You did the work. The invoice sits unpaid. Speak to Kestrel.
If the work was done and the invoice is due, that money is a debt you can recover. Most unpaid invoices are settled after a formal letter before action, without court. Business-to-business, you can usually add statutory interest and fixed compensation on top, and you have six years to claim. Start with the paper trail: the agreement, the invoice and every chaser.
An unpaid invoice for work done under an agreement is a debt claim, the most straightforward claim in civil law. You do not need a signed contract for the debt to be real: emails, quotes, purchase orders and the fact the work was accepted usually prove the deal. A court asks two things: was there an agreement to pay, and was the work done.
If your client is a business, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act adds statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 per invoice depending on its size. That applies even where the contract says nothing about interest, and it often turns a grudging payer cooperative.
Before court, the rules expect a letter before action setting out the debt, the interest and a clear deadline. For an individual or sole trader debtor, the debt pre-action protocol gives them 30 days to reply. Skipping this stage can cost you even if you win, so it is done once, formally, and then the claim is issued.
Guide edition: August 2026. General information for England and Wales. Current law and your particular facts require assessment before action.
The agreement or email chain, the invoice, proof the work was delivered or accepted, and every chaser with its reply or silence. A tidy file is half the battle.
A formal letter stating the sum, the statutory interest and compensation, and a deadline. A majority of debts are paid at this stage.
Still unpaid after the deadline: issue online. Claims under £10,000 usually go to the small claims track, which is built to be usable without a trial lawyer.
No defence gets you default judgment. Still no money: enforcement, from court enforcement officers to a charge over property.
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Speak to Kestrel nowSix years from the date the invoice fell due to issue a claim. Statutory interest runs from the day the debt became overdue, so delay costs the debtor, not you.
This guide concerns Money & debt recovery. It forms part of our reference library. Kestrel is preparing for SRA authorisation. See practice details for the proposed service and current availability.
Usually yes. Emails, messages, quotes and the fact the client accepted the work normally prove the agreement, and a history of paid invoices on the same terms helps further.
Between businesses, statutory interest at 8% above base rate plus fixed compensation per invoice applies by law. Court fees are added to the claim. On the small claims track you generally do not recover solicitor costs, which is exactly why the letter stage is made to work hard.
Then it is a contract dispute rather than a pure debt, and evidence of what was agreed and delivered decides it. It is still very winnable; it just needs the file in order before the letter goes.
Yes. A judgment against an insolvent or dissolved company is usually worth little. If you suspect trouble, act quickly and take advice on the insolvency options before they choose the timing for you.
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