You finished the job on Friday. It's now Wednesday and the customer still hasn't paid. You've sent a polite text. You've sent a slightly less polite text. Nothing. Meanwhile, you've got a materials bill due and your van insurance just came out.
Late payment is the single biggest cashflow killer for tradespeople. And the frustrating thing is, most of it is avoidable. You just need to set things up properly from the start.
Set Payment Terms Before You Pick Up a Tool
The biggest mistake is not talking about money upfront. By the time you've finished the job and the customer's dragging their feet, you've already lost the upper hand. The time to agree payment terms is before you start — ideally on the quote.
State it clearly: "Payment due on completion" or "50% deposit, balance on completion." Write it on the quote, repeat it verbally when you start the job, and remind them the day before you finish. There should be zero ambiguity about when you expect to be paid.
Customers who agree to terms upfront almost always pay on time. It's the ones where payment was never discussed who suddenly develop memory problems when the invoice arrives.
Take a Deposit Before Starting
For any job over £500, take a deposit. Thirty percent is standard across most trades and no reasonable customer will refuse. If they do refuse, that tells you something about how payment day is going to go.
The deposit does three things. It covers your material costs so you're not funding the job yourself. It psychologically commits the customer — they've got skin in the game now. And it establishes the pattern of paying you, which makes the final payment feel natural rather than like pulling teeth.
For bigger jobs, stage payments make sense. A kitchen refit might be 30% deposit, 40% at the halfway point, 30% on completion. You should never be in a position where you've done £5,000 worth of work and haven't been paid a penny.
Invoice on the Day, Not Next Week
Here's a pattern that costs tradespeople thousands every year. You finish the job, you're tired, you drive to the next one, and you tell yourself you'll sort the invoice tonight. Tonight becomes tomorrow. Tomorrow becomes the weekend. By the time you send the invoice, a week has passed and the customer's mentally moved on.
Send the invoice the moment the job is done. Before you leave the property if possible. The customer is standing there looking at their lovely new bathroom or freshly rewired kitchen — that's when they're happiest and most willing to pay. Two weeks later, they've forgotten how good it looked and they're thinking about the credit card bill.
Some tradespeople using Gaffer have their invoice sent automatically when they mark a job as complete. Whatever method you use, the principle is the same: don't let invoices sit in your head — get them sent immediately.
Offer Card Payments
Bank transfer is fine for most customers, but offering card payments removes one of the biggest excuses for delayed payment. "I'll transfer it tonight" becomes "can you just tap your card here?"
A card reader from SumUp or Square costs about £30–£50 and charges 1.69% per transaction. On a £1,000 job, that's £16.90 — a small price for getting paid on the spot instead of chasing for a fortnight. Most customers actually prefer paying by card because it's instant and they don't have to faff around with bank details.
For larger jobs, some tradespeople offer a small discount for immediate payment — 2% off if you pay today. On a £3,000 job, that's £60 off for the customer and you get your money immediately instead of waiting three weeks. The maths works in your favour every time.
Automated Payment Reminders
Chasing payments is awkward. Nobody enjoys it. That's why most tradespeople put it off, which is exactly why they don't get paid on time.
The solution is to take yourself out of the equation. Automated reminders — whether through your invoicing software, an AI assistant like Gaffer, or even a scheduled text — remove the awkwardness. The customer gets a polite reminder after three days, a firmer one after seven, and you haven't had to pick up the phone and have an uncomfortable conversation.
There's something psychologically powerful about automated reminders too. They feel systematic and businesslike rather than personal. A message that says "This is a reminder that invoice #247 for £850 is now 7 days overdue" carries more weight than "Hi mate, any chance you could sort that payment?"
Standing Firm on Payment
Some customers will test you. They'll say "I'll pay you end of the month" when your terms say payment on completion. They'll promise a bank transfer tonight and it won't arrive for a week. They'll find a tiny snag and use it as an excuse to withhold the full payment.
You need to be firm. Polite, professional, but firm. "I appreciate that, but as agreed, payment is due on completion. I can take card if bank transfer isn't convenient right now." Don't apologise for expecting to be paid for work you've done.
For customers who find snags: fix the snag promptly, then restate that payment is now due. Don't let a £30 issue become an excuse to delay a £3,000 payment. If the snag is genuine, sort it out. If they're inventing problems to delay paying, that tells you what kind of customer they are.
Your Legal Rights: The Late Payment Act
Most tradespeople don't know this, but UK law is actually on your side when it comes to late payment. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 gives you the right to charge interest on overdue invoices — even if you didn't include it in your terms.
The statutory interest rate is 8% plus the Bank of England base rate. On a £2,000 invoice that's 30 days late, that's roughly £5 per week in interest. You can also claim a fixed compensation fee: £40 for debts up to £999.99, £70 for debts between £1,000 and £9,999.99.
Will you actually charge it? Probably not for a domestic customer — it's not worth the hassle for most jobs. But for commercial clients or serial late payers, knowing your rights gives you leverage. Adding a line to your invoices that says "Interest will be charged on overdue invoices at 8% plus base rate per the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act 1998" makes people pay faster, even if you never actually enforce it.
The "I'll Transfer It Tonight" Problem
Every tradesperson has heard this one. You finish the job, they say they'll transfer the money tonight, and then... silence. It's the polite British way of not paying on the spot, and it works because most of us are too awkward to push back.
The fix is simple: make it easy to pay right now. "No problem — I can take card if that's easier?" or "I'll send the invoice now so you've got the bank details handy." Don't give them room to push it down the road.
If they genuinely can't pay on the day (and sometimes that's true), agree a specific date. "No problem, when works for you? Friday?" Then send a reminder on Thursday evening. Vague promises like "end of the week" or "when I get paid" are red flags. Nail down a date.
Prevention, Not Cure
The best tradespeople rarely have payment problems — not because they're lucky, but because they've set everything up to make late payment difficult. Clear terms upfront. Deposits before starting. Invoices the same day. Card payment available. Automated reminders if needed.
Do all of this and you'll spend far less time chasing money and far more time earning it. Your cashflow smooths out, your stress drops, and you can actually focus on the work you enjoy instead of playing debt collector every Friday afternoon.