Unpaid invoice? How to get your money after all

Sooner or later it happens to every freelancer: the payment term passes and the money is not there. Usually it is sloppiness, sometimes unwillingness. The same approach works for both: start friendly, get more formal step by step, and know your rights. This is the full playbook, from the first reminder to the subdistrict court, including the statutory interest and collection costs you may charge.

Prevent the problem

The best debt collection is the one you never need. Invoice right after the work instead of weeks later, put a clear payment term on your invoice (14 or 30 days is common), agree on a deposit or instalments for larger jobs, and make paying easy with a payment link. Also good to know: large companies are legally required to pay Dutch SMEs and freelancers within 30 days; a longer term in their purchasing conditions is not valid.

The timeline at a glance

Step 1 and 2: reminders

A few days after the term expires, send a short, neutral reminder with the invoice attached. Nine times out of ten this is enough, so do not make it an accusation. If it stays quiet, follow up after a week or two with a firmer reminder and a concrete term, or simply call. Ready-made texts are in payment reminder and demand letter: sample texts.

Step 3: the formal demand letter

If payment still does not arrive, send a formal demand: name the invoice, give a final term of 14 days and announce that collection costs and statutory interest will follow.

For consumer clients this fourteen-day letter is legally required before you may charge collection costs, and the details matter: the 14 days only start the day after the letter is received, and you must state the exact amount of collection costs that will follow. For business clients the letter is not mandatory, but it builds the paper trail you will need later.

Statutory interest and collection costs

From the day after the due date you may charge interest: the statutory commercial interest of 10.4% per year for business clients (as of 1 July 2026), or the regular statutory interest of 4% for consumers (as of 1 January 2026). Both rates are revised twice a year; the current figures are on rijksoverheid.nl.

Extrajudicial collection costs follow a statutory scale: 15% over the first € 2,500 of the principal (minimum € 40), 10% over the next € 2,500, 5% over the next € 5,000, 1% over the next € 190,000 and 0.5% above that, capped at € 6,775 in total. For consumers you may charge them only after a proper fourteen-day letter; for business clients right after the due date.

Collection agency, bailiff or court

A collection agency adds pressure and experience but cannot force payment; for consumer debtors it may not charge the debtor more than the statutory scale. A bailiff can serve a summons and, after a judgment, seize bank accounts or income. For claims up to € 25,000 you can go to the subdistrict court yourself, without a lawyer; you pay court fees and usually bailiff costs. Weigh those costs against the invoice amount: for small sums a payment plan is often faster and cheaper, and a judgment against a client who has nothing is still not money.

Limitation periods

Claims on business clients expire 5 years after the payment term has passed; for consumers it is 2 years for products and 5 years for services. You can interrupt the limitation period with a written demand (send it registered), after which the clock restarts. In practice: the older the invoice, the smaller the chance of payment.

If the invoice remains unpaid

You can at least reclaim the VAT you remitted: an invoice counts as uncollectable no later than one year after the payment term expired, and you process the refund in your regular VAT return. And in any dispute your paper trail counts: the quote, an invoice that meets the legal requirements, and dated reminders.

How Finq helps

Finq shows on the dashboard which invoices are open or overdue, lets you send reminders straight from the invoice, and adds a payment link so your client pays online in a few taps. See how invoicing works.

This article is general information, not legal advice. For large or complicated claims, consult a lawyer or your legal insurance.