Most freelancer guides about getting paid focus on soft skills. "Be assertive." "Set boundaries." "Don't be afraid to chase."
That's fine advice, but it misses the point. Getting paid reliably is a systems problem, not a confidence problem.
Here's the actual stack.
Layer 1: The Contract
Everything else fails without a solid contract. Non-negotiable clauses:
Payment terms: Net-7 or net-14 maximum. Net-30 is a client's default; it doesn't have to be yours. The shorter your terms, the faster you get paid. Stating net-14 in a signed contract is enforceable. Stating net-30 because you felt awkward negotiating is just a slow drain on your cashflow.
Late payment clause: Reference the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act 1998 explicitly. State that statutory interest (currently 12.5% p.a.) will accrue on overdue invoices. Most clients never breach a contract that explicitly mentions legal consequences.
Deposit clause: For projects over £500, 30-50% upfront. This isn't a trust issue — it's project initiation protocol. Any serious client accepts this.
Cancellation clause: If they cancel mid-project, what do you get paid for work already done? Define it before it's needed.
The Contract Template Pack (£15) covers all of this — three contract types (project, retainer, consultancy) with the clauses above built in and ready to customise.
Layer 2: The Invoice
Your invoice is a legal document. Treat it like one.
Required information (UK legal requirements for VAT-registered):
- Your name, address, VAT number
- Client's name and address
- Invoice date
- Invoice number (sequential)
- Description of services
- Amount + VAT separately
- Total amount due
- Payment due date (actual date, not "30 days")
- Payment details (bank sort code + account number, or PayPal, etc.)
Optional but important:
- Purchase order reference (if they use POs)
- Your payment terms restated
- Late payment clause reminder
Free invoice generator at landolio.com/tools/invoice-generator — outputs a clean, print-ready invoice with all required fields.
Layer 3: The Chase Sequence
Don't improvise this. Have the emails ready before you need them.
Day -1 (day before due date): "Hi [name], just a heads up — invoice #47 is due tomorrow. Let me know if there's anything you need from me."
Day +1 (first day overdue): "Hi [name], just following up on invoice #47 (£X, due [date]). Please let me know when payment is scheduled."
Day +7: "Hi [name], invoice #47 is now 7 days overdue. Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act, interest is accruing at 12.5% per annum from the due date. Please arrange payment by [date] to avoid further charges."
Day +14: Formal letter before action. 14 days to pay before you file a Money Claim Online (MCOL).
The key is: send each email on time, not when you remember to. Put it in your calendar when you send the invoice.
Full template sequence (plus the formal letter before action) in the Invoice Follow-Up Email Templates pack (£7). Worth it just to not have to write "friendly reminder" from scratch when you're already frustrated.
Layer 4: The Calculation
Know your numbers before you send the chase.
Statutory interest: 8% + Bank of England base rate per annum. Currently 12.5%. Applies from the day after the due date on B2B invoices.
Compensation: Fixed amounts per invoice — £40 (under £1k), £70 (£1k–£9,999), £100 (£10k+). You don't have to claim it, but you're entitled to it.
Free calculator: landolio.com/tools/late-payment-interest-calculator — enter invoice amount, due date, and today's date. Gets you the exact figure.
Mention the amount in your day +7 email. Clients who are dragging their feet often pay immediately when they see an actual number.
Layer 5: Escalation
If the chase sequence doesn't work:
Step 1: Letter Before Action (LBA). 14 days to pay or you'll file a claim. You can do this yourself.
Step 2: Money Claim Online (gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money). For claims under £10,000, this is the small claims track. Self-represented is fine. Filing fee is £35–£115 depending on claim amount.
Step 3: Judgment. If they ignore the claim, you'll get a default judgment. This goes on their credit record. Most businesses pay before this.
Step 4: Enforcement. County court judgment enforcement options: bailiff, charging order on property, attachment of earnings. Rarely needed.
Most debts resolve at step 1 or 2.
The Getting-Paid Toolkit
If you want all of this in one place — the contracts, the invoice templates, the chase sequence, the LBA, the statutory interest guidance — the Getting-Paid Toolkit (£19) has it.
It's the whole stack. Every template, every script, the late payment law explained in plain English, and a 12-point checklist for setting up a client relationship that doesn't end in a chasing situation.
Systems beat willpower. Build the stack once, use it every time.
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