After talking to dozens of UK freelancers, the same patterns keep coming up. Not the big obvious mistakes. The small omissions that don't matter — until a client decides to be difficult.
1. No payment terms on the invoice itself
"Net 30" in your contract means nothing if it's not also on the invoice. Invoices are the legal document. If your invoice just says "Due: 30 days" without specifying what happens after 30 days, you've left yourself nowhere to go.
Fix: Add a line: "Late payments will accrue statutory interest at 8% above Bank of England base rate under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act 1998."
Just writing this makes most clients pay faster. Most have no idea this law exists.
2. No late payment compensation clause
Same Act, different section — you're entitled to £40-£100 fixed compensation on top of interest for each late invoice. Doesn't matter how small the invoice. You have to claim it, but knowing it's there gives you leverage.
3. Not specifying what "acceptance" means
Client receives work. Silence. Three weeks later: "Actually, we want changes."
Your invoice is due when? Nobody knows.
Fix: "Invoice is due 30 days from date of delivery unless written acceptance is received sooner." Or: "Client has 5 business days to raise objections. Silence constitutes acceptance."
4. No clause on scope creep
"Just one small extra thing" is how a £2,000 project becomes a £2,000 project that takes 3 months. If you don't define what a "change" is and what it costs, you'll end up absorbing it.
5. Vague project deliverables
"Website" is not a deliverable. "5-page website including home, about, services, blog, contact — with copy provided by client" is a deliverable.
The vaguer the scope, the more you'll be asked to do for free.
If you want actual templates rather than just principles, I built a Contract Template Pack for UK freelancers — it covers all the above clauses, already drafted in plain English, ready to adapt. And the Getting Paid Toolkit includes late payment letter sequences that actually work.
The Late Payment Interest Calculator is free if you just want to see what a client technically owes you right now.
What's the worst clause you've wished you had? Comments below.
Top comments (0)