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Unpaid Invoices
Customer proposing a CVA? What it means for your unpaid invoice
A UK supplier guide to company voluntary arrangements: who proposes them, how creditors vote (75% by value, unconnected creditor test), when a CVA binds you, the 28-day challenge window, and what to do with your unpaid invoice.
Set-off and contra charges on unpaid commercial invoices
When a UK business customer claims a right to deduct set-off, contra or a cross-claim from your invoice: types of set-off, construction pay less notices at a high level, disputed versus undisputed debt, and documents to keep.
Main contractor will only pay when they are paid? Pay-when-paid clauses and your unpaid invoice
Why a pay-when-paid clause usually cannot stop a UK subcontractor being paid, the insolvency exception, pay less notices, suspending work and adjudication, and what to do next.
Customer company dissolved or struck off? Restoring it to recover an unpaid invoice
What a UK supplier can do when a business customer that owes money has been dissolved or struck off: who can apply to restore it, the six-year limit, costs, and when restoration is worth it.
Customer closed and restarted as a new company? Recovering an unpaid invoice from a phoenix company
What a UK supplier can do when a customer that owes money goes into liquidation and the same directors carry on under a similar name: the new company, director liability under s.217, pre-packs and reporting misconduct.
Customer gone into administration or liquidation? How to claim an unpaid invoice
What a UK supplier can do when a business customer that owes money enters administration or liquidation: the moratorium, how to submit a proof of debt, set-off, retention of title and VAT relief.
Customer company being struck off? How to object and protect an unpaid invoice
What to do when a company that owes you money is about to be struck off in the UK: how to object at Companies House, the deadlines, the evidence needed and what happens if it is dissolved.
Retention of title: can you take back goods a business has not paid for?
How a retention of title clause works for unpaid B2B goods in England and Wales: when it protects you, when it fails, what happens in administration or liquidation, and what to do next.
How old can an unpaid invoice be? The 6-year limitation period
When a B2B invoice becomes too old to recover in England and Wales: the 6-year rule, when the clock starts, how a written acknowledgment or part payment restarts it, and why to act early.
Retention payments and construction debt collection
Unpaid construction retentions: when retention money falls due, the Construction Act payment notice rules, the proposed retention ban, and recovering it at 15% only if paid.
Cash accounting vs VAT bad debt relief for overdue invoices
Cash accounting vs VAT bad debt relief for overdue B2B invoices: when VAT is due, the 6-month rule, £1.35m threshold, and chasing the debt.
Factoring vs debt collection for unpaid B2B invoices
Factoring vs debt collection for unpaid B2B invoices: invoice finance advances versus partner collection on commission, and when each route fits UK SMEs.
VAT bad debt relief on unpaid commercial invoices
VAT bad debt relief on unpaid commercial invoices: HMRC six-month conditions, box 4 reclaim versus collecting the debt, and next B2B recovery steps.
Directors and personal guarantees on unpaid B2B invoices
Personal guarantee unpaid invoice: when a director PG matters for UK company debts, how to check a PG exists, and instructing a partner agency. The fee is 15% of what is recovered, payable only when you have been paid. Recovery is not guaranteed.
Disputed commercial invoices: when collection should pause
Disputed commercial invoice debt collection: when to pause hard chase, how Practice Direction expects you to exchange evidence, when collection can resume, and instructing a partner agency. The fee is 15% of what is recovered, payable only when you have been paid. Recovery is not guaranteed.
Statutory demand vs letter before action for company debts
Statutory demand vs letter before action for UK company debts: when an LBA is the right pre-action step, when Form SD1 insolvency pressure is typically considered, and instructing a partner agency. The fee is 15% of what is recovered, payable only when you have been paid. Recovery is not guaranteed.
How to chase unpaid commercial invoices without damaging the relationship
Chase unpaid commercial invoices calmly: credit-control steps that protect a B2B relationship, Late Payment rights, when a letter before action is still the right next step, and instructing a partner agency. The fee is 15% of what is recovered, payable only when you have been paid. Recovery is not guaranteed.
Business debt collection fees explained: fixed percentage vs solicitor
What UK businesses pay for B2B debt collection: contingent fixed percentage, what is and isn’t included, solicitor time billing, and court claim fees — check GOV.UK for current amounts. The fee is 15% of what is recovered, payable only when you have been paid. Recovery is not guaranteed.
Invoice debt collection for UK SMEs: when to stop chasing and instruct
For UK SMEs: when internal chasing on an unpaid commercial invoice costs more than it recovers — Late Payment rights, Practice Direction LBA, cash-flow tipping points, and instructing a partner agency. The fee is 15% of what is recovered, payable only when you have been paid. Recovery is not guaranteed.
Can you add collection costs to a commercial invoice?
Late Payment rules may allow reasonable recovery costs plus interest and £40/£70/£100 on qualifying B2B invoices — agency fees are not automatic.
Proof of debt: documents you need before instructing a collection agency
Proof of debt for an unpaid invoice: the documents you need before instructing a collection agency, Late Payment Act figures, Practice Direction evidence, and entity checks.
Payment plan vs debt collection for overdue B2B invoices
Payment plan vs debt collection for overdue B2B invoices: when to agree instalments, when to instruct a partner, Late Payment Act rights, and Practice Direction steps.
Aged debt: chasing commercial invoices over 90 days late
Aged debt unpaid invoices over 90 days: re-check proof, Late Payment Act rights, Practice Direction LBA, limitation risk, then instruct or court.
What to do when a limited company ignores a final demand
Limited company ignores your final demand? Confirm the entity, send a Practice Direction LBA, claim Late Payment Act rights, then instruct or court.
No collection, no fee debt collection explained (fixed percentage)
What no collection, no fee debt collection means for UK B2B invoices: fixed percentage commission, 15% only when you are paid, and when to instruct.
How to recover unpaid invoices from a limited company
Recover unpaid invoices from a UK limited company: proof, Practice Direction LBA, Late Payment Act rights, and when to instruct collection.
Recruitment agency unpaid invoices: recovering temps and permanent fees
Recover recruitment agency unpaid invoices for temps and permanent fees. Proof, late payment rights, letter before action, and when to instruct collection.
Haulage and logistics unpaid invoices: chasing commercial freight debts
Unpaid haulage and logistics invoices are ordinary B2B debts with a freight trail: PODs, CMRs, Late Payment rights and when to instruct a partner.
Construction unpaid invoices: recovering B2B debts in the building trade
Recover construction unpaid invoices in the UK: Late Payment Act rights, HGCRA pay notices, pre-action protocol, and when to instruct a partner.
After a CCJ: enforcement options for unpaid B2B invoices
A CCJ is not payment. The court will not enforce it unless you ask. The main enforcement routes for an unpaid B2B invoice, and their limits.
Late payment compensation £40, £70 or £100 on commercial invoices
The fixed £40, £70 or £100 you can claim on each late commercial invoice under section 5A of the Late Payment Act, on top of statutory interest.
How to make a county court claim for an unpaid commercial invoice
How to make a county court claim for an unpaid commercial invoice in England and Wales, online or by post, and what happens after you issue.
Debt PAP: sole traders vs limited companies
When the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims applies (individual and sole-trader debtors) and when the Practice Direction applies (companies).
Debt recovery agency vs solicitor for unpaid commercial invoices
Debt recovery agency vs solicitor for unpaid commercial invoices: what an agency can do, when a solicitor is needed, costs and timescales.
Unpaid invoices: when a commercial payment is legally late
When UK unpaid invoices become legally late: agreed terms, the 30-day default, the 60-day B2B cap, the 30-day public-authority rule — late from the day after.
What a UK debt collection agency can (and cannot) do with a commercial invoice
What a UK debt collection agency can legally do with a commercial invoice, what is a criminal offence, and when court enforcement agents (not the agency) take over.
Letter before action for business debts: what to include
What a letter before action must include for UK business debts, how it differs from a Debt PAP Letter of Claim, timescales, and what happens if ignored.
Statutory interest on late commercial debts: 8% plus Bank of England base rate
Claim statutory interest at 8% plus Bank of England base rate on late UK B2B invoices, plus £40, £70 or £100. Who can claim, and when it does not apply.
At What Point Should You Pass an Unpaid Invoice to a Debt Collector?
When to stop chasing an unpaid B2B invoice yourself and pass it to a collector: a practical escalation timeline, warning signs, and what to have ready.
What to Do When a Business Ignores Your Invoice
A calm sequence for an ignored business invoice: check your paperwork, remind, escalate, send a letter before action, then instruct or claim.
How to Write a Final Demand Letter for B2B Debt (With UK Template)
What to put in a final demand to a limited company: the right entity, the figures, 14 days to pay or dispute, and a UK template to unlock.
The Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act explained: your right to charge interest
Your statutory right to interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, £40/£70/£100 compensation and reasonable section 5A recovery costs.