Contractors get paid faster when payers have no reason to wait. That means five things: send the invoice the day the work is done, include all the lien waivers up front, let customers pay online, follow up automatically when a payment is late, and get pay applications right the first time. Each step saves days. Together, they turn an approved invoice into money in the bank. Sledge handles all five in one place, with invoices, waivers, and payments linked to the same job
Where the days actually go
Slow payment feels like one problem — "customers pay slow" — but it's five small delays stacked up. Map them and the fix becomes obvious.
- Invoice lag: The work is done Monday and invoiced the following week. Typically 5–10 days lost.
- Incomplete pay app: Missing a waiver or backup, so the GC kicks it back. Typically 7–14 days lost.
- Approval stall: The approver is unreachable, and the invoice sits. Typically 3–7 days lost.
- "Did we get paid?" Nobody notices it's overdue for weeks. Typically 14–30 days lost.
- Payment friction: A check in the mail, no online option. Typically 5–10 days lost.
You can't control how fast a customer's accounting team pays. But most payment delays actually start with the contractor, not the payer. Of the five common delays, four are things the contractor controls, and they add up. If an invoice goes out ten days late and then nobody follows up for three weeks, the customer isn't the one slowing things down. It looks like a slow payer, but the real problem is on the contractor's end.
Lever 1: Invoice same-day, from live job data
The payment clock doesn't start when the work is finished. It starts when the invoice is sent. Every day between finishing the work and sending the invoice adds a day to how long it takes to get paid, and no amount of follow-up can win that time back.
Invoicing the same day only works if the invoice is mostly ready. Piecing an invoice together from timesheets, receipts, and memory takes hours. So it gets pushed to the weekend. Now picture an invoice built from the job record instead. The costs, contract terms, and retainage are already filled in. All you have to do is check it and send it. Contractors who invoice fastest aren't more disciplined. They just have less work to do.
Lever 2: Never give them a reason to kick it back
GCs and owners don't delay payment out of malice. They delay it because the pay application arrived incomplete due to a missing lien waiver, backup that doesn't match the schedule of values, or a math error on the AIA form. Each kickback restarts their internal clock, and your invoice goes to the back of the queue.
The fix isn't exciting, but it works: send every pay application complete. Include lien waivers from every tier. Attach backups that match each billing line. Make sure the numbers add up. When the package is right the first time, the payer has nothing to send back. And a pay app with nothing to send back gets approved the fastest.
"Lien waivers were always the thing I dropped. Sledge tracks every waiver, flags what's missing, and files it, so I'm covered before I ever get to draw." — Richard Segura, Rascom
Waivers are the number-one kickback reason in the industry. A system that flags missing waivers before the draw goes out doesn't just keep you compliant; it removes the most common excuse for holding your money.
Lever 3: Make paying effortless
A surprising amount of slow payment is just friction. The invoice arrives as a PDF with "remit to" instructions; the payer has to cut a check, find a stamp, or wire from a banking portal. Every step is a reason to do it tomorrow.
Online payment options, like ACH, credit card, or a payment link right on the invoice, let customers pay with one click. The easier it is to pay, the faster you get paid. For contractors, there's no downside. The invoice is already in the system, so adding a "Pay now" button costs nothing. And when the payment comes in, it's automatically matched to the right invoice.
Stripe integration matters here because the payment needs to land in the job record, not just the bank account. A payment that arrives without being matched to its invoice creates reconciliation work that eats the speed you just gained.
Lever 4: Follow up automatically, not eventually
The invoices that stay unpaid the longest usually aren't in dispute. They're just forgotten by both the contractor and the payer. A payer's accounting team pays the invoices in front of them. An invoice you sent six weeks ago isn't in front of them anymore.
Following up by hand doesn't work well. It depends on someone noticing the late invoice and having time to deal with it. That's usually the owner, and usually on a Sunday. Automated follow-up sends polite reminders on a set schedule, and each one gets a little firmer. For example, a friendly reminder at 7 days late, a firmer note at 14 days, and a reminder for you to call at 30 days. It never forgets, never feels awkward asking, and never waits until Sunday.
Lever 5: See every dollar, every day
You can't deal with a slow-paying customer until you know who they are. You need one place to see every invoice, its status, and how long it's been unpaid, sorted by job and by customer. With that, collecting payment stops being a search through old paperwork and becomes part of your normal routine.
It also helps you spot patterns. A general contractor who always pays in 45 days should get different payment terms than one who pays in 15. A customer who disputes every third invoice is worth a conversation before you bid on their next job. Seeing all of this doesn't just help you get paid faster this month. It helps you decide who to work with next quarter.
The loop, not the levers
Each of these steps helps on its own. Together, they work as one system. The invoice goes out the same day, built from the job record. The lien waivers are complete because the system caught what was missing. The payer clicks to pay instead of mailing a check. Reminders go out on schedule. And you can see exactly where every dollar stands. Sledge brings all of this together, with invoicing, lien waivers, and Stripe payments tied to the same job. Getting paid faster stops being something you chase every month. It just happens.
FAQ
How can a contractor get paid faster?
Five levers: invoice the same day the work is done, submit complete pay applications with all lien waivers attached, offer online payment options, follow up automatically on overdue invoices, and maintain a live view of every outstanding dollar. Each removes days from the payment cycle.
What is a good days sales outstanding (DSO) for a contractor?
As a rule, if your DSO exceeds your pay cycle plus your customer's stated terms by more than two weeks, the delay is on your side of invoicing lag, incomplete pay apps, or missing follow-up.
Why do GCs hold payment from subcontractors?
The most common reasons are incomplete pay applications, missing lien waivers, backups that don't match the schedule of values, and invoices sent after the general contractor's billing deadline. Fix these, and most payment holds go away.
Should contractors charge late fees?
Late fees work as a deterrent only if they're in the contract and enforced consistently. Many contractors find that automated reminders and online payment options recover more cash with less relationship damage. Put the terms in writing either way and it strengthens every collection conversation.
Does offering credit card payments cost too much in fees?
Card processing fees (typically 2–3%) are real, but compare them against the cost of waiting: 30 extra days of carrying payroll and materials on a line of credit usually costs more. Many contractors offer ACH (much cheaper) as the default and card as the convenience option.
How do lien waivers speed up payment?
General contractors can't release payment without lien waivers. The waivers protect them from claims if a subcontractor or supplier goes unpaid. Missing waivers are the most common reason an otherwise complete pay application gets sent back. If you track waivers as you go and have them all before you bill, the pay application goes out complete. Then there's nothing for the general contractor to hold up.
What's the fastest way to collect an overdue invoice?
A clear, documented trail: the signed contract, the complete pay application, delivery confirmations, and a dated reminder sequence. Automated reminders create that trail as a side effect. For genuinely stuck invoices, a mechanic’s lien filing (within your state's deadline) concentrates the mind, but it's the last resort, not the first move.
