FlashBooked Blog

How to Chase an Unpaid Invoice in Ireland (Without Losing the Customer)

The job is done, the customer was happy, and the invoice is now three weeks past due. Chasing it feels awkward, so it slides. Here is a simple, polite way to chase an unpaid invoice in Ireland that gets you paid and keeps the customer.

Adam O'Brien · 6 min read

The short answer: send a friendly reminder the day after the due date, a firmer one a week later, then a phone call, then a final written notice that names a date. Keep every message short, specific and in writing. For business customers you are also automatically entitled to late payment interest and a fixed recovery fee under Irish law, and you have up to six years to take legal action. Most invoices get paid well before any of that comes into it.

The real trick is that most late payment is not dodging. It's forgetting, a missing invoice, or a question nobody asked. A clear, early, regular chase solves most of it.

Before the job: make the invoice easy to pay

Chasing starts with the quote. Put your payment terms on the quote and again on the invoice: when payment is due, how to pay, and your bank details or a payment link. "Payment due within 14 days of invoice" leaves nothing to argue about later.

If you don't agree a date with a business customer, the Department of Enterprise says payment is due 30 days after they receive the invoice. That's a long wait for a sole trader carrying the cost of materials, so set your own terms. For bigger jobs, agree stage payments up front. A quote that spells all this out also tends to get accepted faster, which we cover in how to follow up a quote without being pushy.

Then send the invoice the day the job finishes, from your phone if you can. An invoice sent two weeks late starts its clock two weeks late.

How to chase an unpaid invoice: a simple schedule

Pick a schedule and stick to it for every customer, so it never feels personal. Here's one that works for most trades:

Day 1 after the due date: a friendly nudge

Text or WhatsApp is fine, and often gets read faster than email. Assume they forgot:

"Hi Mary, just a quick reminder that the invoice for the bathroom job (€1,850, invoice 214) was due yesterday. I've attached it again in case it got lost. Thanks again for the work."

Day 7: a clear follow-up

Still polite, a bit more direct, and ask a question so they have to reply:

"Hi Mary, following up on invoice 214 for €1,850, now a week overdue. Is there anything holding it up, or anything about the job you'd like to talk through?"

That question matters. If there's a snag, a dispute or a cash problem, you want to hear it now, not in two months.

Day 14: pick up the phone

A call is harder to ignore than a text. Keep it calm and ask for a date: "When can I expect it?" Then send a short message confirming what was agreed, so it's in writing.

Day 21 to 30: the final notice

Send a short letter or email marked "Final notice". State the amount, the original due date, and a firm date for payment (seven days is common). Say what happens next if it's not paid. Only say it if you mean it.

What Irish law says about late payment

For business to business work (a contractor, a landlord's company, a shop fit-out), the European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2012 apply. According to the Department of Enterprise:

• Interest is automatic. You're entitled to late payment interest without sending a reminder first. The rate is the ECB main refinancing rate plus 8 percentage points. From 1 July 2026 that's 10.4% a year.
• There's a fixed recovery fee on top. €40 for invoices up to €1,000, €70 for €1,000 to €10,000, and €100 for invoices over €10,000.
• No agreed date means 30 days. Payment is due 30 days after the customer receives the invoice.

You don't have to claim any of this, and with a good customer who's a few days late you usually shouldn't. But mentioning it in a final notice to a business that's been ignoring you tends to focus minds.

For homeowners, the regulations are about commercial transactions, so lean on whatever payment terms you agreed in writing on the quote. Another reason to put them there.

When chasing doesn't work

If the final notice gets nothing, you have a few options:

• Offer a payment plan. Getting paid in three instalments beats not getting paid. Put the plan in writing.
• Stop further work. If there are more stages or more jobs for the same customer, pause them until the balance is cleared.
• A solicitor's letter. Often enough on its own, and cheaper than going to court.
• Court. The Courts Service guidance is that debt claims up to €15,000 go to the District Court, €15,001 to €75,000 to the Circuit Court. Note that the small claims procedure is not for debts: the Courts Service lists unpaid invoices as something it can't be used for.

Under the Statute of Limitations Act 1957, you generally have six years to start proceedings to recover a debt. In practice, the longer you wait, the less likely you are to see the money, so don't let invoices drift.

Keep the customer while you chase

• Same tone every time. Friendly and factual. Never angry, never on social media.
• Always quote the invoice number and amount. It makes it easy to pay and hard to claim confusion.
• Thank them when they pay. A quick "Got it, thanks" keeps the door open for the next job and the next referral.

Stop chasing from memory

The reason most invoices go unchased isn't awkwardness. It's that nobody's keeping track. If your overdue invoices live in your head or a pile of paper, the follow-ups only happen when you remember, usually at 9pm.

A good job management system shows you every unpaid invoice in one list and sends the reminders on schedule, in your own words. FlashBooked builds that for Irish trades businesses: enquiries, quotes, jobs and invoices in one place, with automatic follow-ups for quotes and payments, set up around how you already work.

Common questions

Can I charge interest on a late invoice in Ireland?

On business to business work, yes. Under the European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2012, you are automatically entitled to late payment interest at the ECB main refinancing rate plus 8 percentage points, which the Department of Enterprise puts at 10.4% a year from 1 July 2026, plus fixed compensation of €40, €70 or €100 depending on the invoice size. For homeowners, rely on the payment terms you agreed in writing.

How long do I have to chase an unpaid invoice in Ireland?

Generally six years. Under the Statute of Limitations Act 1957, a business has six years to start legal proceedings to recover a debt, counted from when the invoice fell due. Do not leave it that long: the older a debt gets, the harder it is to collect.

Can I use the Small Claims Court for an unpaid invoice?

No. The Courts Service says the small claims procedure cannot be used for debt claims, and lists unpaid invoices as an example. An unpaid invoice of up to €15,000 is a debt claim in the District Court.

When is an invoice overdue if I never agreed payment terms?

For business customers, the Department of Enterprise says that where no payment date was agreed, payment is due 30 days after the customer receives the invoice. The simplest fix is to put your payment terms on every quote and every invoice.