Check the invoice before you chase it
Most late payers aren't refusing to pay. The invoice went to an old email, the bank details were missing, or it's sitting in a chat under forty other messages. Before the first reminder, check three things:
- It arrived. Was it sent to the right person, the one who actually pays? A letting agent's accounts team isn't the tenant who let you in.
- It's payable. A due date, your bank details, a payment reference, or a link they can pay by card. Our free invoice template checks it against what GOV.UK says an invoice must show.
- It matches what was agreed. The same price and the same work as the quote. A surprise extra is the easiest reason to delay.
A chasing routine that stays polite and gets firmer
| When | What to send | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| The day after it's due | A short reminder with the invoice and a way to pay attached. | Friendly. Assume they forgot. |
| 7 days late | A second reminder, asking whether anything is holding it up. | Still friendly, more direct. |
| 14 days late | A phone call, then a message confirming what was agreed on the call. | Business-like. |
| 21 to 30 days late | A final notice: the amount, a date to pay by and what happens next. | Formal and factual. |
Change the timing to fit the job and the customer. A regular you see every month gets a word on the next visit; a one-off customer you'll never see again gets the routine above. Whatever you do, keep a note of each reminder and reply, with the date.
Messages you can copy
Replace the bracketed parts. They're written for WhatsApp or a text, and work as an email too.
First reminder, the day after it's due
Hi [name], it's [your name] from [business]. Just a reminder that invoice [number] for [the work] was due yesterday, £[amount]. You can pay here: [link or bank details and reference]. Any questions, just ask. Thanks!
Second reminder, a week late
Hi [name], invoice [number] for £[amount] is now a week overdue. Is there anything holding it up, or anything on it you'd like me to explain? If you can pay by [day], that would be great. [Link or bank details]. Thanks, [your name].
After a phone call
Hi [name], thanks for the chat earlier. As agreed, you'll pay the £[amount] for invoice [number] by [date]. Here's the link again: [link]. Thanks, [your name].
Final notice
Dear [name], invoice [number] for [the work] at [address], £[amount], was due on [date] and is now [number] days overdue. I've sent reminders on [dates]. Please pay the full amount by [date, at least 7 days away]. If it isn't paid by then, I'll take further steps to recover it, which may include a claim through the courts. [Payment details]. [Your name], [business].
Only say you'll take a step you're actually prepared to take, and never threaten anything you can't do. Keep it to the facts: no comments on the customer, and no messages to their neighbours, employer or social media.
When the customer is a business, add interest
If you did the work for another business (a letting agent, a contractor, a shop, a landlord's company, a council), the late payment law lets you claim interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, plus a fixed £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the debt. Put it on a separate invoice and mention it in your final notice: many businesses pay as soon as it arrives.
Our late payment interest calculator works out the figure and writes the lines for that invoice. It doesn't apply to homeowners, unless your own terms, agreed before the job, set a late payment charge.
If the final notice doesn't work
- Offer to split it. A customer who can't pay all of it now will often agree to two or three payments on set dates. Confirm the plan in writing.
- Send a formal letter of claim. In England and Wales, before taking an individual (a homeowner or a sole trader) to court for a debt, you're expected to follow the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims: a letter of claim with the protocol's information sheet and reply form, giving them 30 days to respond.
- Make a court claim. In England and Wales, GOV.UK's Make a court claim for money service handles it online, and there's a court fee. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own courts and steps.
- Get help if it's a bigger business. The Office of the Small Business Commissioner helps small businesses in payment disputes with larger ones.
Make the next one less likely
- Agree how and when you'll be paid on the quote, before the work starts.
- Take a deposit on bigger jobs and anything where you're buying materials.
- Invoice before you leave, while the customer is pleased with the work.
- Let them pay there and then. If paying takes a tap on their own phone, by card or Apple Pay, most customers do it on the spot. How card payments work without a reader.
Chasing in Knockround
In Knockround, every invoice has a Pay button. Send it by WhatsApp in one tap, by text or email, or show the QR code on your phone at the door, and your customer pays by Apple Pay, Google Pay or card. It marks itself paid when they do, so the invoices still owed are always in front of you, and a reminder is a tap away from your own WhatsApp or texts.
See it on the plumbing demo, with made-up customers. It's free for 7 days with no card needed, then £19.99 a month.
Written by the Knockround team, 29 October 2026. A practical guide, not legal advice: for a large or disputed debt, get advice first.