You did the work; chasing the money shouldn’t be a second job. The escalation that works, the exact tone for each stage, and the law that backs you up.
19 July 2026 · 7 min read
Late payment is endemic for UK small businesses — and most tradespeople chase badly in one of two ways: too soft (one awkward text, then silence) or too hard (a rage-message that torches the relationship). The fix is a calm, predictable escalation that starts friendly and firms up on a schedule. Here's the sequence, then how to make it run itself.
Assume cock-up, not conspiracy — most late payments are forgotten, not refused. "Hi John, just flagging invoice #042 for £519.60 was due yesterday — probably slipped through. Bank details are on the invoice. Cheers!" Polite, zero accusation, and it resolves the majority of cases on its own.
Still friendly, now unambiguous: "Hi John, invoice #042 (£519.60) is now a week overdue. Could you let me know when payment will be made? Happy to resend the invoice if needed." You're asking for a date, not just money — a commitment you can hold them to.
Drop the softeners: "Invoice #042 remains unpaid 14 days after its due date. Please arrange payment within 7 days. If there's a problem with the invoice or the work, tell me now so we can resolve it." That last line matters — it flushes out disputes and removes the silent excuse.
Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, business-to-business invoices attract statutory interest at 8% + the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation of £40–£100 per invoice. Your final notice states you'll apply it: "Unless payment is received within 7 days I will apply statutory interest and compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and consider further recovery action." Work out the exact figure with the free late payment interest calculator. (Strictly B2B — consumer customers are a different regime.)
The sequence only works if it fires every time — and that's exactly what busy people can't do by hand. On GraftG's Pro plan the Late Payment Chaser watches every unpaid invoice and sends the escalating emails in your name at 1, 7, 14 and 21 days automatically, stopping the moment you mark the invoice paid. You stay the good guy; the robot is the persistent one. It pairs with the Late Payment Chaser tool page and WhatsApp invoicing.
Invoice the same day the job ends, put bank details and a due date on every invoice, take a deposit on bigger jobs (built into GraftG quotes), and offer a card pay-now link — invoices that can be paid in ten seconds get paid faster. See the full WhatsApp admin setup.
The day after it falls due, with a friendly assumption it was forgotten. Most late invoices are paid after a polite day-one nudge, and chasing early sets the expectation that you track your money.
Yes, for business-to-business invoices. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 gives you statutory interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation of £40 to £100 per invoice depending on its size.
Use a fixed escalation — friendly at 1 day, direct at 7, firm at 14, final notice at 21 — so the pressure comes from the schedule rather than your mood. Automating it, as GraftG’s Late Payment Chaser does, keeps the tone consistent and impersonal.
Yes. On GraftG’s Pro plan the Late Payment Chaser emails an escalating polite-to-firm sequence in your name at 1, 7, 14 and 21 days overdue, and stops automatically the moment the invoice is marked paid.
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