Net 30 is accounting shorthand. The invoice is dated; payment in full is due 30 days later. Net 15, net 45 and net 60 work the same way with different delays. The term comes from business-to-business invoicing, where the buyer’s finance team runs a payment cycle and the seller waits for it.
Creators meet net 30 in two places. Agencies and larger brands pay flat fees on net 30 or longer, which means a video approved on 1 March is paid at the end of the month, or later if the invoice was raised late. Commission deals often add a lock period that behaves like net 30: orders from March are counted, held for returns, and paid in late April or May.
Example. A creator delivers two videos on 3 March. The brand approves them on 6 March and the creator invoices that day. On net 30, the money is due 5 April. If the creator invoices on 20 March instead, the due date moves to 19 April. A platform that holds funds on offer and releases them on approval would have paid on 6 March. Example dates.
When brands use it. The pain this answers: “Chasing invoices, files and usage rights eats my team.” Brands use net terms because their payment runs are batched and because commissions on orders need time for returns to clear. The honest version states the delay up front and pays on the day.
The creator’s view. Net 30 is normal; net 60 and net 90 are a brand using creators as a line of credit. A creator can ask for a deposit on larger jobs, for payment on approval through a platform that holds funds, and for a late-payment fee stated up front. Whatever the terms, invoice the same day the work is approved, because the clock starts on the invoice date, not the delivery date.