Should you take payment at booking?
For anything an hour or two long, yes. A client who has paid tends to show up, and an invoice you never write is one you never chase. Wait until afterward only when nobody can know the price before the work starts.
Think of the last invoice you sent for a single session. You wrote it, sent it, looked for the payment twice and nudged once. All of that for an hour you’d already given away.
What it takes off your list
- The invoice. The payment is the record.
- The chase. There’s nothing outstanding.
- Most no-shows. Paying is the moment somebody decides they’re coming.
- The awkward talk about a late cancellation, because they accepted your terms before they paid.
When to wait
When the price isn’t known yet: a project scoped in the first meeting, a day of work that might turn into three, hourly work billed at the end of the month. Take a share up front on the first two and invoice the third.
Anything with a price is paid by card as it’s booked, and a free call stays free. A client can keep their card for next time, so a later invoice is one tap.
Getting paid before you start is this and three more habits, a card each.
Checked 2026-10-10.