Late commercial payments: charging interest and debt recovery

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When a payment becomes late

You can claim interest and debt recovery costs if another business is late paying for goods or a service.

If you agree a payment date, it must usually be within 30 days for public authorities or 60 days for business transactions.

You can agree a longer period than 60 days for business transactions - but it must be fair to both businesses.

If you do not agree a payment date, the law says the payment is late 30 days after either:

  • the customer gets the invoice
  • you deliver the goods or provide the service (if this is later)