AnswersTopic
Interest and late fees
What the law lets you add when a business pays late, and how to work it out to the penny.
16 answers
- 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.
- Does the late payment law cover my business and my customer?Yes.
- Can I charge for the cost of chasing a debt on top of the fixed sum?Yes.
- Can I charge interest to a council, the NHS or another public body?Yes.
- Should I charge interest at all, or does it backfire?Yes, for a habit.
- My client refuses to pay the interest. What then?Still owed.
- How do I invoice for the interest and compensation?A new invoice.
- Do I add VAT to late payment interest and compensation?No.
- Can I charge compound interest, or interest on the interest?No.
- Does interest run on a disputed invoice?Yes, on what's owed.
- Can I waive the interest now and still claim it later?Yes, if reserved.
Keep reading
More topics

Put it in writing · 13 answers
Letters that get paid
Reminders, final demands, letters before action and statutory demands, with the wording.

If they push back · 21 answers
When they dispute it
Short payments, 'the work wasn't good enough', no written contract, and what proof wins.

If they still won't pay · 32 answers
Court, and what comes after
Money claims, fees, hearings, judgments, bailiffs, and getting help when you need it.

Before you chase · 15 answers
Checking a company
What the public record says before you sign, before you chase, and before you sue.

If they go under · 17 answers
When a client goes under
Administration, liquidation, strike-off and dissolution, and where your invoice stands.

So it doesn't happen again · 4 answers
Terms that protect you
Payment terms, deposits, purchase orders, guarantees and the clauses that get you paid.

On a building job · 4 answers
Building trades
The Construction Act, payment notices, retention, adjudication and site disputes.

In your books · 3 answers
VAT, tax and the books
Bad debt relief, write-offs, credit notes and what unpaid invoices do to your accounts.

When it first goes quiet · 28 answers
When a client won't pay
The first moves when an invoice goes quiet: who to ask, what to send, when to stop waiting.