Getting Paid as Freelance Video Crew in Miami: Invoices, Kit Fees and Net Terms

The part of freelancing nobody teaches

You can excel on set and still manage a poor freelance business. The skills required for each are entirely different. Film schools do not cover net terms, and no gaffer became a gaffer simply by being proficient at invoicing.

Yet, the freelancers who survive in Miami are not always the most talented ones. They are the ones who get paid reliably, because that is what makes the work sustainable. A brilliant camera operator who is owed money by four production companies is a brilliant camera operator facing a cash flow problem.

This is a practical guide to the business aspects. It is not intended to be tax or legal advice. Once you start earning real money from this, hiring an accountant who understands freelance work will pay for itself.

Whether you think of it that way or not, your entity is a business.

The moment you accept a day rate, you are essentially running a business. No one withholds tax for you, no one provides equipment, and no one pays you when you are sick. Your day rate must cover all these expenses.

This is why comparing a freelance day rate to a salaried daily equivalent can be misleading. A staff job includes benefits, paid time off, and coverage for equipment. Freelancers must account for days without work, the cost of their own equipment, insurance, and taxes that are typically paid in one lump sum.

The paperwork that enables payment to be processed.

In the United States, when a client hires you as an independent contractor, they typically need a W-9 from you before they can proceed with payment. The W-9 is a short form that provides your name and taxpayer identification number.

The practical point is to have your W-9 ready as a PDF. Avoid saying, "I will send it later." Production accountants process payments in batches, and a missing W-9 means your invoice will sit outside the batch, waiting for the next one. This results in a two-week delay caused by a form you could have sent in ten seconds.

Since nobody is withholding taxes, managing the tax on this income is your responsibility. Many freelancers set aside a percentage of every payment they receive immediately, into a separate account they do not touch. The specific percentage is a matter to discuss with an accountant. The key is forming the habit.

The invoice is a tool, not a formality

An invoice that is easy to process gets paid faster than one that requires someone to ask a question. Each question adds a cycle, and each cycle can take a week.

What belongs on it:

• Your legal name or business name, matching your W-9 exactly.
• An invoice number, as this is how their system tracks it.
• The project name and shoot dates are needed to match the information to a job.
• If a PO number was issued, please provide it. Without the PO number, some systems may not process the payment.
• A clear line should be provided for each item: day rate, overtime, kit fee, and mileage.
• Payment terms stated explicitly.
• How to actually pay you.

Please send it promptly. An invoice submitted the day after the project wraps enters the current payment cycle. If it is submitted three weeks later, it enters a cycle that starts three weeks out. The delay compounds on top of the payment terms. Freelancers frequently complain about slow payments on invoices they submitted late.

Net terms, and what they mean for you

Net 30 means payment is due 30 days after the invoice is issued, not after the shoot. Net 60 is also common, especially with larger clients and agencies. This payment term is not necessarily a red flag; it is simply how their finance department operates.

Practically, this means you can shoot in June and be paid in August. This is manageable if you are aware of this timeline in June and plan accordingly. Always inquire about payment terms before accepting a booking, rather than discovering them while waiting for your payment. If a client specifies net 60, this is a fact to plan around, not a betrayal.

Kit fees, overtime, and the often-overlooked items that people forget to bill.

A kit fee, also known as a gear or equipment rental fee, is what you charge for using your own equipment on the job. This fee is separate from labor costs and should be listed as a separate line item on the invoice.

This separation matters. Your day rate compensates for your skill and time. Your kit fee covers the cost of equipment you purchase, maintain, insure, and eventually replace. Combining these into one number means you are quietly subsidizing the client's equipment costs from your wages. This also makes your labor appear more expensive than it actually is.

The last row is often the most commonly skipped. If a job requires a prep day for testing and packing, that counts as a working day. Absorbing these extra days silently trains clients to expect them for free, which ultimately lowers your effective rate below the quoted number.

Overtime should be agreed upon before the start of the day, not argued about at the last minute. It's important to establish what constitutes a workday, when overtime begins, and at what rate it should be compensated. A production that refuses to discuss these terms in advance is essentially dictating how the workday will unfold.

Protecting yourself without making things difficult.

None of this requires an adversarial approach. It simply calls for clarity from the outset, when everyone is still on friendly terms.

• Make sure to get the booking in writing. An email confirming the rate, dates, and terms is sufficient.
• Agree on a cancellation policy. The days you scheduled for this work have value.
• Know the name of the person who signs off on your invoice.
• Keep track of your own hours, as memory alone is not sufficient evidence.
• Polite follow-ups should be conducted on the terms date, neither before nor months after.

Cancellation terms are often overlooked by freelancers, but they are frequently regretted. If you set aside Thursday for a client and decline other job offers, and they cancel on Wednesday, you lose a day's income due to their planning. Establishing a standard cancellation policy, agreed upon in advance, is a normal part of professional practice.

When payment is genuinely late, escalate calmly and in writing. Most late payments are due to administrative issues rather than malicious intent: a missing form, an approver on holiday, or an invoice in the wrong queue. A polite email specifying the invoice number usually resolves the issue. Anger rarely helps, and the Miami market is small enough that how you handle this situation is remembered.

Build the rate before you need it

Calculate what you need to earn annually, divide that by the number of workable days you realistically have, and account for any gaps. Add your overheads to this figure, and you will have your minimum threshold. Understanding this number allows you to say "yes" or "no" with a reason rather than a feeling.

We work with freelance crew constantly, and the people we call back are the ones who are straightforward about their rate and their terms up front. Clarity is not a difficulty. It is what makes booking someone easy. Our note on day rates in Miami covers what the market looks like, and our guide to crew roles covers where the work is.

If you are building a freelance career here, have a look at our about page, or get in touch through the contact page. Send the W-9 with your first email. It genuinely helps.