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Freelancer RightsKnow what you are owed, and why
Getting paidApplies in: New York City

You must be paid by the date your contract sets — and if it sets none, within 30 days of finishing the work

Under the New York City Freelance Isn't Free Act, payment is due on or before the date stated in your contract, or by the date the contract's own mechanism produces. If the contract does not specify either, payment is due no later than 30 days after you complete the services.

2What that means

  • There is no single universal deadline. The contract's due date, or the mechanism the contract sets for determining a due date, controls first.
  • The 30-day rule is the fallback that applies only when the contract does not state a due date or a way to work one out.
  • Once you have started performing, the hiring party cannot require you to accept less than the contracted amount as a condition of being paid on time.
  • Late payment is a violation in itself — you do not have to be permanently unpaid to have a claim.
  • These are the New York City rules. New York State's Freelance Isn't Free Act is a separate law with its own text, and other states and cities may have none at all.

3In a real case, this is what happened

In St. Clair v. Sansal, a consultant went to trial over unpaid work and won doubled damages

Civil Court of the City of New York, New York County · September 14, 2021 · SCNY-16201/2020-1

What the freelancer alleged
A consultant said she had not been paid for her work and brought a Freelance Isn't Free Act case in New York City Civil Court, which held a trial.
What the court actually ruled
The court entered judgment against the hiring company, Homepeople, and doubled the damages. Claims against the individual, Sansal, personally were dismissed.
The key reason
The court found the company was the hiring party and the payment obligation had been violated; the individual was not held personally liable on this record.
Stage of the case
Decision after trial — an actual finding, not just an allegation surviving dismissal.

What the freelancer said happened are allegations. What the court decided is a finding. This project has not verified whether the judgment was collected.

Full record for this caseOriginal decision source

In Riad LLC v. Northco Management, a late bonus payment was enough to keep the case alive

Supreme Court, New York County · December 19, 2025 · Index No. 654717/2023

What the freelancer alleged
A single-member consulting business alleged that a bonus owed under its arrangement was paid late.
What the court actually ruled
The court refused to dismiss the Freelance Isn't Free Act claim because whether the payment was timely was still unresolved. Other claims were partly dismissed.
The key reason
Timeliness of payment was a live factual question, and lateness alone can violate the payment rule.
Stage of the case
Motion to dismiss — the claim survived. Nobody won money at this stage.

Surviving dismissal is not a ruling that the hiring party violated the law.

Full record for this caseOriginal decision source

4What matters for you

These are the facts and documents that decided the cases above. Gathering them does not decide your case, and this is general information rather than advice about it.

  • Your contract, or any writing showing what you agreed to be paid and when.
  • The date you finished the services, and how you can prove it.
  • Invoices, and the dates you sent them.
  • Every payment you did receive, with dates and amounts.
  • Any request that you accept less money in order to get paid after you had already started work.
  • Emails or messages where the hiring party acknowledges the work or the amount owed.

5Where this applies

  • New York City Administrative Code § 20-929 applies to freelance work with a connection to New York City. Courts have looked closely at that connection: in Turner v. Sheppard Grain Enterprises the claims were dismissed where the work's New York City impact was found insufficient, while in Frisch v. Likeopedia allegations of New York City residence and work were enough at the pleading stage.
  • New York State has a separate Freelance Isn't Free Act with its own terms; a claim can involve one, the other, or both.
The law behind this right
Decisions connected to this right