WolfX Answers
Straight answers about getting paid.
153 straight answers for small firms in England and Wales: the law, the sum, the steps and the letter, each checked against the official source.
When a client won't pay
The first moves when an invoice goes quiet: who to ask, what to send, when to stop waiting.
- My client hasn't paid my invoice. What do I do first?Check, then ask once.
- How do I chase an overdue invoice politely?Two short emails.
- What should a payment reminder email say at each stage?Five emails.
- When is an invoice officially late?After the agreed date.
- Can a big company make me wait 60 or 90 days to be paid?Up to sixty days.
- Can I stop work if a client doesn't pay?Yes, in construction.
Interest and late fees
What the law lets you add when a business pays late, and how to work it out to the penny.
- Can I charge interest on a late invoice?Yes.
- How do I work out late payment interest to the day?Three numbers.
- What is late payment compensation, and is it £40, £70 or £100?All three.
- Can I charge my own late fee on an invoice?Yes, if agreed first.
- What late payment wording should go on my invoice?Two lines.
- Can I claim interest on invoices my client already paid late?Usually.
Letters that get paid
Reminders, final demands, letters before action and statutory demands, with the wording.
- What is a letter before action, and how do I write one?A formal last letter.
- What is a final demand letter, and when do I send one?Not a legal term.
- What is a statutory demand, and when should I use one?Only for undisputed debts.
- They ignored my letter before action. What next?Start the claim.
- What is a winding-up petition, and should I use one to get paid?Rarely.
- Where do I send a formal letter to a limited company, and how do I prove it arrived?Its registered office.
When they dispute it
Short payments, 'the work wasn't good enough', no written contract, and what proof wins.
- My client disputes my invoice. What happens next?The disputed part waits.
- No written contract: can I still get paid?Yes.
- My client says the work wasn't good enough and won't pay. Can they do that?Only for what's wrong.
- My client says they didn't authorise the extra work. Can I charge for it?Yes, if they asked.
- Can I hold back files, or switch off a website, until I'm paid?Files, usually.
- What proof do I need to show I did the work and they owe me?Five kinds of paper.
Court, and what comes after
Money claims, fees, hearings, judgments, bailiffs, and getting help when you need it.
- How do I take a company to court for an unpaid invoice?Online.
- What is Money Claim Online, and how does it work?An online court form.
- How much does it cost to take a company to court for an unpaid invoice?From £35 to £455.
- Do I need a solicitor to recover an unpaid invoice?Usually not.
- What is a CCJ against a company, and what does it actually do?An order to pay.
- I won in court but they still haven't paid. How do I make them pay?Three routes.
Checking a company
What the public record says before you sign, before you chase, and before you sue.
- How do I check if a company is insolvent or about to go under?Three searches.
- Is this company legit? How do I check a UK company before I work for it?Not from its name.
- How do I check if a company has a CCJ?Search TrustOnline.
- How do I check a new client can pay before I start work?Only partly.
- How do I check how fast a big company pays its suppliers?Read its own reports.
- How do I search the Gazette for winding-up petitions?Filter by notice type.
When a client goes under
Administration, liquidation, strike-off and dissolution, and where your invoice stands.
- A company that owes me money has gone into liquidation. What happens to my invoice?Usually little.
- How do I claim money from a company in liquidation?Write to the liquidator.
- A company that owes me money is in administration. What now?Register the debt.
- A company that owes me money has been dissolved. Can I still get paid?Usually not.
- How do I object to a company being struck off when it owes me money?Online, with your invoice.
- Who gets paid first when a company can't pay its debts?Suppliers come near last.
Terms that protect you
Payment terms, deposits, purchase orders, guarantees and the clauses that get you paid.
Building trades
The Construction Act, payment notices, retention, adjudication and site disputes.
- What is a pay less notice, and what happens if the client didn't send one?In full.
- What is adjudication, and can I use it to get paid for construction work?Yes.
- When must retention be released, and what if it's held back?When your contract says.
- The main contractor hasn't paid me. Can I go to the client instead?Usually not.
VAT, tax and the books
Bad debt relief, write-offs, credit notes and what unpaid invoices do to your accounts.
The Wolf's note
Every answer here is the one we would give a friend: what the law says, what it costs, and whether it is worth it in your case. Read it tonight; send the letter tomorrow.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX