When a customer doesn't pay your invoice: what to do next

Start from the assumption they forgot

The great majority of unpaid invoices are buried, not disputed: the email slid down an inbox, the bank transfer got half-done, the landlord is waiting on the agent. Treat the first reminder as a favour to a busy person, not an accusation, and you keep the relationship, and the repeat work, intact when it turns out their card expired.

Run a rhythm, not a mood

Chasing when you're finally annoyed produces messages you regret sending, sent later than they should have been. Decide the schedule once and let it run for every invoice:

• Due date: a light nudge, with the invoice attached again, amount and date restated.
• Three or four days over: a direct but friendly reminder, asking them to confirm when it's been sent.
• Two weeks over: firmer. Restate the original due date, and say what happens next (a final notice).
• A month over: final notice, in writing, naming the date after which you'll escalate.

Wording that stays polite and works

Every message needs only three facts: the invoice number, the amount, and the due date. No apology for asking, no essay. A first reminder can be as short as: "Hi Sarah, just a reminder that invoice 032 for £450 was due on the 12th. I've attached it again in case it got buried. Could you let me know when it's on its way?"

By the third contact, drop the softeners but never the courtesy: "Invoice 032 for £450 is now three weeks overdue. I'd like to get this settled by Friday the 8th. If there's a problem with the invoice or the work, tell me and we'll sort it. Otherwise I'll have to look at next steps, which I'd much rather avoid." Firm, specific, and it leaves them a door.

Pick up the phone before you escalate

Emails are easy to ignore; a friendly phone call is not. A call also surfaces the real problem in thirty seconds, whether that's a dispute about the work, an agent sitting on the money or genuine hardship, each of which has a different right answer, none of which you can see from a silent inbox. Many invoices that survive three written reminders are paid the afternoon of one call.

Escalating: interest, and the small claims route

If the debtor is a business, many places give you a statutory right to add late-payment interest and costs. In the UK that's the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act, and other countries have equivalents. For consumer customers the rules are different, and your invoice terms matter more. Sometimes a final notice that merely mentions statutory interest is what gets the transfer sent.

Beyond that sits the small claims process (Money Claim Online in England and Wales, small claims court elsewhere), which is designed to be used without a solicitor for exactly this kind of debt. Before filing, weigh the amount against the hours; and remember a judgment still has to be collected. For most sole traders the honest threshold is: escalate on principle for large invoices, write off tiny ones, and stop working for the customer either way.

Prevention beats chasing

The best unpaid-invoice strategy runs before the work starts:

• Take a deposit on any job with real materials in it. Commitment now beats chasing later.
• Get the quote accepted in writing so scope disputes can't masquerade as payment disputes.
• Invoice the day the job finishes. An invoice sent three weeks late signals that paying it late is fine too.
• Put payment terms on every invoice. "Due within 7 days" is a term; silence is a suggestion.
• Make paying trivially easy: bank details on the invoice, or a pay-now link if your tool offers one.
• Let software track the chasing. SoloDesks, for instance, flags invoices that have gone quiet and drafts the reminder, so the rhythm runs even in your busiest week.

Common questions

How long should I wait before chasing an unpaid invoice?

Don't wait. Send a polite nudge on the due date itself, then again three or four days later. Early reminders are expected and read as organised; the awkwardness people fear mostly comes from chasing late and angry rather than early and friendly.

Can I charge interest on late payments?

Often yes for business customers. The UK's Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act and its equivalents elsewhere allow statutory interest and costs on B2B debts. Consumer rules differ and depend more on your stated terms. Check the rules where you trade; even mentioning statutory interest in a final notice concentrates minds.

What if the customer disputes the work instead of paying?

Deal with the dispute on its own terms, in writing, quickly. Ask exactly what's wrong, offer to look at it, and fix genuine problems. A real complaint resolved often turns into payment plus repeat work. A vague complaint that only appears after the third reminder is usually a stalling tactic, and naming that (politely) tends to end it.

Is small claims court worth it for a tradesperson?

For a substantial invoice with clear paperwork (an accepted quote, an invoice, a reminder history), often yes: the process is designed for use without a solicitor. For small amounts, the hours usually cost more than the debt; a final notice, a write-off, and never working for them again is the pragmatic path.

How do I stop late payments happening in the first place?

Deposits on material-heavy jobs, written quote acceptance, invoicing the day the work ends, clear payment terms on the invoice, and making payment effortless. Most late payers are disorganised rather than dishonest, so remove every opportunity for disorganisation.

Do the maths

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More on getting paid

• Letter before action for an unpaid invoiceA free letter before action template for UK tradespeople owed money, what the pre-action rules require you to enclose, and how long to give them to pay.
• Taking a customer to the small claims court over an unpaid invoiceClaiming an unpaid invoice through the county court: the fees, how long it takes, and the part nobody mentions, that winning is not the same as being paid.
• Charging interest on a late invoiceUK statutory interest is the Bank of England base rate plus 8% on business debts, plus a fixed sum per invoice. When you can charge it and how to work it out.
• Payment terms for a one-person trade businessWhat payment terms to use as a UK sole trader, why they belong on the quote rather than the invoice, and the home-visit cancellation rule most miss.
• How to chase an invoice without losing the customerThe wording and timing that get an overdue invoice paid without damaging a customer relationship, plus what to do when the invoice is stuck inside a company.
• When a main contractor will not pay youThe Construction Act gives subcontractors payment notices, a right to suspend work and adjudication in 28 days. What it covers and how to use it.
• Retention, and how to actually get it backWhat retention is, the usual 3% to 5% and when each half is released, why subcontractors lose it, and the practical steps that get it paid back to you.
• Checking a customer will pay, before you startThe free Companies House checks that take five minutes, the red flags worth walking away from, and how to protect yourself on domestic work.
• Stage payments, and how to structure themHow to split a job into stage payments a customer will agree to, what makes a milestone enforceable, and why the money should stay ahead of the work.
• Should you put an unpaid invoice with a debt collection agency?What debt collection agencies charge, when a third-party letter works better than yours, and when a free letter before action does the same job for nothing.
• Writing off an unpaid invoiceWhether you can claim tax relief on a bad debt depends on your accounting basis, and most sole traders are now on the one with nothing to claim.

All of it, in the order you need it, on the getting paid hub.

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