Adding a Late Payment Fee to an Invoice
When a customer pays late, you are entitled to charge interest and a late payment fee under UK law. Trade2Base calculates the statutory rate automatically and adds the fee as a separate line item on the invoice, so you can send a revised version immediately.
How to add a late payment fee
Navigate to the overdue invoice. Click the "Actions" button in the top-right corner of the invoice and select "Add late payment fee" from the dropdown menu.
Enter your late payment fee amount, or accept the amount Trade2Base calculates. For B2B invoices, Trade2Base applies the statutory late payment interest rate of 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, as set out in the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act. The calculation is shown clearly so you can review it before saving.
The late payment fee is added as a new line item labelled "Late payment fee" with a description of the interest calculation. The invoice total updates automatically to include the fee.
Trade2Base generates a new PDF of the revised invoice. Send it to the customer directly from the invoice record via email, WhatsApp, or the customer portal link.
If you prefer to keep the original invoice unchanged, you can instead create a new invoice for just the late payment fee and link it to the original. This is useful when the original invoice is already partially paid or under dispute.
Important: Late payment fees are enforceable under UK law for B2B invoices. Always inform customers of your payment terms (and the fee policy) before starting work — include it in your quote.
Frequently asked questions
The Act applies to B2B (business-to-business) invoices. It does not automatically apply to invoices issued to domestic (consumer) customers, though you can still charge a contractually agreed late payment fee if this was stated in your terms.
The statutory rate is 8% above the Bank of England base rate. Trade2Base fetches the current base rate and applies it automatically. You can override the amount if you have agreed different terms with the customer.
You can remove or adjust the fee at any time before or after sending. Open the invoice, click Actions → Edit late payment fee and update the amount, or remove it entirely.
Yes. If the customer has a portal link for the invoice, the revised invoice with the late payment fee line item will be visible when they open their portal.
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