How to Get Paid on Time as a Private Tutor (Tutor's Guide)

Here I am, again.

I’d be trawling through messages, sending gentle reminders that often went unread, wondering if I should be firmer, or if that’d scare them off.

Sound familiar?

I once Googled “how to get parents to pay on time” at 11:47pm while surrounded by half-written invoices and an uneaten dinner. My wife had abandoned the idea of us watching a series together and gone to bed.

If you’ve been there too, you’re not alone.

It started innocently. One parent forgot. No biggie. Then another skipped a week. Then a third asked if they could pay next month. Suddenly, I was floating dozens of hours of unpaid work, while still showing up cheerful and prepared for every lesson.

I tried everything:

• Handwritten receipts

• WhatsApp reminders

• End-of-lesson nudges like “Don’t forget the invoice!”

None of it felt professional, and worse, it all ate into my time and energy. I wasn’t just tutoring — I was chasing, tracking, tallying, and tiptoeing around uncomfortable money chats.

So here’s what finally worked for me.

First, I set clear payment terms (and stuck to them).

I stopped being vague about payment expectations. Now, every new client gets a simple info sheet:

• Invoices sent monthly, in advance

• Payment due by the 1st of the month

• Missed payments = lessons paused

It felt scary to enforce at first, but honestly? Parents respected it. Most just wanted clarity.

Then, I automated the boring stuff.

Enter: invoicing tools. I tried a few (including clunky Excel templates), but they took ages or didn’t let me send automatic reminders. Eventually, I found Tutonomi, and it changed everything:

• Parents get invoices automatically

• They can pay online (no more bank detail texts)

• Late payment reminders go out without me lifting a finger

I didn’t expect much — but it works.

Finally, I stopped being the admin assistant.

Once payments were systematised, I could step back. No more Sunday evenings tallying hours. No more awkward “Just checking you saw the invoice?” messages. Just… peace.

If you’re still searching for the right system, here are the ones I tried:

• Excel/Google Sheets – Free but fiddly; easy to mess up

• PayPal Requests – Okay for 1–2 clients, messy at scale

• Wave – Decent if you’re tech-savvy

• Tutonomi – Easiest for tutors; built-in reminders + lesson tracking

Getting paid on time isn’t about being pushy. It’s about valuing your time, setting expectations, and using tools that make it easy for everyone.

If I could go back and talk to past-me — the one fretting over invoices and eating cold pasta — I’d say: set boundaries, use automation, and stop doing it all manually.

If you’re in the admin spiral too, give Tutonomi a try. It’s saved me hours — and more than a few awkward conversations.

— Mark