Late payments are one of the biggest problems Nigerian freelancers face. A client who pays 30 days late is effectively giving themselves a free loan at your expense.
Late fees solve this problem by making on-time payment the path of least resistance.
Yes — if you're comfortable enforcing them. A late fee you mention but never charge is worse than no late fee at all, because it trains clients to ignore your payment terms.
If you decide to charge late fees, put them in your contract and invoice, and enforce them every time.
The most common structure is 5% of the invoice amount per month (or per week for smaller projects). Some freelancers use a flat fee (e.g., ₦5,000 per week).
Examples:
This is enough to create urgency without being punitive.
Add a payment terms section to every invoice:
*"Payment is due within 14 days of the invoice date. Invoices unpaid after 14 days are subject to a late fee of 5% per month on the outstanding balance."*
Include the same language in your contract.
When an invoice becomes overdue:
1. Send a reminder on the due date
2. If unpaid after 7 days, send a new invoice that includes the original amount plus the late fee
3. Mention the late fee explicitly in your message: "I've added a 5% late fee of ₦5,000 as per our payment terms. The new total is ₦105,000."
Most clients will pay immediately once they see an actual number added to their bill.
This is your call. If you want to preserve a good relationship with an otherwise good client, you can waive the late fee once with a clear message:
"I'll waive the late fee this time as a goodwill gesture. Going forward, late fees will be applied as per our contract."
Then enforce it the next time.
Soloist can automatically apply late fees to overdue invoices based on the rules you set. You don't have to remember or calculate manually — it happens automatically, and the client receives an updated invoice.