse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100% platform payment hold | Held before shoot | $2,000 | Default for new brands |
| 50% + 50% Net 15 | $1,000 on signature; $1,000 due 15d after delivery INV | $1,000 then $1,000 | OK only if deposit cleared |
| Full Net 30 | All cash after delivery INV + 30d | $2,200 (+10% float) | Refuse first deal; priced fallback only |
| Full Net 60 | All cash after delivery INV + 60d | $2,350 (+17.5%) | Hard no under $5k |
Print prepaid and Net lines on the same PDF. Procurement reads line items; guilt does not move AP.
Put terms on the SKU, not in a later email
Rate cards that list packages without payment language invite the brand’s default MSA. Add one line under each tier: “Payment: 100% platform payment hold on checkout” or “50% due on booking, 50% due before shoot.” When a marketer forwards your card to legal, the term travels with the price. Creators who “discuss payment later” discover later that legal already locked Net 60.
- Define the invoice trigger: delivery upload, go-live, or signature — pick one.
- Forbid “Net 30 from end of month” unless you intentionally sell EOM terms at a premium.
- Require ACH or wire details in the SOW so Day 0 chase is not a scavenger hunt.
- If an agency is mid-chain, state that the brand remains liable if the agency floats.
- Align kill fees and late fees with the same payment section so disputes share one clause block.
Net 30 is not evil. Unpriced Net 30 on first contact is. Match structure to dollars, print the prepaid alternative, and let a platform payment hold end the argument when the relationship is new. Your future self collecting on Day +45 will wish you had picked the left column of the table above.
Related guides
Payment & recovery
Net 30 and deposit questions
+How much is Net 30 vs prepaid on a $2,000 Reel?
Show both on the PDF: prepaid / platform hold $2,000; Net 30 from delivery invoice ~$2,200 (+10%); Net 60 ~$2,350 (+17.5%). If they pick prepaid, you skip the float. If they pick Net, the uplift is the price of the loan — still prefer a platform payment hold on new brands.
+Is Net 30 measured from invoice date or from post date?
From the invoice date unless the SOW explicitly says otherwise. Brands love “Net 30 from go-live” because they can delay your invoice until after post. Invoice on delivery day (or on signature for the deposit half) and print “Net 30 from invoice date” on the PDF.
+When should I demand a deposit instead of full Net 30?
Any new brand over ~$1,000, any deal with a shoot day you must clear, and every first-time agency. Under $1,000, prefer 100% before production. Net 30 on the whole fee is you lending them the campaign budget.
+How do I price Net 45 or Net 60 into the content fee?
A working range is about +12–15% for Net 45 and +12–18% for Net 60 versus your prepaid rate, or refuse and offer a platform payment hold. Example: $2,000 prepaid becomes $2,250 at Net 45 (+12.5%). Put the uplift on the quote so they see the cost of float.
+Can agencies insist on their standard payment terms?
They can ask. You can counter with 50% on signature and 50% Net 15 after delivery, or 100% platform payment hold. Their MSA is a starting draft, not a law. If they will not move, walk — or raise the fee enough that the float is paid.
+What belongs on the invoice so Net 30 is enforceable?
Legal names, invoice number, issue date, due date spelled out (not only “Net 30”), line items matching the SOW, payment rails, and late-fee language if you use it. Vague “per campaign” lines are how AP stalls you for weeks.
Replace Net 30 with checkout
On BlueRateCard the brand pays before you shoot. Funds are held on the platform until delivery, you keep 100% of your rate, and brands pay 5% per deal capped at $100. Free for creators. Waitlist open.