# Letter before action template for an unpaid trade invoice, and the 30-day wait that follows

> A letter of claim you can copy for an unpaid trade invoice, the forms that must go in the envelope, and the 30 days you wait before a court claim.

- Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/trades/letter-before-action-template-unpaid-invoice-trades/
- Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/)
- Section: Trades and building firms, Getting paid
- Published 1 October 2026
- Key fact: A letter of claim to a householder or sole trader must go by post with the protocol's information sheet, reply form and financial statement form, and you cannot start a court claim until 30 days after the date at the top of the letter. On a £2,400 invoice, court interest at 8% a year is about 53p a day and the court fee is £115.
- Sources: Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (justice.gov.uk), paragraphs 1.1, 1.4, 3.1 to 3.4, 4.2, 5.2, 7.1 and 8.2; Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols, paragraphs 6 and 16; GOV.UK "Make a court claim for money" (court fees and interest); all read 1 October 2026.

A letter before action is the last letter you send before a county court claim. If the customer is a householder or a sole trader, it has rules: the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims sets out what the letter must say, what goes in the envelope with it, and how long you then wait. Below is a letter you can copy. The protocol calls it a letter of claim.

**Free tool on the page:** Letter before action maker for an unpaid trade invoice. It runs in the browser at https://aeolookup.com/trades/letter-before-action-template-unpaid-invoice-trades/#tool and asks for no sign-up.

## Which rules apply to your customer

In England and Wales the protocol applies to "any business (including sole traders and public bodies) claiming payment of a debt from an individual (including a sole trader)".

| Who owes you | What applies | Time to reply |
|---|---|---|
| A householder | Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims | 30 days from the date on the letter |
| A sole trader, such as a one-person builder | The same protocol | 30 days |
| A limited company | Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct | 14 days in a straightforward case |

One limit: the protocol does not apply where the debt is covered by another protocol "such as Construction and Engineering". If the customer says the work is wrong, you have a dispute about the work as well as a debt. Deal with the complaint first, or take advice before you write.

## What the letter must say

Paragraph 3.1 lists the contents:

1. The amount of the debt.
2. Whether interest or other charges are still being added.
3. If the job was agreed by word of mouth: who made the agreement, what was agreed (as near as you can to the words used), and when and where. Jobs agreed on a doorstep or by phone need this one.
4. If the job was agreed in writing: the date of the agreement, who the parties are, and that the customer can ask you for a copy.
5. How to pay, and how to get in touch to talk about other ways of paying.
6. The address the reply form should be sent to.

If you have turned down an offer of instalments, the letter must also say why.

## What goes in the envelope

- The letter, dated near the top of the first page.
- An up-to-date statement of account. Usually that is the invoice plus any payments, interest or charges.
- The Information Sheet and Reply Form from Annex 1 of the protocol.
- The Financial Statement form from Annex 2.

Both annexes are in the protocol, which is free on justice.gov.uk.

Then post it. The protocol says the letter "should be sent by post", on the day it is dated or the day after.

## The letter

> [Your business name, address, phone and email]
>
> [Date]
>
> Dear [customer's full name],
>
> Letter of claim: invoice [number], £[amount]
>
> Invoice [number], dated [date], for [short description of the work] at [address] has not been paid. It was due on [date]. The amount owed is £[amount].
>
> The work was agreed between you and me in person at the property on [date], when you accepted my price of £[amount] for [the work]. [Or: The work was agreed in my written quote dated [date], which you accepted on [date]. You can ask me for a copy.]
>
> No interest or charges have been added so far. If I have to make a court claim, I will ask the court to add interest at 8% a year, which is [daily amount] a day on this debt, and the court fee.
>
> You can pay by bank transfer to [details]. If you cannot pay in full, phone me on [number] or email [address] and we can talk about paying in instalments.
>
> I enclose a statement of account, an information sheet, a reply form and a financial statement form. Please send the reply form to the address above within 30 days of the date of this letter. If I have not heard from you by [date, 30 days ahead], I may start a court claim.
>
> Yours sincerely,
> [Name]

## The sums on a £2,400 invoice

GOV.UK's guide to court claims says that for debts other than late commercial payments "the rate is usually 8%".

On £2,400 a year's interest is £192, which is about 53p a day. After 45 days that is £23.67 (£192 × 45 ÷ 365). A claim of £2,423.67 falls in the £1,500.01 to £3,000 band, so the court fee is £115.

A business customer owes statutory interest and a fixed fee instead. Our [late payment interest calculator](https://aeolookup.com/trades/late-payment-interest-calculator-uk/) works out the figure.

## After you post it

| What happens | What you do |
|---|---|
| No reply within 30 days of the date on the letter | You may start the claim. Allow for a reply posted near the end of the 30 days. |
| The reply form comes back | No claim for at least 30 days from the day you receive it. |
| The customer asks for a document | Send it, or explain why you cannot, within 30 days. No claim until 30 days after you provide it. |
| The customer says they are getting debt advice | Allow reasonable time for it. |
| The customer replied but you could not agree | Give at least 14 days' notice before you start the claim. |

## If the customer is a limited company

The debt protocol does not apply, so there are no forms to enclose and no 30-day wait. The Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct asks for a letter with "concise details of the claim": the basis of the claim, a summary of the facts, what you want, and how the amount is calculated. Use the letter above without the three forms, add the statutory interest and the fixed fee, and give a date 14 days ahead.

## What skipping the protocol can cost

Under the Practice Direction, a court can order the party at fault to pay costs. If that party is a claimant who has won, the court can take away interest for a period or award it at a lower rate. The protocol says a court "is not likely to be concerned with minor or technical infringements", which is no reason to leave out the forms.

Our guide to [what to do when a customer won't pay](https://aeolookup.com/trades/customer-wont-pay-for-work-done-uk/) covers the whole route and the other court fee bands. The [three chasing messages for builders](https://aeolookup.com/trades/chase-unpaid-invoice-letter-template-builders/) come before this letter.

This is general information, not legal advice. For a large debt, or one where the customer disputes the work, speak to a solicitor or your trade body's legal helpline.

## Short answers from this page

**How long do I have to wait after sending a letter before action before I can start a court claim?** If the customer is a householder or a sole trader, 30 days from the date at the top of the letter. The letter of claim must go by post with the protocol's information sheet, reply form and financial statement form. On a £2,400 invoice, court interest at 8% a year is about 53p a day and the court fee is £115.

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General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.