AnswersWhen a client won't pay
My client asked me to re-date or split my invoice. Should I?
The short answer
Only if it's true. A real mistake gets a credit note and a new invoice dated the day you issue it. A date that isn't the day you issued it, or a split to get under the client's approval limit, can put a false statement on a document; done dishonestly, for gain or to cause loss, that is what the fraud2 and false accounting3 laws cover. If you're VAT registered, the date matters: issue the invoice up to 14 days after the basic tax point and your issue date becomes the tax point1.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
What you can add
A £7,200 invoice, asked to be dated a week later
Say a design studio issued a £7,200 invoice on Monday 28 September 2026, payable 30 days from the invoice date: due 28 October. The client's accounts team asks for 5 October instead. The client pays on 30 November: 33 days late. It went late on 29 October, so the second-half 2026 rate applies.
Dated 5 October, the due date moves to 4 November and the interest to £60.26 over 26 days: £16.23 less for the same work. Split into two £3,600 invoices, the fixed sum would be £70 twice, £140 against £70.
The road ahead
Six steps. All free.
Step 1: Ask what the problem is
A request like this is usually admin: an approval limit one invoice crosses, a budget month or year end, a purchase order that does not match, a payment run. Ask which it is before you answer. Nothing in the request says your client is up to anything.
Step 2: Sort it: a fix or a favour
A real error (wrong company, address or order number) is a fix. A date that is not the day you issue the invoice puts a false statement in your name, and one price cut into pieces to fit a limit can mislead.
False accounting needs dishonesty and a view to gain or cause loss, and section 17(2)3 treats a person who "concurs in making" a misleading entry in a document as falsifying it. That is what the sections say, not a finding about anyone. If it is serious, speak to a solicitor who handles business crime.
Step 3: Check the VAT date with your accountant
If you are VAT registered, the date you issue the invoice can become the tax point1. Issue it more than 14 days after the basic tax point without approval1 and tax is due at the basic tax point: for a service, usually the day the work was finished. A date that is not the issue date puts the VAT in the wrong place.
Step 4: Count what a later date costs you
Under "30 days from invoice date", a later date moves the due date, so each day is a day of interest4 you give up: £2.32 a day on £7,200 at 11.75%8.
Each late debt carries its own fixed sum5, and you can charge it once for each payment6, so a split gives more of them. That is a side effect, not a reason to split.
Step 5: Fix a real error properly
Issue a credit note and a new invoice with the right details and the day you issue it, within a day. Stage invoices only where the contract has stages, each with its own date and amount. What must be on an invoice lists what the new one needs.
Step 6: Reply in writing and log it
Send the letter below by email and keep the request and your reply together. A one-line yes is a written record that you agreed; a clear reply is a record of what you offered instead.
A letter you can copy
Reply to a request to re-date or split
Send it when the client's accounts team asks for a different date or a split, whatever the reason.
Tap a highlighted gap to see what goes in it.
Reply by email, not by phone, so the request and your answer are both on record. If the request came by phone, start with "To confirm your call today:" so that is on record too.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- It is a typo on an invoice they will pay on time. A corrected invoice costs two lines and nothing else; send it and carry on.
- The client is a consumer, not a business. Different rules apply and this page does not cover them.
- You have not sent the invoice yet. Then a later date can be the true one: send it on that day, and under "30 days from invoice date" the due date moves with it. If you are VAT registered, step 3 still applies.
- The request looks meant to hide something from someone else. Do not reply on the merits; speak to a solicitor who handles business crime first.
- You are in Scotland or Northern Ireland. The Theft Act 1968 is England and Wales; ask a local solicitor how the same request is treated there.
The Wolf's note
Say yes to the problem and no to the date. A one-line yes in an email is a written record, so name what you will do instead. Their accounts team has a limit to manage; you have an invoice to keep true.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
When is an invoice officially late?
An invoice is late the day after the agreed date.
5 min read · Letter included
What do "pending approval" and "it's in the payment run" really mean?
Neither is a payment date.
5 min read · Letter included
My client wants me to invoice a different company from the one I worked for. Should I?
Only if the company you contracted with agrees in writing.
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.