No written contract: can I still get paid?
The short answer
Yes. A verbal agreement is a contract: the law lets a sale of goods be made “by word of mouth”3, and the general law of contract treats a spoken deal for work the same way. If you did not agree a price for the work, the client must pay a reasonable charge5, so a missing price does not get them out of paying. Paper only makes a deal easier to prove, so start with the messages, quote and invoice you already have.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
What you can add
A £1,900 job agreed by phone, 35 days late
Say you agreed a £1,900 job with another business over the phone, then confirmed it in a few messages. You finished and emailed your invoice on 5 August 2026. Nobody named a payment date, so the law's 30 days2 ran from that day to 3 September, and interest started the next day. The rate for interest that starts between 1 July and 31 December 2026 is 11.75% a year: 8% over8 the Bank of England's 3.75%9 on 30 June. On 8 October it is still unpaid: 35 days late.
It adds 61p for every further day it stays unpaid. This job had an agreed price. If none was ever named, the same law still applies. With no date named either, the law's 30 days start with the later of finishing and their notice of the sum you claim2. Add interest and the fixed sum to your reasonable charge.
The road ahead
Five steps. A court fee only if you need one.
Step 1: Check it was a deal
A contract needs an offer, an acceptance, something given each way (your work, their money) and both sides meaning to be bound. That is the general law of contract, built up by judges, and none of it needs a signature.
Step 2: Gather what shows the deal and the work
Collect the quote, emails, texts and WhatsApp messages, delivery notes, photos of the finished job and anything that shows them using it. Add who was there when you agreed and what each of you said.
A court weighs which account is more likely. That is general law too, and messages written at the time usually count for more than anyone's memory now.
Step 3: Pin down the price
If a price was agreed, even in a text, that is the price. If not, the law fills the gap with a reasonable charge for work5 or a reasonable price for goods4, and what is reasonable is a question of fact, so back yours with your usual rate and your past invoices to them.
A lower price they name after the work is an offer to settle, and you can say no.
Step 4: Write the deal down and send it
Email the letter below today. It sets out what was agreed and when, the work done, the sum and a pay-by date: most of what the court rules ask of a claimant's first letter11.
If the payment date has passed, add interest and the fixed sum, as in the sum above. If nobody named a date, the 30 days start with the later of the day you finish and the day they have your invoice2. Keep every reply: what they admit helps you.
Step 5: Still unpaid? Send a letter before action
If the date passes, send a letter before action. A company usually gets 14 days to reply11; a sole trader must get 3012.
Then you can start a court claim. For £1,500.01 to £3,000, interest included, the fee is £11510, and you may be able to claim it back if you win. On a large sum, or if they deny any deal, see a solicitor who does debt recovery first.
A letter you can copy
Email recording the agreement and asking for payment
Send it once the payment date has passed and they say there was no contract, or say nothing.
Tap a highlighted gap to see what goes in it.
Send it by email so it is dated, and keep a copy with the invoice. Attach the invoice and a screenshot or two of the messages that show the deal. Date it the day you send it. Do not backdate it, and do not make up a signed copy of an agreement that nobody signed. No price ever named? Use this price sentence: No price was set, so I have charged £1,900.00, my usual rate for this work. Keep the lines on the 1998 Act: interest and the fixed sum apply to that charge too.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- Your customer is a consumer. The late payment law covers only sales between businesses1, and a consumer's contract follows other rules that this page does not cover.
- Someone else promised to pay. A promise to pay another person's debt if they do not, such as a director backing a company bill, has to be in writing and signed6. Ask for a signed note, and see a solicitor who does debt recovery.
- The sum is small and your proof is thin. On £500 or less, with only your word against theirs, weigh the £35 to £50 court fee10 and your time. The email costs nothing, so send it first.
- They accept the job but argue the price. Offer to settle the part nobody disputes, then follow the road for a disputed invoice.
- The claim would be heard in Scotland or Northern Ireland. Both have their own courts and their own routes, and this page covers England and Wales only.
The Wolf's note
A client who says “there was no contract” has not said you did no work. What you kept from the time was made while nobody was arguing, so set it out in one dated email. Their reply will show what the argument is really about.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
What proof do I need to show I did the work and they owe me?
Proof is five kinds of paper: the deal, the work, their acceptance, your invoice and your chasing.
7 min read · Letter included
Put it in writing
What is a letter before action, and how do I write one?
A formal last letter before a court claim, and you can write it yourself.
7 min read · Letter included
If they still won't pay
How do I take a company to court for an unpaid invoice?
Send a letter before action, then claim online.
7 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.