The Write-Off Decision: Chasing It Is Also a Cost. Nobody Ever Prices That Side.

The question was never whether they owe it — they do. It's which ending leaves you with the most money and the fewest weeks. For a $3,400 invoice at ninety days with no reply: chasing nets $580, a 60% settlement nets $1,216, collections nets $664, small claims nets $1,055 and costs you a day in court plus eleven weeks. Settling wins — the answer almost nobody wants and almost everybody should take.

How it works

• The Four Endings — your invoice, your hourly rate, and each route's expected net after time, fees and the honest odds. Your hours are the biggest cost in every one, which is exactly why "just keep chasing" feels free and isn't
• The Free Move First — the two-door letter, written out in full, to send before you pick any route. It removes the shame, sets a real date, and names one consequence you'll actually carry out. Most 90-day non-payers aren't thieves; they're embarrassed, and silence is what embarrassment sounds like
• The Prevention — what this invoice is telling you about the next one: the warning signs you already noticed, the deposit that proves capacity, progress billing (the most you can lose is the work since the last payment), the pause-work rule that beats every ending here, and how to close the file so it stops costing you attention

Built for

Contractors · freelancers · agencies · shops — anyone who has done the work and is now doing the arithmetic.

What you get

One .xlsx file, four tabs, instant download. Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice. No macros, no subscription. This is arithmetic, not legal advice — small-claims limits, filing rules and collection practices vary by state and some are regulated. Talk to your attorney before filing or hiring anyone.