You can't change a client's standing order yourself, because it belongs to your client and only they can edit the amount at their bank. To raise your fees, write to each client with the new amount, the date it starts and your payment reference, ask them to update their standing order before that date, then check the first payment and chase any shortfall. If your fees change often, direct debit removes the step, because the amount follows your invoice and the client is told before each collection.
In this article
The short version
- Only your client can change a standing order, so a fee rise needs them to edit it at their bank.
- Write with the new amount, start date and payment details, and leave time before the next payment.
- Check the first payment at the new rate and ask for any shortfall with a way to pay it.
- Direct debit amounts follow your invoice, with notice before each collection and no new mandate.
- A fee review is a good time to offer direct debit, since you're writing to every client anyway.
Why you can't change the amount yourself
A standing order is an instruction your client gives their own bank to send you a fixed amount on regular dates. They set it up in their banking app, over the phone or in a branch, and it keeps paying the same figure until they change or cancel it. You don't hold a copy of it and your bank can't edit it for you.
So when your fees go up, nothing happens on its own. Every client paying by standing order has to log in, find the payment and type in the new amount. Most will mean to. Some won't get round to it before the next payment date, and a few won't see your letter at all. The old amount keeps arriving, and you've got a small gap on each invoice that someone has to notice.
Accountancy practices tend to meet this once a year at the fee review, often alongside a change in scope when a client adds payroll or bookkeeping. Clubs and membership groups meet it when the annual subscription goes up and every member's monthly payment needs to change on the same day.
How to tell clients about the new fee
Give whatever notice your engagement letter or membership terms set out, and leave enough time for clients to change the standing order before the next payment leaves their account. A month or more before the first payment at the new rate is a sensible minimum, because banking apps differ and people put these things off.
Keep the letter short and make the action obvious. Put the new monthly amount in the first lines, not halfway down, and tell clients exactly what to change. Something like this works for most practices and clubs:
Subject: Your monthly payment is changing from 1 April
Hello [name], from 1 April your monthly fee will be £[new amount], up from £[old amount]. [One sentence on why, if you want to give a reason.]
As you pay by standing order, please update it in your banking app so the payment on [date] is for £[new amount]. Keep the payee as [account name], sort code [00-00-00], account [00000000], and the reference as [reference].
If it's easier, reply to this email and we'll send you a direct debit form instead, so future changes happen without you needing to do anything.
Send it by email and, if you've got clients who don't read email, by post or text as well. A reminder a week before the first payment at the new rate catches the people who meant to do it and forgot.
Check payments and chase the difference
Mark the first payment date in your diary and check every standing order receipt against the new fee. A payment at the old amount usually means the client hasn't updated it yet, not that they're refusing to pay. A short, friendly note with the difference and the new figure tends to sort it out.
Shortfalls are easy to lose if you post receipts in bulk at the end of the month. A £12 gap on a £132 invoice leaves the invoice part paid, and if nobody looks at part-paid invoices, the gap repeats every month until year end. Keep a simple list of clients on standing orders and tick each one off once the right amount has arrived.
For the gap itself, send the client a request for the difference with a way to pay it straight away. In Adfin, you can send a payment link by email, SMS or WhatsApp so they can pay the balance by card or pay by bank, and Adfin's collection agents can chase anything still short within rules you approve.
When to move fee-paying clients to direct debit
If your fees rarely change and you've only got a handful of clients on standing orders, the letter and a quick check can be all you need. If they change every year, or vary with the work, every rise turns into another round of letters and checks.
Direct debit works the other way round. Your client signs a mandate once, and you collect the amount due, telling them the amount and date before each collection. A fee rise doesn't need a new mandate, just the advance notice. With Adfin, each collection takes the amount and due date of the invoice it belongs to, so once the new fee is on the invoice, the collection follows it, and the client gets an email at least three working days before each payment.
A fee review is a natural point to make the switch, because you're writing to every client anyway. Add a line offering direct debit, include a link to sign the mandate, and ask clients who switch to stop their standing order before their first direct debit is collected.
Related guides
- Should an accountancy practice use direct debit or standing order?
- Rent reviews: how to change a direct debit when the rent goes up
- How to tell clients you are moving them to direct debit
- Direct debit for UK businesses: a complete guide
- Pricing and fee recovery for accountancy firms
Common questions
Can I change a client's standing order amount myself? No. A standing order is set up and controlled by your client, so only they can change the amount, at their bank or in their banking app.
How much notice should I give clients before a fee increase? Give whatever your engagement letter or terms set out, and enough time for clients to update their standing order before the next payment date. A month or more is a sensible minimum.
What should I do if a client keeps paying the old amount? Send a short note showing the new fee and the difference owed, with a way to pay the balance. Ask them again to update the standing order before the next payment.
Do clients have to sign a new direct debit when my fees go up? No. The existing mandate covers the new amount, as long as the client is told the amount and date before each collection.
Should clubs and associations handle subscription rises the same way? Yes. Tell members the new amount and start date early, ask standing order payers to update their payment, and check the first round of payments for anyone still paying the old figure.
Is direct debit worth it if my fees only go up once a year? It can be, because each rise then needs advance notice instead of every client changing a payment. With only a few clients on a fixed fee, a standing order may still be enough.
Sources
- Pay.UK - Types of Faster Payment transactions (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.wearepay.uk/what-we-do/payment-systems/faster-payment-system/types-of-faster-payment-transactions/
- Direct Debit (Bacs) - The Direct Debit Guarantee (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.directdebit.co.uk/direct-debit-explained/direct-debit-guarantee/
- Adfin Help Centre - What does my customer see when I use direct debit (accurate as of November 2026) https://support.adfin.com/en/articles/10199778-what-does-my-customer-see-when-i-use-direct-debit
