Are clients legally required to pay within 30 days?

Only if you haven't agreed a different date. UK law sets 30 days as the default payment period when no payment date has been agreed between you and your client, but you're both free to agree a shorter or longer term in your contract or on the invoice itself, and that agreed term takes over.

Can I actually charge interest on a late invoice?

Yes. Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, you can charge statutory interest of the Bank of England base rate plus 8% on an overdue commercial debt, plus a fixed compensation fee. Whether it's worth doing depends on the relationship; most freelancers use it as leverage in a final chase-up email rather than actually invoicing for it every time.

What can I claim as fixed compensation for a late payment?

£40 for debts up to £999.99, £70 for debts between £1,000 and £9,999.99, and £100 for debts of £10,000 or more. You can only claim this once per unpaid invoice, on top of any statutory interest.

Does this apply to individual clients too, or only businesses?

Statutory interest and fixed compensation apply to commercial debts, meaning invoices between businesses. If you're invoicing an individual for personal (non-business) work, these specific rights don't apply in the same way, though your contract terms still do.

What can I do if a client won't pay at all?

Start with a clear, written follow-up referencing the invoice number, amount and due date. If that doesn't work, a formal letter before action often tips a client into paying rather than risk court. For smaller unpaid debts, most of the UK has a small-claims process you can use without a solicitor: Money Claim Online in England and Wales, with separate equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It's rarely the first step, but worth knowing it exists.

The complete guide to invoicing as a freelancer in the UK

Last updated 26 September 2026

Sending the invoice itself only takes a minute. Getting paid on time is the harder part, and it comes down to decisions you make before you ever hit send: when you invoice, what payment term you set, and whether the invoice itself gives a client any excuse to query it. This guide covers all of that, plus what UK law actually gives you if a client pays late anyway, in plain English.

1. Send it as soon as the work is done

There's no rule against invoicing immediately after finishing a piece of work, and every day you wait is a day added to how long you'll likely wait to be paid. If you're on a retainer or a longer project, agree fixed invoicing dates upfront (weekly, monthly, or on milestones) rather than waiting until the whole thing wraps up.

2. Set a clear payment term

State it on the invoice itself, for example “Payment due within 14 days.” If you don't specify a date, UK law defaults to 30 days from the invoice (or from delivery of the goods or service, if that's later), so silence isn't neutral: it's an automatic 30-day grace period for your client. Most freelancers starting out use 14 or 30 days; shorter terms are entirely reasonable to ask for.

3. Make sure the invoice itself is correct

A wrong or incomplete invoice is one of the most common reasons payment gets delayed: it gives a client's accounts team a legitimate reason to query it instead of paying. See the full checklist of what a UK invoice must include.

4. What happens if a client pays late

UK law gives you more leverage here than most freelancers realise. Once an invoice is overdue, you're entitled to charge statutory interest at the Bank of England base rate plus 8%, and a fixed compensation fee on top:

Debt size	Fixed compensation
Up to £999.99	£40
£1,000 – £9,999.99	£70
£10,000 and over	£100

In practice, most freelancers don't invoice for the interest itself. Mentioning that you're entitled to it is usually enough to move a stalled invoice up a client's payment run. Keep it professional: a short, factual follow-up referencing the original invoice number and due date does more than a frustrated one.

5. Make it easy to actually pay you

Bank details on the invoice, a clear total, and a unique reference number remove the most common excuses for delay. Quits builds all of this into every invoice, and tracks which ones are still outstanding so nothing quietly slips past its due date.

Send your next invoice with Quits

Free for 5 invoices a month, bank transfer always free.

Questions

Are clients legally required to pay within 30 days?: Only if you haven't agreed a different date. UK law sets 30 days as the default payment period when no payment date has been agreed between you and your client, but you're both free to agree a shorter or longer term in your contract or on the invoice itself, and that agreed term takes over.
Can I actually charge interest on a late invoice?: Yes. Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, you can charge statutory interest of the Bank of England base rate plus 8% on an overdue commercial debt, plus a fixed compensation fee. Whether it's worth doing depends on the relationship; most freelancers use it as leverage in a final chase-up email rather than actually invoicing for it every time.
What can I claim as fixed compensation for a late payment?: £40 for debts up to £999.99, £70 for debts between £1,000 and £9,999.99, and £100 for debts of £10,000 or more. You can only claim this once per unpaid invoice, on top of any statutory interest.
Does this apply to individual clients too, or only businesses?: Statutory interest and fixed compensation apply to commercial debts, meaning invoices between businesses. If you're invoicing an individual for personal (non-business) work, these specific rights don't apply in the same way, though your contract terms still do.
What can I do if a client won't pay at all?: Start with a clear, written follow-up referencing the invoice number, amount and due date. If that doesn't work, a formal letter before action often tips a client into paying rather than risk court. For smaller unpaid debts, most of the UK has a small-claims process you can use without a solicitor: Money Claim Online in England and Wales, with separate equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It's rarely the first step, but worth knowing it exists.