Contracts · Statutory demand

When polite stops working — go statutory.

Formal late-payment notices under UK, EU, or US frameworks. Statutory interest, recovery compensation, and a deadline calculated to the day — properly drafted as a pre-action letter your debtor’s lawyer will take seriously.

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Statutory frameworks
Auto
Interest + compensation
Pre-action
Court-ready format
Free
Always · no signup

01 — What you create

A proper statutory notice — not a reminder.

Interest at the prescribed rate, recovery compensation at the statutory amount, a clear demand with a hard deadline, and a citation to the law that gives you the right to all of it.

Notice Form
Pre-action · UK
Purpose
Letter before action
Framework
UK — Late Payment Act 1998
Invoice
INV-2026-0241 · GBP 12,500.00
Due date
26 Apr 2026 · 23 days overdue
Rate
BoE base 5.25% + 8% margin = 13.25%
Interest
GBP 104.40 (£0.0454/day)
Compensation
£100 (s.5A fixed sum)
Deadline
2 Jun 2026 (14 days)
Total now dueGBP 12,704.40
OUTPUT.PDF
Court-ready

Sonchoy Studio Ltd.

7 Old Street, London EC1V 9HL

[email protected] · +44 20 7946 0011

LETTER BEFORE ACTION

19 May 2026

Ref: LPN-2026-0083

FORMAL NOTICE OF LATE PAYMENT

Issued under: Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 (as amended)

TO

Northwind Books Ltd.

221B Baker Street, London NW1 6XE

Company no.: 08234567

Dear Marcus Vance,

We refer to invoice INV-2026-0241 (the “Invoice”) issued by Sonchoy Studio Ltd. to Northwind Books Ltd. on 12 Apr 2026 for the sum of GBP 12,500.00 in respect of design and brand identity services…

STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT

As at 19 May 2026

Principal sumGBP 12,500.00
Statutory interest @ 13.25% p.a. (23 d)GBP 104.40
Fixed compensation (s.5A)£100
TOTAL NOW DUEGBP 12,704.40

Demand is hereby made for payment of the total sum of GBP 12,704.40 within 14 days, being no later than 2 Jun 2026…

Yours faithfully,

Alex Hartwell

Managing Director · For and on behalf of Sonchoy Studio Ltd.

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02 — How it works

Get paid, or be litigation-ready.

A late-payment notice does two jobs at once. For most debtors, the citation of the statute and the precise interest figure unlocks payment within the deadline. For the rest, the notice becomes Exhibit A in your recovery claim.

01

Pick the framework

UK Late Payment Act, EU Directive 2011/7, US contractual rate, or custom. The interest rate, statutory margin, and fixed compensation values all switch automatically.

02

Drop in the debt

Invoice number, dates, principal amount. Days overdue, daily interest accrual, and prorated statutory interest all calculate as you type.

03

Set the deadline

Pick demand, pre-action, or final stage. The deadline date, demand language, and consequences-on-default paragraph adapt to the stage you choose.

03 — Built for credit control

Everything your solicitor would write.

Four statutory frameworks

UK Late Payment Act 1998, EU Directive 2011/7, US contractual rate, or custom contract rate. Switch and the rates auto-fill.

Auto interest calculation

Principal × (base rate + statutory margin) × days / 365. Shown as accrued total, daily run-rate, and total now due.

Statutory compensation

UK tiered fixed sum (£40 / £70 / £100 by debt size), EU €40 minimum recovery costs, or off for US/custom. Calculated automatically.

Three escalation stages

Demand for payment, letter before action, or final statutory demand. Body copy and consequences paragraph adapt to the stage.

Pre-action ready

Dispute-or-deemed-admitted clause, without-prejudice reservation, signature block. Standard pre-action protocol language a court will recognise.

PDF + editable DOCX

Print-ready PDF with letterhead, statute citation, statement of account, and demand block. Editable .docx for counsel review.

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Batch & bulk

Run 100+ invoices, statements, or conversions in one go.

OCR scanned PDFs

Turn paper invoices into searchable, exportable data.

E-sign & request

Multi-party signatures with full audit trails.

Redact & approve

Mask sensitive ledger lines before sending to auditors.

04 — Common questions

Everything about late-payment notices.

01How is this different from a Payment Reminder Letter?

The reminder letter is collections-flow correspondence — friendly to firm in tone, designed to nudge a customer. A late-payment notice is a formal pre-action document — it cites the statute, sets out the precise interest and compensation owed under law, and warns of legal proceedings. Send reminders first; escalate to a notice when reminders are ignored.

02Is the UK interest rate really 8% over base?

Yes — under section 6 of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, statutory interest on a qualifying commercial debt is the Bank of England base rate plus 8 percentage points. The tool defaults to a current-ish base rate which you can edit if BoE has moved.

03What is the £40 / £70 / £100 fixed compensation?

Section 5A of the UK Act entitles you to fixed compensation per invoice, in addition to interest: £40 for debts under £1,000, £70 for £1,000–£10,000, and £100 for £10,000 or more. It is automatic and doesn't require a contractual entitlement.

04What about debts in the EU or US?

EU: Directive 2011/7 mirrors the UK position — ECB reference rate + 8% margin, plus a minimum €40 in recovery costs. US: no federal statutory rate; the tool defaults to a contractual rate (commonly 18% p.a., or 1.5% per month) but you must check the usury cap in the applicable state. Custom framework lets you plug in whatever your contract specifies.

05Will this stand up in court?

The format follows standard pre-action protocols and the calculation is mathematically defensible — but it is generated by software, not by a lawyer. For debts over a meaningful threshold, or where the debtor has threatened to dispute, have counsel review the DOCX before sending. The tool gives you a strong starting draft, not the last word.

06Output formats?

PDF (one or two pages, with letterhead, statutory citation, statement-of-account box, demand paragraph with deadline, signature block, footer with stage and reference) and .docx (fully editable). The accent colour reflects the stage — amber for demand, crimson for pre-action, red for final.

05 — Related tools

Often used together.

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