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Posted: Tue 9th Jun 2026
Last updated: Tue 9th Jun 2026
36 min read
Late payment is more than an admin problem. For a small business, one unpaid invoice can affect the whole month.
If a customer pays late, it can make it harder to pay suppliers, staff, tax bills, rent, software subscriptions and your own income.
It can also stop you investing in stock, equipment, marketing or the next stage of growth, as David Patterson from the Office of the Small Business Commissioner explains:
"Late payment isn't just an admin problem. It affects cash flow, confidence and the ability to grow. That's why getting money moving through the economy matters so much for small businesses."
This is why you must treat getting paid on time as part of your overall cash flow management – and not something to think about only when an invoice becomes overdue.
This guide explains how to reduce the risk of late payment before work begins, how to make invoices easier to pay and what to do when a customer misses the deadline.
Late payment in numbers
UK government figures published in 2026 estimated that businesses are owed £26 billion in late payments at any given time, with the average affected business owed £17,000. Those businesses affected spent an average of 86 hours a year chasing late payments.
A payment becomes late when it hasn't been paid by the date agreed in your contract, proposal, terms and conditions or invoice.
For example, if your invoice says payment is due within 14 days and the customer has agreed to those terms, the payment becomes late after that deadline passes.
If you haven't agreed a payment date, check official guidance and consider getting advice before relying on statutory rights.
The rules can depend on the type of customer, the terms of the contract and whether the transaction is business-to-business (B2B).
Common payment terms include the following:
Due on receipt: The customer is expected to pay as soon as they receive the invoice. This can work for simple transactions, but it still helps to state a clear date.
Seven days: The customer must pay within seven days of the invoice date. This can suit small businesses with tight cash flow.
14 days: The customer must pay within 14 days. This gives some flexibility while keeping the payment window short.
30 days: The customer must pay within 30 days. This is common in business-to-business work, but it shouldn't be treated as automatic.
Milestone payments: The customer pays at agreed stages of a project, such as deposit, first draft, delivery and final sign-off.
Payment in advance: The customer pays before receiving the product, service or access to what you're selling.
Deposit plus final payment: The customer pays part of the fee before work starts and the remaining balance at an agreed point.
The key point is that both sides should know when payment is due, before the work begins.
You should treat late payment as a cash flow risk, not just an invoicing issue. A business can look profitable on paper and still struggle if money arrives late.
You may have completed the work, issued the invoice and recorded the sale. But that doesn't help if the cash isn't in your bank account when your own bills are due.
To manage this properly, you need a clear view of:
how much money customers currently owe your business
when each invoice is due
what bills are due before those payments arrive
which customers regularly pay late
what level of unpaid invoices creates a risk
A simple cash flow forecast can help. It shows what money you expect to come in and go out over the coming weeks or months.
For example, you may issue a £4,000 invoice on 30-day terms and expect to use that money to cover rent, software, supplier costs and wages.
If the customer's approval process adds another 15 days, the work may be complete but the cash still isn't available to you.
As Esther Kyesimira, founder of JERN Financials Ltd, says in her Lunch and Learn session:
"Bills don't run on net 30. Your rent, software, suppliers, staff and tax still need paying while you're waiting for the customer to process your invoice."
If a large payment is delayed, update the forecast straight away so you can see how it affects your position. That might help you make decisions earlier, such as:
delaying non-essential spending
chasing another invoice sooner
speaking to a supplier
reviewing whether you can afford to take on more work for the same customer
If you're building stronger cash flow habits, use our guide to cash flow management alongside this guide.
You may also want to read our cash flow forecasting guide and use a cash flow forecast template to keep your numbers up to date.
Before you start work, make sure you know exactly who the customer is.
This sounds basic, but it matters. If you later need to chase payment, escalate the issue or take advice, you need to know the correct legal name of the person or business that owes you money.
For example, your day-to-day contact may use a trading name, but the contract may need to be with a limited company, sole trader or partnership.
If you invoice the wrong entity, payment can be delayed while the customer asks you to correct the details. It can also make recovering the debt more difficult later.
Before agreeing the work, check:
the customer's exact legal name
whether the customer is a sole trader, partnership, limited company or another organisation
the registered company name and number, if it's a limited company
the correct billing address
who approves invoices
whether they need a purchase order
when payment runs happen
which email address invoices should go to
For limited companies, Companies House can help you check basic company information.
If you're working with a larger business, check its payment practices before agreeing terms. GOV.UK provides a service that shows the average time large businesses take to pay suppliers and the proportion of payments they don't pay on time.
This can give you useful context before you agree terms. If a large customer is known for being slow with payments, you may want to ask for a deposit, shorter terms or milestone payments.
You can also check whether the customer has a Fair Payment Code award. The code has Gold, Silver and Bronze tiers based on payment performance.
Gold recognises firms that pay at least 95% of invoices within 30 days, while Silver and Bronze recognise firms meeting 60-day payment standards.
You should agree payment terms before you begin any work, not after sending the invoice.
If you only raise payment terms when the work is finished, you have much less control. The customer may assume they can pay in 30, 60 or even 90 days.
They may also tell you they need a purchase order, a supplier form or internal approval before they can process payment.
Set the terms early and put them in writing. This could be in a contract, proposal, statement of work, booking form, order confirmation or email.
Terry Corby, CEO of Good Business Pays, says payment dates should be treated as part of the commercial agreement, not an afterthought:
"Never agree to deliver work without agreeing when you'll be paid. You wouldn't expect a customer to sign up without knowing when you'll deliver, so make the payment date part of the same conversation."
The format of the agreement depends on the type of work, but it should be clear enough that both sides understand what's been agreed.
This should cover:
having a contract or written agreement
agreeing prices and payment terms before work begins
making sure both sides understand the terms
using milestone payments for longer projects
using deposits or shorter terms where customer risk is higher
confirming the agreed terms in writing
pushing back on very long terms where they would harm cash flow
If a customer asks for very long payment terms, think carefully before agreeing.
Long terms can put pressure on your business, especially if you need to pay staff, suppliers or materials before the customer pays you.
You can push back politely. For example, you might say that your standard terms are 14 days, or that for projects of this size you need a deposit and staged payments.
If the customer can't agree to that, decide whether the work is still worth the risk.
The amount due
When payment is due
Whether VAT is included
Whether you need a deposit
Whether payments are linked to milestones
How the customer should pay
What happens if the customer pays late
Who you should send the invoice to
Whether the customer needs a purchase order
What happens if the customer disputes the invoice
Clear terms don't remove every risk, but they give you a stronger basis for chasing payment if the customer misses the deadline.
There's no single payment term that suits every business.
The right approach depends on what you sell, how long the work takes, how much risk you carry upfront and how well you know the customer.
Payment upfront is best for low-cost products, online bookings, training, tickets, subscriptions and new customers where the risk is higher.
It can also work where you're giving the customer access to something immediately, such as a digital product, a membership, a course or an event.
For service businesses, payment upfront may feel harder to ask for, but it can be reasonable in many situations.
For example, a consultant might ask for the first session to be paid in advance, or a designer might ask for payment before starting a small one-off job.
A deposit before work begins is useful for project work, bespoke products, creative services and anything that requires upfront time or materials.
A deposit shows commitment from the customer and reduces the amount you have at risk. It's especially useful if you're tailoring the work to that customer and you couldn't easily resell it.
For example, a photographer, web designer, maker or consultant might ask for a percentage upfront before holding a date or starting the work.
Milestone payments are useful for long projects. They stop you waiting until the end of the project to be paid.
For example, you could bill a project as:
40% upfront
30% at first draft or delivery stage
30% before final handover
The stages should be clear and linked to practical points in the project. Avoid vague milestones that leave too much room for argument.
Milestone payments also help reveal problems earlier. If the customer doesn't pay the second instalment, you can pause before completing the rest of the work.
Seven-day or 14-day terms are useful where your business has tight cash flow or you're working with a new customer.
Shorter terms can also be appropriate for small projects, regular services or work where you've already paid for materials or hired subcontractors.
Make sure the customer agrees to these terms before work begins. Some customers, especially larger organisations, may have default payment processes that are longer than your terms.
Thirty-day terms are common in business-to-business (B2B) work, but they shouldn't be seen as automatic.
If 30 days works for your cash flow and the customer has a good payment record, it may be fine. But if you're already carrying costs, 30 days can be too long.
Before agreeing, ask yourself whether you can afford to wait and what would happen if the customer paid 10, 20 or 30 days late.
Only offer longer terms if your business can afford the delay and the commercial value justifies the risk.
Larger customers may ask for longer terms, but that doesn't mean you have to accept them without question.
If you do accept them, consider whether you need a deposit, a higher price, staged payments or a clear credit limit.
Long payment terms are effectively credit. Before you offer them, check whether your business can cover its own costs while waiting to be paid.
"Don't assume payment terms will be 30 days. If you expect 30 days and the customer assumes 90, you've created a 60-day cash flow problem before the work has even started." – Terry Corby, CEO, Good Business Pays
Delays often happen because the supplier doesn't understand the customer's internal payment process.
This is common when working with larger organisations. Your contact may be happy with the work, but they may not be the person who approves the invoice.
The finance team may need a purchase order. The business may only run payments on certain days. You may need to upload the invoice to a supplier portal.
Do you need a purchase order?
Who approves the invoice?
Who should receive the invoice?
Should I copy anyone in?
What information must I include?
When are payment runs?
How long does it usually take you to approve invoices?
Who should I contact if there is a query?
Do you use a supplier portal?
This is all part of getting paid.
If a customer tells you they need a purchase order, don't start work until you've issued it – unless you're comfortable with the risk.
If the customer tells you they pay invoices only once a month, send the invoice in time for that payment run.
You should send invoices as soon as you've reached the agreed billing point. That might be when:
you deliver the product
you complete the work
when a milestone is reached
when the customer signs off a stage
The billing point should match the terms you agreed before work started.
Late, incomplete or inaccurate invoices can delay payment. They can also give the customer an easy reason to push the invoice into the next payment run.
"Every invoice should have a unique reference, a clear date, the amount due, what you've provided and where the invoice should be sent for approval.
"Simple details make a big difference to how quickly an invoice is processed." – Paula Tomlinson, CEO and founder, On the Spot Tax Limited
Before sending an invoice, check that it includes everything the customer needs to process it.
Your business name and contact details
The customer's correct legal name
Invoice number
Invoice date
Payment due date
Description of the product or service
Amount due
VAT details, if relevant
Payment methods
Bank details or payment link
Purchase order number, if needed
Email address for invoice-related queries
Any late payment wording included in your terms
If you use accounting software, save your invoice template so the key fields are included every time.
Easy payment methods reduce friction, but they don't solve every problem around late payment.
Some late payments happen because of poor processes. The invoice goes to the wrong person, the bank details are missing or the payment method is inconvenient.
Others occur because the customer is deliberately delaying or has their own cash flow problems.
You can't control every reason a customer pays late, but you can remove some avoidable obstacles.
Depending on your business, you could offer:
bank transfer
payment links
card payments
direct debit for recurring services
standing orders for fixed retainers
automated invoice reminders
accounting software that tracks the status of an invoice
Payment links can be useful for smaller invoices or customers who want to pay quickly by card.
Direct debit can work well for repeat services, subscriptions or retainers where the payment amount and timing are agreed in advance.
"Payment links work because the customer can pay there and then. They don't need to log in to their bank, create a new payee or remember to come back to it later." – Esther Kyesimira, founder, JERN Financials Ltd
For fixed monthly retainers, a standing order may be enough. For variable invoices, accounting software can help track when invoices are sent, opened, due and overdue.
The aim is simple – make it easy for the customer to pay the right amount, to the right place, by the right date.
Deposits, staged payments and early-payment incentives can reduce the amount at risk.
They're especially useful when you're working with a new customer, delivering a long project or paying upfront costs before you receive money from the customer.
Ask for part-payment before work begins, especially for new customers or bespoke work.
A deposit can cover your initial time, materials, booking slot or the setting up of the project. It also shows the customer is serious.
Make the deposit amount, due date and refund position clear before the customer pays.
Break a project into stages so you're not waiting until the end to be paid.
This is useful for projects that take weeks or months, or where your costs build up over time. If the customer misses a milestone payment, pause and resolve the issue before continuing.
For some services, you can release final files, goods or access once the balance is paid.
For example, a designer might share drafts during the project but release final files after the final invoice is paid. A maker might request the balance before dispatching a bespoke item.
Use this carefully and make it clear in the terms. The customer should know from the start when final delivery will happen and what they must pay first.
An early-payment discount can encourage faster payment, but only use it if the margin still works.
Don't train customers to expect a discount every time. If the customer only pays on time when you reduce the price, the issue may be with the relationship or the terms, not the invoice.
If you offer a discount, state the exact amount and deadline. For example, you might reduce the cost by a small percentage if the customer pays within seven days.
Set a maximum unpaid balance for regular customers, and put new work on hold if they go beyond it.
Rather than complicate things, a credit limit can simply mean you don't accept new orders or start new work once a customer owes more than a certain amount.
This is particularly useful for repeat customers who order regularly but pay slowly.
Credit control should be part of your weekly or monthly cash flow routine.
It's easier to chase one invoice that became overdue yesterday than to untangle five invoices that have been overdue for months.
A regular routine also helps you spot patterns, such as customers who always pay late or invoices that often get delayed because information is missing.
Check which invoices are due this week.
Check which invoices are overdue.
Send reminders before due dates.
Chase overdue invoices on the due date.
Update your cash flow forecast.
Record every call, email and agreement.
Flag repeat late-payers.
Decide whether to pause work, reduce credit or ask for payment upfront next time.
An aged debtors list shows unpaid invoices grouped by how overdue they are, such as current, one to 30 days overdue, 31 to 60 days overdue and over 60 days overdue.
This gives you a clear picture of what you're owed and where the risk sits. An invoice that's one day overdue may need a simple reminder. An invoice that's 60 days overdue may need to be escalated.
If you use accounting software, check whether it can produce an aged debtors report automatically. If not, a simple spreadsheet is enough to start.
For large invoices or new customers, it can be useful to check before the due date that the customer has received and is processing the invoice.
It shouldn't feel awkward. You're not chasing before the payment is due, you're making sure the payment process is working.
Ask:
Has the customer received the invoice?
Is the information correct?
Have they approved it?
Is anything missing?
Is payment still due on the agreed date?
This is especially useful if the invoice is large, the customer is new or you know the organisation has a slow internal approval process.
Send a polite note confirming payment is due today and asking the customer to confirm when they've paid.
Keep the message short and factual. Include the invoice number, amount and due date so the customer has everything they need.
At this stage, the goal is to catch errors, missing purchase orders or delays with approval before the invoice becomes a bigger issue.
You should start your chasing quickly, but calmly. Don't wait weeks before making contact.
A missed payment may be a genuine mistake, but you must still address it. The longer you leave it, the easier it becomes for the customer to push it down their list.
"Don't be scared to chase the money you're owed. You're not creating a bad relationship by following up. The customer agreed to pay you by a certain date, and you have every right to ask for that payment." – Mathew Carson, managing director, MRC Business Services
Contact the customer if payment hasn't arrived. Keep the tone calm and factual.
Say that the invoice is due today, include the details and ask them to confirm when they'll pay. If you've already checked that they approved the invoice, mention that.
Send the first reminder. Ask whether there's a problem and request a payment date.
At this stage, you can still keep the tone friendly. The customer may have missed the due date by mistake, or the invoice may be stuck in an approval process.
Ask for a clear response, not a vague promise. "Can you confirm the payment date?" is stronger than "Please pay as soon as possible".
"Don't jump straight to legal recovery. Pick up the phone first. There may be a legitimate reason for the delay, such as a missing purchase order, a dispute, a forgotten invoice or a payment that needs more than one person to approve it." – Mathew Carson, managing director, MRC Business Services
Send a firmer reminder. Explain that you may charge interest and compensation if the invoice remains unpaid.
Include the invoice number, amount, original due date and previous reminders. Keep the message factual. Avoid emotional language, even if the delay is causing problems.
If you've spoken to the customer by phone, follow up in writing so there's a record.
Send a final reminder before escalating. Confirm the amount the customer owes, the original due date and the action you may take next.
This could include:
pausing work
escalating the issue to a senior contact
charging interest and recovery costs where appropriate
contacting the Small Business Commissioner
using a debt collection agency
seeking legal advice
Give a clear deadline for when you expect a response.
Decide whether to pause work, agree a payment plan, escalate internally, use the Small Business Commissioner, seek legal advice, use a debt collection agency or make a claim.
Start by assuming that something in the process may have gone wrong. Move quickly, but keep the first message calm.
If the customer avoids you, changes their story or repeatedly misses payment dates they've promised to hit, escalate.
You should deal with all disputed invoices quickly and in writing.
A dispute might be genuine. The customer may believe you didn't complete the work, the amount is wrong, the purchase order is missing or the invoice doesn't match what was agreed.
They may also use it as a delaying tactic. Either way, ask for the details.
You should:
ask exactly what they're disputing
separate the undisputed amount from the disputed amount
ask them to pay the undisputed amount (see below)
check the contract, proposal, scope of work and delivery records
put all communication in writing
avoid continuing work without a clear agreement
update your cash flow forecast if payment is likely to be delayed
seek advice if the dispute becomes serious
If the customer disputes part of the invoice, ask them to pay the undisputed amount while you review the disputed part.
For example, if the invoice is for £3,000 and the customer disputes £500, ask them to pay the £2,500 they aren't disputing. This keeps cash moving and focuses the discussion on the actual disagreement.
Keep records of what was agreed, what you delivered and when the customer raised the issue.
Save emails, signed agreements, delivery notes, project approvals, meeting notes and any evidence that you completed the work.
If the dispute becomes serious or the customer refuses to explain the issue clearly, consider getting professional advice before taking further action.
On some late payments, you may be able to charge interest and claim recovery costs.
For business-to-business transactions, statutory interest is 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, unless the contract sets a different interest rate.
You can also claim fixed debt recovery costs on top of any interest. GOV.UK says the fixed costs are:
£40 for debts up to £999.99
£70 for debts from £1,000 to £9,999.99
£100 for debts of £10,000 or more
Before adding interest or recovery costs, check your contract. If it includes a different interest rate or process for handling late payments, you need to understand how that affects your position.
You should also tell the customer clearly if you intend to charge interest or recovery costs. You can include this in your payment terms and repeat them in the messages you send later when chasing payment.
How you tackle this may depend on the relationship you have with the customer.
For a one-off customer who's refusing to pay, charging interest may be a straightforward decision. For a long-term customer with a genuine (and temporary) problem, you may decide to agree a payment plan instead.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Check the current rules and consider getting professional advice before charging interest, adding recovery costs or starting legal action.
Escalation should be controlled and based on evidence.
Make sure your records are clear before you take any further action. You should know the amount owed, the due date, what was agreed, what reminders were sent, who you spoke to and what the customer said.
If your usual contact isn't resolving the issue, ask to speak to someone else. That might include:
the accounts payable department
your day-to-day contact
the budget holder
a finance manager
a director or senior manager, where appropriate
Keep the message professional. Explain that the invoice is overdue, summarise the previous attempts to resolve it and ask for a confirmed payment date.
Use this where the customer wants to pay but can't give you the full amount immediately.
A payment plan can be better than silence, but you should set it down in writing.
Confirm the total amount you're owed, the instalment amounts, payment dates and what will happen if they miss a payment.
Don't keep extending the plan without receiving any payment. If the customer misses the first agreed instalment, treat that as useful information and review your position.
The Small Business Commissioner can help small businesses with unresolved payment disputes involving larger customers.
You should explore this route before starting any legal action. Once you've initiated legal action, the Commissioner may not be able to help you.
Before contacting the Small Business Commissioner, gather your evidence. This could include the contract or written agreement, invoice, purchase order, reminder emails, call notes and any final warning letter.
"We'd always encourage businesses to come to us before starting legal action. Legal action can be costly, and once the courts are involved, there are limits to what we can do." – Isobel Basudev, casework manager, Office of the Small Business Commissioner
Alternative dispute resolution may be relevant if the issue is more than a customer ignoring an invoice.
For example, it may help where there's a disagreement over the quality of the work, what was agreed, delivery or terms of a contract. Some trade bodies and sector schemes have their own complaints or dispute processes.
The right route depends on the size of the debt, the customer relationship and the nature of the dispute.
A debt collection agency can save you some time and may recover money more quickly.
But check the fees and terms carefully. Understand how the agency will communicate with the customer, what percentage it will take and whether there are any upfront costs.
Using an agency may affect your relationship with the customer. In some cases, that may no longer matter. In others, you may want to try a final direct escalation first.
Legal action shouldn't be a first step, but it may be necessary if the customer won't pay and all other routes have failed.
Your options may include:
a solicitor's letter
a money claim
a statutory demand
enforcement if the customer ignores a court order
If you're not sure about taking legal action, get advice first. Also check whether the customer is likely to be able to pay. Winning a claim doesn't always mean recovering the money quickly.
Keep evidence of everything you've done to resolve the issue, including correspondence, call notes and final warning letters.
Continuing to work for a late-paying customer can expose you further. If a customer already owes you money, every new piece of work adds more risk.
This is especially dangerous if the customer is avoiding your messages, disputing invoices without a clear reason or repeatedly missing promised payment dates.
You may need to decide:
when to pause work
when to switch to payment upfront
when to reduce credit
when to stop supplying
when to treat the customer as high risk
how to stay professional without accepting poor payment behaviour
If you decide to pause work, you can explain that you're unable to continue while invoices remain overdue, and that you can resume work once the account is brought up to date.
For repeat customers, you might change the terms instead of ending the relationship. For example, you could ask for payment upfront, reduce the credit limit or move to milestone billing.
A late payment isn't always a reason to end the relationship. But repeated late payment is useful information. If a customer regularly pays late, change the terms before accepting more work.
Some good customers may struggle temporarily, but your business still needs to protect its own cash flow.
A customer may have a genuine short-term problem. They may be waiting for their own customer to pay, dealing with an internal issue or managing a temporary dip in income.
If the relationship is valuable and their communication is honest, you may decide to give them some flexibility.
But control it. It shouldn't turn into an open-ended loan from your business to theirs.
If a good customer is struggling, you can consider:
a short payment extension
a written payment plan
staged repayment
smaller future orders
payment upfront for new work until they've cleared the old balance
Make clear that you won't repeatedly offer informal extensions and continue supplying work without a written agreement. Don't let one customer's cash flow problem become yours.
The strongest relationships have clear boundaries. A good customer should understand that your business has bills to pay too.
Use this checklist to reduce the risk of late payment and respond quickly when a customer misses the deadline.
Check the customer's correct legal name.
Agree payment terms in writing.
Ask who approves invoices.
Confirm whether they need a purchase order.
Agree deposits or milestone payments if you need to.
Send the invoice promptly.
Use the correct details.
Include the due date.
Include the payment methods you accept.
Send the invoice to the right person.
Keep a record.
Confirm the customer has received the invoice.
Check whether anything is missing.
Send a reminder.
Chase immediately.
Keep notes.
Escalate if needed.
Consider interest and recovery costs.
Pause work if risk increases.
Seek advice before legal action.
Seven, 14 and 30 days are common payment terms, but the right term depends on the type of work, the risks involved in working with the customer, and your cash flow needs.
If you're taking on a new customer, paying costs upfront or working on a long project, shorter terms, deposits or milestone payments may be more suitable.
Yes, you can use payment upfront as long as it's commercially appropriate and agreed before any work begins.
It's especially useful for new customers, bespoke work, low-margin work and long projects. It can also work well for bookings, training, subscriptions, digital products and small one-off services.
For business-to-business (B2B) transactions, statutory interest may apply at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, unless the contract sets a different interest rate.
Check your contract and the current official guidance before charging interest. If you're not sure, consider getting advice.
GOV.UK says suppliers can add fixed recovery costs to late commercial payments. How much depends on the size of the debt.
The fixed costs are £40 for debts up to £999.99, £70 for debts from £1,000 to £9,999.99 and £100 for debts of £10,000 or more.
Ask exactly what they're disputing. If there's a genuine mistake, correct it quickly and resend the invoice.
If the customer is disputing only part of the invoice, ask them to pay the undisputed amount while you work to resolve the issue. Keep all communication in writing.
No, it's better not to expose yourself to more possible risk.
You can pause work or move to payment upfront until the customer has paid the overdue amount. If the customer regularly pays late, review the relationship and change the terms before accepting more work.
The Small Business Commissioner may help with unresolved payment disputes involving larger customers.
It's a good idea to explore this route before starting any legal action, as the Commissioner may not be able to help you once legal action has begun.
Check the company's payment practices data, escalate the issue within the company itself and consider contacting the Small Business Commissioner if you can't resolve the issue.
For future work, consider changing your terms. That might mean asking for a deposit, using milestone payments, shortening the payment period or reducing the amount of credit you offer.
