Example
An invoice dated 1 September on net 30 is due 1 October; on net 30 EOM it is due 30 October.
Also written Net 30, N30, or 30 days net.
What it means in practice
Net 30 is the default on most US invoices and what a client with an accounts process will assume unless you say otherwise. Net 7, net 15 and net 60 work the same way with different windows.
The count starts at the invoice date unless the invoice says otherwise. Net 30 EOM is different again: the 30 days run from the end of the month the invoice was issued in, which can add a month before the clock even starts.
Where it shows up on the paperwork
It goes in the terms line on the invoice, next to the due date written as an actual date, and it should already have appeared on the quote the client accepted.
What goes wrong
- Using net 30 because the template said so, on a job where the client would have paid on receipt.
- Writing net 30 with no date and leaving the client to count from a date they may read differently.
- Confusing net 30 with net 30 EOM, which can add most of a month before the clock starts.
Common questions
Does net 30 mean 30 business days?
No, calendar days, unless the invoice says otherwise. If you mean business days, write business days, because almost nobody assumes it.
When does the net 30 clock start?
At the invoice date, unless your terms say the delivery date or the end of the month. That is why an invoice sent late has already spent part of its own term.
Is net 30 standard?
It is the common default on US invoices and what a client with an accounts process assumes. That does not make it right for a two-hour call-out for a new client.