Topic hub
Getting Paid
Invoicing is a system, not a favour you ask for.
Late payment is the single most common cash-flow complaint from UK small businesses, and most of it is preventable with terms, timing and a chase sequence.
This hub covers invoicing correctly, deposits and staged payments, and chasing without damaging the relationship.
Written by Daniel, peer-reviewed by Marcus
Last reviewed:
Start here
How to Invoice a Customer
What a compliant, fast-paying invoice contains and when to send it.
Read the guideChoose your next move
A decision map for this topic
Start with the problem in front of you, then follow the related guide instead of reading the whole library at once.
I need to make invoices easier to pay
Start with the invoice, terms and timing before the first chase is necessary.
Open the guide →A customer is late
Follow a measured chase route and preserve evidence before escalating the recovery process.
Open the guide →Up-front delivery costs are creating risk
Set deposits or staged payments before committing work that needs funding from the business.
Open the guide →Where it hurts
Common problems in this area
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Grouped guides with a clear purpose
These routes organise the most useful child guides by the decision they help you make; the complete library remains below.
Set the payment terms before delivery
Use clear invoicing, deposits and milestone billing to reduce preventable cash gaps.
- How to Invoice a Customer ProperlyWhat a UK invoice legally needs, how to write terms that actually get paid to, and the habits that shorten the gap between finishing work and being paid.
- Deposits and Staged Payments: Funding the WorkWhy you should never fund a customer's project out of your own pocket, how to structure deposits and milestones, and how to have the conversation without losing the job.
Recover late payments with control
Apply a documented chase and quantify the cost of delay before deciding whether to escalate.
Complete library
All guides in Getting Paid
Guide
How to Invoice a Customer Properly
What a UK invoice legally needs, how to write terms that actually get paid to, and the habits that shorten the gap between finishing work and being paid.
ExploreGuide
How to Chase a Late Invoice Without Damaging the Relationship
A calm, staged approach to chasing overdue invoices, what statutory late payment interest is and when it applies, and when to stop chasing and get help.
ExploreGuide
Deposits and Staged Payments: Funding the Work
Why you should never fund a customer's project out of your own pocket, how to structure deposits and milestones, and how to have the conversation without losing the job.
ExploreSubtopics
What this hub covers
Invoicing
Compliance, timing, due dates and making it easy to pay.
Chasing
Email templates, schedules, and when to stop being polite.
Deposits
Staged payments, milestone billing and up-front costs.
Credit control
Credit checks, limits and monitoring your total exposure.
Featured tool
Late Payment Cost Calculator
Calculate the statutory interest and compensation you are legally entitled to claim.
Open the toolFree checklist
Credit control checklist
The four steps that prevent 80% of late payment.
- Agree clear payment terms in writing before starting
- Invoice the moment the milestone is reached
- Confirm receipt of the invoice three days later
- Chase on the due date, not a week later
Frequently asked questions
- When can I charge late payment interest?
- Under UK law, you can generally charge statutory interest (8% plus the Bank of England base rate) on business-to-business debts once they are overdue.
- Should I use a debt collection agency?
- Only after your own chase sequence has failed and you have issued a final 'Letter Before Action'. Agencies usually take a percentage of the recovered amount.
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Related guidance
How Getting Paid connects to the rest of the site, and what to read alongside it.
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Next steps in Getting Paid
- 1
Read How to Invoice a Customer
What a compliant, fast-paying invoice contains and when to send it.
Read the guide - 2
Run the Late Payment Cost Calculator
Calculate the statutory interest and compensation you are legally entitled to claim.
Open the tool - 3
Score your whole financial setup
Ten areas in about five minutes, with a seven-day and 30-day plan you can print.
Start the check-up - 4