In most states, a brand that sells on net 30 is taking a business risk. In Washington, net 30 on cannabis isn't on the menu. The state's rule says the buyer pays at or before delivery, and it treats a deliberately slow check as an attempt to buy on credit.
That makes Washington one of the clearest answers to the question "does my state have a rule on dispensaries paying their suppliers?" Yes, and it's strict.
What WAC 314-55-115 says
WAC 314-55-115 · Methods of payment for cannabis licensees purchasing cannabis
“A cannabis licensee must pay cash for cannabis prior to or at the time of delivery.”
The rule then lists what the LCB counts as cash payment: checks, credit and debit cards, electronic funds transfers, and transactions through a money transmitter licensed with Washington's Department of Financial Institutions. Each comes with conditions. The ones that matter most to a brand:
- An irrevocable invoice or sale order has to start the sale, before or at delivery (for checks and cards).
- Checks have to be sent, delivered or mailed by the buyer no later than the first business day after delivery, and deposited as promptly as is reasonably practical, and in no event later than five business days after delivery.
- Card charges have to be started no later than the first business day after delivery, and card or EFT arrangements have to be voluntary for both licensees.
- Records of each transaction, including proof of mailing for checks, have to be kept by both parties and ready for LCB review.
WAC 314-55-115(1)(c)
“Any attempt by a cannabis licensee to delay payment on checks for any period of time beyond the minimum as is reasonably practical will be considered an unlawful attempt to purchase products on credit.”
The mailed-check window is a 2024 change. Before it, check payments were tighter still.
At delivery
when a Washington licensee must pay for cannabis
1 business day
after delivery to send, deliver or mail a check
5 business days
after delivery, at the latest, to deposit that check
What this means for a brand selling into Washington
The rule puts the duty to pay on the buyer. It doesn't promise you the money arrives. A check can still be mailed late, an EFT can stall, or a store can ask for "just a couple of weeks." Two things follow:
Asking for trouble
Agreeing to informal net terms because the store asked nicely. In Washington that's credit the rule doesn't allow, and the late money is still your problem.
Staying inside the rule
An invoice issued at delivery, a way to pay that's ready the same day, and a dated record of when each payment came in.
- Make paying at delivery easy. The fewer steps between the invoice and the payment, the fewer excuses for a late one.
- Keep the records the rule asks for. Invoice, delivery date, payment date, and proof of mailing for checks.
- Treat a late payment as a problem right away. In Washington, a payment that's weeks late isn't slow terms. It's outside the rule.
- Talk to your attorney before you report anything. Whether and how to raise a late payment with the LCB is a legal call.
Where ShelfSpace fits
Washington shrinks the window, but the mechanics of getting paid are the same: the invoice has to reach the right person with a way to pay built in, and somebody has to notice the moment a payment is late. ShelfSpace does both, in your brand's name.
A pay link on every invoice
Each store gets a standing Pay Now link that needs no login. It rides on the invoice and on every reminder, so paying you is always one click away.
Reminders on a schedule, in your name
Reminders go out on the schedule you pick and firm up as the invoice ages. Your sales rep can be copied on every one.
Promises written down
When a store says it will pay Friday, log it. Reminders on those invoices pause, ShelfSpace checks QuickBooks on the date, and the promise is marked Kept, Kept late, Partly paid, or Missed.
A final notice on your letterhead
Once an invoice passes your mark (60 days late unless you pick another number), send one page with a pay-by date and only the consequences you will really carry out. Reporting the balance to the state regulator is one of the five choices, and all five start unchecked.
All of it shows up in AR Aging, your list of who owes you sorted by how late they are. So when a rule or a court asks what happened, you have the dates: when the invoice went out, what the store promised, whether it kept that promise, and the letter you sent. See the full system on Collections, Promise to Pay and Final Notice.
See how other states compare in our guide to cannabis wholesale payment rules by state, and for the full collections playbook, read how to get paid by dispensaries.
This page explains public rules in plain English. It isn't legal advice. Before you report a store, sue, or change your credit terms, check with your own attorney.
Sources
- Washington Administrative Code 314-55-115, Methods of payment for cannabis licensees purchasing cannabis
- Washington State Register WSR 24-20-055 (2024 amendment to WAC 314-55-115)
Sources last checked 10/27/2026. Rules change: confirm the current text with the regulator before you rely on it.