AnswersWhen a client won't pay
What do "pending approval" and "it's in the payment run" really mean?
The short answer
Neither is a date. "Pending approval" usually means a person still has to confirm the work and the cost, and "in the payment run" usually means it is approved and waiting for the next batch of payments, so it is close to money. The law counts the days from the work and your invoice, not from their internal queue1, so unless your contract ties payment to approval, interest starts the day after the due date1 whatever stage the invoice has reached. Ask for the day the money reaches your account.
What you can add
An £8,400 invoice, one payment run missed
Say you invoiced another business £8,400 for software work, due on Friday 21 August 2026, with nothing in the contract tying payment to approval. On Tuesday 25 August it is "pending approval". It is approved on Wednesday 9 September, a day after the cut-off for the run on Thursday 10 September. It goes in the run on Thursday 17 September and the money arrives that day: 27 days late. The rate is 11.75%, the one that applies to invoices going late between 1 July and 31 December 2026.
Each day late adds £2.70 in interest. Had the invoice gone out in the run on 10 September, the interest would have been £54.08. The missed run cost seven days and £18.93. The run paid the £8,400; the £143.01 of interest and fixed sum is usually still yours to claim.
The road ahead
Four steps. All free.
Step 1: Work out which phrase you have
"It's in the system" or "received" means it has been logged and nothing more, so ask whether it is matched to an order and approved. "Pending approval" means a person must confirm the work and the cost, and it says nothing about when. Companies use these words differently, so these are the usual meanings.
"In the payment run" means approved and scheduled for the next batch, often weekly, sometimes monthly. The money lands when the bank clears it, usually within a few working days, and a run missed by a day is a week lost.
Step 2: Check your due date
Look on the invoice and in the contract for an agreed payment date. If none was agreed, it is 30 days after the work is done and they have the amount2.
Only a real checking procedure in the contract can push that start back, and by no more than 30 days after the work1 unless the contract expressly agrees a longer period that is not grossly unfair to you. A queue inside their office is not on the list.
Step 3: Ask for the date, not the stage
Send the letter below. It asks who approves the invoice, which payment run it goes in, and the day the money reaches your account. A name, a run and a date is a real answer; a phrase is not.
Step 4: Diary the date and chase on it
Put the date in your diary and chase that day if the money has not landed. If they give no date, ask once more, then treat it as no answer.
From day 14 late, add interest at 11.75%6 (8% over Bank Rate5) and the fixed sum7, both of which run from the day after your due date. The law fixes none of these chasing days.
A letter you can copy
Letter asking for the payment date
Send it the same day they tell you the invoice is pending approval, in the system or in the payment run.
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. Read your contract first: if it ties payment to approval, the due date may depend on it. If the invoice is more than 14 days past its due date, add before the sign-off: Interest and the fixed sum have been running since the day after the due date. I will send the figures once I have the date.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- No payment date was agreed and the contract's check is still running. The 30 days start after the check ends1, and it counts as ended by 30 days after the work unless the contract expressly allows longer. Diary the day they run out.
- Your contract says payment follows approval. An agreed date can depend on an event1, so a clause like that may be valid. Read it before you tell them interest is running.
- It's a first slip from a client you want to keep. Ask for the date and wait. A few days of interest is pennies.
- The invoice was rejected, not parked. Ask why in writing. A wrong order number is a fix and a resend; a complaint about the work is a dispute.
- The client is a small firm and approval is the owner's say-so. Treat it as a client gone quiet and ask them directly.
The Wolf's note
A phrase tells you where the invoice sits. Only a date tells you when it pays. Ask for the date, diary it, and chase on the day.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
Can a big company make me wait 60 or 90 days to be paid?
Up to 60 days. With a business, a longer date is not banned, but it holds only if it is not grossly unfair to you; otherwise interest starts on day 61.
5 min read · Letter included
My client has gone quiet. How do I get an answer?
Ask someone else: ring accounts payable, email a second name, then post to the registered office, which the law counts as delivery to the company.
6 min read · Letter included
Who do I chase at a big company?
Three people, in order: accounts payable for where it is, the approver for why it is stuck, the budget holder only if neither can move it.
5 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.