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Write the late-payment sequence: reminder, formal notice and a letter before claim
Designers in the forum threads waited, let the client talk them into more work, and only wrote a firm letter months later. A sequence you decide in advance, with dates, makes it easier to be calm and consistent. AI can draft the three messages from your own invoice and contract facts. You send them, and what you are owed depends on your contract, your client and the facts, so it never says what the law gives you.
Time: About 45 minutes, then 10 minutes per stepTool cost: you can start with a free AI tool
Steps
- Gather the invoice, the signed quote or contract, the emails that show the work was agreed and delivered, and the payment terms on both.
- Work out whether your client is a limited company, a sole trader or an individual acting outside business, and whether the contract sets an interest rate, because the rules differ.
- Decide your dates: a friendly reminder a few days after the due date, a formal notice after a set number of days, and a final letter with a deadline.
- Paste the facts and your dates into the prompt and ask for the three messages and a short timeline of events.
- Check every number and date against your records, send the messages yourself, keep copies and proof of delivery, and get advice before issuing a claim.
The exact prompt
I am a UK freelance web designer. Using ONLY the facts below, draft three messages to a client about an overdue invoice: (1) a friendly reminder, (2) a formal overdue notice, (3) a final letter before claim. Also draft a one-page timeline. Do not state what the law entitles me to, do not calculate interest or fees yourself, do not threaten to take down, lock or change the client's website, do not accuse the client of dishonesty, and do not add any fact I have not given. My business name and the client's name and whether the client is a limited company, a sole trader or an individual acting outside business: [text]. Invoice number, date, amount, due date and the payment terms in my contract or quote: [text]. What the contract says about late payment, interest and suspension of work, quoted exactly: [text or none]. What was agreed and delivered, with dates, and where it is written down: [list]. Any dispute the client has raised and my answer: [text]. Interest rate and fixed recovery sum that I have checked on the GOV.UK late payment pages or in my contract (leave blank if the client is not a business): [text]. My deadline for each message: [dates]. Produce: (1) a reminder of no more than 80 words; (2) a formal notice that states the invoice, the amount, the due date, the contract terms I rely on, and any interest or fixed sum I have given you, and the new deadline; (3) a final letter before claim of no more than 300 words that states the facts, what I am asking for and by when, and that I may start a court claim if it is not paid; (4) a timeline with the evidence for each line; (5) a list of what I should check with a solicitor or the court guidance before sending the third letter.
✓ Check before you send
- Every date, amount and clause quoted came from your invoice and contract.
- You confirmed whether the client is a company, a sole trader or an individual before using any interest or fixed sum.
- The messages say nothing about taking down or locking the client site, and no accusation of dishonesty.
- You kept proof of sending and delivery of each message.
- You have read the court guidance or taken advice before the final letter.
UK notes extra
- GOV.UK says statutory interest and fixed debt recovery costs apply where another business is late paying for goods or a service. It does not apply the same way if your client is a consumer, and a different interest rate in the contract can replace statutory interest. Check the current figures on the page. GOV.UK: late commercial payments, interest and debt recovery. GOV.UK: interest on late commercial payments.
- In England and Wales the Pre-Action Conduct practice direction covers steps before a court claim between businesses. The Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims applies where the debtor is an individual, including a sole trader. Which applies depends on who your client is. Under the Debt Claims protocol the debtor has 30 days to reply to a Letter of Claim, and that letter must come with the protocol's information sheet, reply form and financial statement form, so treat the third letter this job drafts as a draft to check against the protocol, not as a finished Letter of Claim. justice.gov.uk: Practice Direction, Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols (England and Wales). justice.gov.uk: Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (England and Wales).
- GOV.UK explains how to make a court claim for money in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different processes. GOV.UK: make a court claim for money (England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have different processes).
Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑