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First confirm the invoice is genuinely overdue under the agreed terms, then send a clear reminder and keep a dated record of every contact, response, dispute, and promise to pay. If informal follow-up does not resolve the balance, escalate in stages; late-payment charges and formal recovery rules depend on the law that applies to the contract.
Confirm the invoice is overdue before chasing
Check the contract, purchase order and invoice for the agreed payment terms and due date. Payment timing can depend on the date agreed by the parties or, where no date was agreed, on the applicable rules. The UK government explains when commercial payments become late in its late commercial payments guidance.
Before contacting the customer, verify the invoice amount, customer details, purchase-order or approval reference, description of the goods or work supplied, and payment instructions. An error or missing reference can hold up approval. The Office of the Small Business Commissioner recommends checking the terms and invoice for errors before chasing (Help with unpaid invoices).
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Keep an invoice record and a dated follow-up log
Maintain one account record for the invoice and its collection history. The UK government identifies core invoice information, including the invoice date, a unique identification number, the supplier and customer details, a description of goods or services, the amount, and the payment due date (what invoices must include).
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As a practical recordkeeping measure, add a dated log of reminders and calls. Note who you contacted, what they said, any dispute, the next action agreed, and whether payment or escalation followed. This log helps staff hand off the account consistently and gives you a factual timeline if the matter becomes contested.
- Invoice number, issue date, customer, work or goods supplied, amount, due date and payment terms.
- Purchase-order, approval or delivery references, where applicable.
- For each contact: date, method, person reached, response and next step.
- Any promised payment date or instalment agreement, plus confirmation in writing.
- For a dispute: the specific item disputed, the customer’s explanation, supporting documents, owner and agreed next action.
Send a polite, specific reminder
There is no universal reminder interval established here, so use the due date and your agreed terms rather than treating a particular number of days as a rule. Once you have confirmed the balance is due, send a concise reminder that makes it easy for the customer to identify and pay the invoice.
Include the invoice number, amount outstanding and due date; attach or resend the invoice if useful; and provide the payment method or instructions. Ask the customer to confirm when payment will be made or whether anything is preventing it. The Small Business Commissioner recommends a polite reminder containing invoice details and payment instructions.
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Overdue invoice email example
Subject: Payment reminder: invoice [number], [amount]
Hello [name],
Our records show that invoice [number] for [amount], due on [date], remains unpaid. I have attached a copy for convenience. Please let me know when payment is scheduled, or whether you need any information from us to process it.
Payment instructions: [method and details].
Thank you,
[name]
[business]
Follow up directly and identify the cause
If the customer does not respond to the reminder, call or meet them rather than sending an indefinite stream of identical messages. The Office of the Small Business Commissioner advises: “If there’s no response to the reminder, call or meet with them to discuss the issue.” The UK government’s export guidance likewise recommends following up promptly after a missed deadline to establish why payment has not arrived; that advice is specific to export sales, not a general legal deadline.
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Ask a neutral question and work out which problem applies:
- Invoice not received or lost: resend it and confirm the correct recipient and payment details.
- Missing purchase order or approval: identify the reference or approval step required and supply it.
- Disputed goods, work or amount: record precisely what is challenged, request any evidence needed, and agree who will investigate and by when.
- Cash-flow difficulty: consider whether a written instalment plan is acceptable and commercially sensible.
For a dispute, preserve the relevant correspondence, delivery records and contract or approval documents. A UK reporting rule for certain large businesses counts disputed invoices that fall due and remain unpaid in specified late-payment statistics; that reporting treatment is not a general legal finding that a disputed debt is owed.
Confirm resolutions and payment plans in writing
After a call, send a short written confirmation of what was agreed. If the customer needs another copy, resend the invoice and ask them to acknowledge receipt. If they have agreed to instalments, specify the total balance, each amount and due date, and how payment should be made. The Commissioner recommends documenting a payment plan by email.
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For a partial dispute, record the undisputed and disputed amounts separately, along with the evidence or action needed to resolve the contested part. Do not allow a vague promise such as “soon” to replace a date and next step in your log.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Decide whether to escalate
If ordinary reminders and direct contact fail, move proportionately. The Small Business Commissioner lists a final demand, seeking support from the Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC), using a collection agency, and legal action as possible next steps. A final demand should state the invoice and balance, prior attempts to resolve it, and what you will do next; check local formalities before relying on it as a legal notice.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Before using an agency or pursuing legal action, weigh the strength of your contract and delivery evidence, whether and how much the customer disputes, the amount owed and likely recovery cost, the customer’s explanation and payment history, cash-flow urgency, the value of the ongoing relationship, and local law and time limits. Recovery action can cost money and affect the customer relationship. In the UK, some small businesses with fewer than 50 staff may be eligible for free OSBC support for an unresolved dispute with a larger customer, subject to the exclusions on the Commissioner’s guidance page.
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UK late-payment charges are not universal
The following figures are UK government guidance for qualifying commercial debts, not rules to apply automatically to every invoice or jurisdiction. Eligibility and contract terms matter, and you should check the current guidance and applicable contract before adding charges.
| UK guidance item | Amount or rate | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory interest | 8% above the Bank of England base rate | The base rate changes. A different contract rate may affect entitlement; the government says to issue a new invoice when adding interest. See government interest guidance. |
| Fixed recovery sum | £40 for a debt up to £999.99 | Chargeable once per payment, where the rules apply. See government recovery-cost guidance. |
| Fixed recovery sum | £70 for a debt of £1,000 to £9,999.99 | Chargeable once per payment, where the rules apply. See government recovery-cost guidance. |
| Fixed recovery sum | £100 for a debt of £10,000 or more | Chargeable once per payment, where the rules apply. See government recovery-cost guidance. |
| Additional recovery costs | Reasonable costs may be recoverable in applicable cases | Check the UK government’s conditions and your circumstances; do not assume every collection expense is recoverable. |
These UK figures are not established here as applicable in the United States or elsewhere. Before charging interest, compensation or recovery costs outside the UK—or where the contract may change the position—check the governing contract and local law.
Use payment-practice reports as one due-diligence signal
For a prospective or existing UK business customer, published payment-practice reports can provide context: the reporting service includes measures such as average time to pay and the proportion of invoices paid late by count or value (UK payment-practices reporting service). Only qualifying large businesses publish reports, so the data may not exist for a particular customer and does not represent every business or sector.
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