AnswersWhen a client won't pay
Is chasing every day harassment? How often is too often?
The short answer
Not by itself. No law sets a number of chases a day or a week. A course of conduct under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 needs at least two occasions2, and the test is whether a reasonable person would call it harassment1. The Administration of Justice Act 1970 adds an offence for demands for a contract debt that, by their frequency, manner or occasion, are calculated to cause alarm, distress or humiliation3.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
What you can add
A £4,800 invoice, 14 days late
Say a design agency sent a £4,800 invoice to a business client, with payment due on 31 August 2026. It went late on 1 September, so the rate for the second half of 2026 applies: 11.75% a year9, which is 8% over the base rate8. The agency has made four contacts: 24 August, 31 August, 7 September and today, 14 September, the firm note.
From here the debt gains £1.55 a day without anyone writing a word. By the letter before action on 30 September the interest is £46.36 and the agency has made five contacts in 37 days. Daily chasing from 1 September would have been 30 contacts, for the same interest.
The road ahead
Five steps. All free.
Step 1: Chase on a rhythm, not a streak
A note the week before the due date, one on the day, then day 7, day 14 and day 30 once it is late. The law fixes none of these days; they are a rhythm that stays well inside it, set out in what to send at each stage.
Step 2: Use one channel at a time
Email the accounts address, or ring in working hours, but not both in the same hour. Give each contact something new, a date, a sum or a name, and stay calm: the Small Business Commissioner says shouting and threatening legal action isn't advisable5.
Step 3: Keep off the crossing points
Do not ring a personal mobile or home number you were not given for the account, contact their family, turn up uninvited, message late at night or post about the debt in public. Do not say non-payment is a crime either: falsely saying criminal proceedings lie for failure to pay3 is an offence in itself.
Step 4: Log every contact
Write down the date, the channel and what was said, each time. If a client ever writes "harassment", a short dated log shows a spaced, factual pattern.
Step 5: If they write "stop", stop that channel
Reply once in writing, naming the one address you will use for the account. Then carry on the formal road: a letter before action is the step the court expects4, not harassment.
A letter you can copy
The day-14 firm reminder
Send it 14 days after the due date, once the earlier notes and the first reminder have gone unanswered.
Tap a highlighted gap to see what goes in it.
Email it to the accounts address and copy the person you have been dealing with, so it is dated. Keep a copy with your log of contacts. Then keep to the last line. Do not ring or email again before the pay-by date unless they reply.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- They're a consumer, not a business. Different rules and a regulator apply, and these pages do not cover them.
- They have said in writing that the invoice is disputed. Stop chasing the full figure, ask for the undisputed part now, and move to the dispute.
- You have chased once or twice. You are nowhere near the line. The rhythm above keeps you well inside it.
- They wrote "harassment" the moment you asked for payment. The word does not change the test1, and reasonable conduct is a defence, so reply once, politely. If a solicitor or the police raise it, see a solicitor who handles harassment.
- They are in Scotland or Northern Ireland. This page is about England and Wales. The rules and routes differ there.
The Wolf's note
No law sets a number of calls. It weighs how often, how and when you ask, and who picked up. The interest adds £1.55 a day without you saying a word, so keep your calls for the dates that matter.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
How do I chase an overdue invoice politely?
Two short emails: on day 7, ask for a payment date; on day 14, name one, with the interest and fixed sum worked out.
5 min read · Letter included
What should a payment reminder email say at each stage?
Five emails: a week before the due date, on it, then 7, 14 and 30 days late.
6 min read · Letter included
Don't want to do this yourself?
The Wolf does every step for you. He works out the sums, writes the letters and keeps track of every date. Nothing goes without your yes.