In New York, California, Illinois, Seattle, Minneapolis and Columbus, a client who hires a freelancer
must put the terms in writing and pay within 30 days. Pick where you work, or where your client is, to see what
applies, with each law's own text a click away.
1 in 5Americans live where one of these laws appliesHow we counted
$3.5 millionrecovered for New York City freelancers since 2017NYC DCWP
8 laws, 6 placesevery fact linked to the law or the agencySee them all
Check where you work
Checked Oct 10, 2026 · not legal advice
California
Freelance Worker Protection Act (SB 988) · since
Applies at
$250: one contract, or all of this client's contracts in the 120 days before
Who
A person or one-person business, incorporated or not, hired for professional services: design, photography, writing and editing, marketing, fine art and similar.
Contract
In writing, signed copy to you, with:
both names and mailing addresses
the work, itemized, with its value, rate and how you're paid
the payment date, or how it's set
the date you list your finished work by
Paid by
By the date in the contract, or within 30 days after you finish.
Records
Your client keeps the contract 4 years.
Also
They can't make paying on time depend on you taking less, doing more, or handing over more rights.
They can't punish you for using the law.
You can't sign these rights away.
If not
Up to twice what's unpaid
$1,000 for refusing a written contract you asked for
California
Freelance Worker Protection Act (SB 988) · since
Los Angeles
Freelance Worker Protections Ordinance · since
Applies at
$250: one contract, or all of this client's contracts in the 120 days before
$600: with this client in a calendar year
Who
A person or one-person business, incorporated or not, hired for professional services: design, photography, writing and editing, marketing, fine art and similar.
A person, or a company of one, for work done in the city of Los Angeles. Since 2025 it covers only work California's law doesn't (not professional services).
Contract
In writing, signed copy to you, with:
both names and mailing addresses
the work, itemized, with its value, rate and how you're paid
$600: with this client in a calendar year, or $200 for work within 7 days
Who
A person or one-person company, incorporated or not, for work done in Minneapolis. Not lawyers, licensed medical professionals or sales representatives.
Independent Contractor Protections Ordinance · since
Applies at
$600: from this client in a calendar year, as the city's page says; the code ties it to the federal 1099 minimum, now $2,000, so ask the city
Who
An independent contractor who does any of the work in Seattle. Not lawyers.
Contract
No set contract. Before work starts, a written notice of the work, rate, expenses and payment schedule, and with each payment an itemized notice.
City model notices
Paid by
As agreed, or within 30 days after you finish.
Records
Your client keeps records 3 years.
Also
They can't make paying on time depend on you taking less.
They can't punish you for using the law.
If not
Up to twice what's unpaid, plus 12% a year interest
General information from the
laws' own text, not legal advice. Each law has details and exceptions this page can't cover; the agency named in
each answer can speak to your case.
Every law at a glance
Oldest first. Each row links to the law's own page, with what to do if you're not paid.
Free to use with credit (CC BY 4.0). Please cite:
BillGrid, "US freelance payment laws by state and city," checked Oct 10, 2026, https://www.billgrid.com/freelance-payment-laws
Charging for late payment
These laws give damages through a court or an agency. A late fee is different: it's what you and your client
agree to, up front, on the contract and the invoice. The late fee calculator
shows what common terms come to, day by day, and the exact words to print.
No law where you work?
Most of the country has none yet. Your contract and your invoice's terms still bind your client, and small
claims court handles most unpaid invoices without a lawyer: what to do when a client won't pay.
To get a law passed where you live, Freelancers Union has a six-step guide.
Watching
New York CityA city-run Freelancers Payment Fund (introduced Apr 30, 2026). Source
Jersey City, NJA proposed ordinance for $500 and up; we found no sign it passed. Source
United KingdomThe Commercial Payments Bill would cap business payment terms at 60 days; Lords third reading Oct 20, 2026. Source
How we keep this right
The law's own wordsEvery fact comes from the statute, the ordinance or the agency that enforces it. Where only a law firm's summary had it, we left it out.
Checked every quarterAnd whenever a bill passes or a rule changes. Each page says when we last checked.
Counted, not guessed"1 in 5": the July 2024 Census estimates for New York, California and Illinois plus Seattle, Minneapolis and Columbus, about 74 million of 340 million people.
Changes: Oct 10, 2026, first published.
Questions
My client is in another state. Which law counts?
Each law says. Illinois covers work done in Illinois or for an Illinois client; California covers clients in California; Los Angeles, Seattle and Minneapolis cover work done in the city. For New York, ask the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection or the Attorney General.
I have an LLC. Am I still a freelancer?
In New York, California, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Columbus, a one-person company counts. Illinois's text covers a natural person only.
Does "Net 30" on my invoice meet the law?
The laws count 30 days from when you finish the work, not from the invoice. Invoice the day you finish and the two line up; the contract's own date comes first if it has one.
Can I charge a late fee as well?
If your client agreed to it before the work, on the contract or the invoice, yes. See what it comes to with the late fee calculator.
Can I use this table in an article?
Yes, with credit and a link. Download the CSV, or email us for anything we can add.