Chasing late payment

As a freelancer, late payment can seriously affect your cashflow and wellbeing, but it can often feel difficult to approach late-paying clients due to concerns around potentially damaging the relationship. This is why we have crafted three late payment template letters.

After sending the follow-up letter, use this one week later to chase a client who still has not made payment.

The first two letters, a gentle reminder letter and then a follow-up letter, can be found in the Downloads section and are available to IPSE members. 

Your late payment rights as a freelancer

Not only is late pay affecting freelancers’ businesses and their living costs but it is also taking up valuable time, with an average of 20 days a year spent chasing unpaid invoices.

It's vital that as a freelancer you know your rights so that you can have the right payment terms in place and confidently put them into effect if needed. These late payment letter templates already include the correct terminology to help with this.

Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998

The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 allows you to claim costs outlined in your invoice alongside any compensation. Even if this was not stated in your payment conditions, you could get compensation against public sector organisations and businesses with more than 50 employees. You can now also claim up to eight per cent interest on payments from other small businesses, starting from the day after the last day it should have been paid.