A final notice is your last request for payment before you take further steps, such as a formal letter before claim. It should set out the invoice, the amount now due, a firm date to pay by, how to pay and what may happen next, stated truthfully and without threats. Below are two template wordings, one for a business customer and a gentler one for an individual.
In this article
The short version
- A final notice is your last request for payment before further steps.
- It isn't a letter before claim, which has its own content and response times.
- Include the invoice, the amount due, a firm date, how to pay and who to contact.
- Leave out bailiffs, court orders and anything made to look official.
- Use a firmer tone for businesses and a gentler one, without statutory interest, for individuals.
What a final notice is, and what it isn't
You'd usually send a final notice once your reminders have gone unanswered, any phone call hasn't settled things, and you've decided that you're prepared to take the next step if the invoice still isn't paid. If you start escalating three weeks after the due date and leave a week between steps, it tends to land around six weeks after the due date.
A final notice isn't a letter before claim. The letter before claim is the formal step the courts expect before you issue a claim, with its own content and response times: normally 14 days for a company, and 30 days with set enclosures for an individual or sole trader. A final notice comes before that. It's still a request for payment, just a firmer one.
Only mention a step you're genuinely prepared to take, and don't dress the letter up to look like a court document.
What to put in a final notice
Keep it short, so your customer can pay from the notice alone.
- The invoice number, the date it was issued, the due date and what it was for.
- The amount now due. If your customer is a business and you intend to claim statutory interest and fixed compensation, show them as separate lines.
- A specific date to pay by, usually seven days from the notice.
- How to pay: a payment link, your bank details and the reference to use.
- A named person to contact if there's a problem with the invoice or they need to talk about paying in instalments.
- What may happen next if it isn't paid, in plain words.
On a business invoice, statutory interest is 8% above the Bank of England base rate, which is 11.75% a year for invoices falling overdue between 1 July and 31 December 2026, plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the debt. Only add it if you mean to claim it. Individual customers aren't covered by the statutory scheme, so you can only add interest that your terms allow.
There are also words to leave out. Don't mention bailiffs, enforcement agents or a court order, because none of them can be involved until a court has given you a judgment and the customer still hasn't paid. Don't say non-payment is a crime, and don't use stamps, crests or headings that make a letter look official. Falsely implying criminal proceedings or official authority when chasing a debt is an offence under the Administration of Justice Act 1970.
Final notice templates
For a business customer, you can be direct and include the late payment charges you're entitled to claim:
Subject: Final notice: invoice [number], [amount] overdue
Dear [name],
Invoice [number] for [description], issued on [date], was due for payment on [due date] and remains unpaid despite our reminders on [dates].
The amount now due is [invoice amount], plus statutory interest of [interest] to [date] and fixed compensation of [£40, £70 or £100] under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, making [total]. Interest continues to run at [daily amount] a day.
Please pay in full by [date, seven days from now] using this link: [payment link], or by bank transfer to [account name, sort code, account number] with the reference [invoice number].
If anything on this invoice is wrong, or you'd like to pay in instalments, please contact me on [phone] or reply to this email before that date.
If we don't receive payment or hear from you by [date], we may take further steps to recover the debt, starting with a formal letter before claim.
Yours sincerely,[name, role]
For an individual customer, a softer tone usually works better, and you leave out statutory interest:
Subject: Final reminder: invoice [number]
Dear [name],
We've written to you about invoice [number] for [description], which was due on [due date]. The amount outstanding is [amount].
We'd like to sort this out with you. Please pay by [date, at least seven days from now] using this link: [payment link]. If that isn't possible right now, please call me on [phone] or reply to this email. We can usually agree a plan to pay in smaller amounts.
If we don't hear from you by [date], we may need to take further steps. Before anything formal, we'll send you a letter setting out the debt and giving you 30 days to respond.
Kind regards,[name]
After you've sent it
Email from a named person works well, and for individual customers a posted copy can help. Keep a record of when and where you sent it.
If the customer pays or proposes a plan, stop and respond. If they raise a dispute, answer it in writing before you go further. If the deadline passes in silence, follow through with the step you mentioned, because a final notice followed by more reminders tends to teach a customer that your deadlines move.
In Adfin, a final notice is one of the stages in escalations. Adfin's collection agents send a formal final email from your connected mailbox, saying further steps may follow. Words like "bailiff" are blocked in the templates, and any payment, including a part payment, ends the escalation. The next stage hands the invoice back to you, or to Adfin's partner law firm Garfield.Law to send the letter before action.
Related guides
- Letter before action: what to send and when
- Overdue invoice escalation timeline: when to send each notice (with a worked example)
- Can you charge late payment fees on overdue invoices in the UK?
- How to recover overdue invoices: the complete UK guide
- Credit control: a complete guide
Common questions
Is a final notice the same as a letter before claim? No. A final notice is a firm request for payment. A letter before claim is the formal step the courts expect before a claim, with set response times.
How long should I give a customer to pay a final notice? Seven days is a reasonable period. It gives the customer time to arrange payment without letting the invoice drift.
Can I add interest to a final notice? If your customer is a business, you can add statutory interest and fixed compensation unless your contract sets its own terms. For individuals, you can only add interest your terms allow.
Can I mention bailiffs in a final notice? It's best not to. Enforcement only becomes possible after a court judgment, so mentioning bailiffs at this stage is likely to mislead.
Should I send a final notice by email or post? Email from a named person usually works, with a posted copy for individuals.
What if the customer replies disputing the invoice? Pause the chasing and answer the dispute in writing, since an unanswered query tends to come back as a defence.
Sources
- GOV.UK - Late commercial payments: charging interest and debt recovery (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.gov.uk/late-commercial-payments-interest-debt-recovery
- Ministry of Justice - Practice Direction: Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules/pd_pre-action_conduct
- Ministry of Justice - Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/pdf/protocols/debt-pap.pdf
- legislation.gov.uk - Administration of Justice Act 1970, section 40 (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1970/31/section/40
