A common question before trusting any recovery service: is it regulated, and does it need to be? For a B2B invoice the short answer is that FCA debt-collection rules apply to consumer credit, not commercial trade debts. Here is the fuller picture, and where RobinReturn sits.
Recovering an unpaid B2B invoice — a debt one business owes another — is generally not a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulated activity, because the FCA’s debt-collection rules apply to consumer credit. RobinReturn works only with commercial B2B debt, is not authorised or regulated by the FCA, and is not a law firm. This is general information, not legal advice.
The FCA’s reach over debt collection is drawn around consumer credit — which is why a commercial invoice falls the other side of the line.
The Financial Conduct Authority regulates debt collecting and debt administration as consumer-credit activities. In broad terms, they are caught where the debt arises under a regulated credit agreement — money owed by an individual who was given credit, such as a loan, a credit card or a hire-purchase deal. Collecting those debts needs FCA authorisation and brings a whole rulebook with it.
An unpaid trade invoice is a different animal. When one business supplies another and is not paid, the money owed is a commercial debt, not consumer credit — so recovering it is generally not an FCA-regulated activity and generally does not require FCA authorisation. The distinction is the type of debt, not the fact that money is owed.
We would rather state our position clearly than let you guess it — so here is exactly what RobinReturn is, and is not.
RobinReturn is a pay-per-action workflow for recovering business-to-business invoices — reminders, a Letter Before Action, and County Court claim documents. Because it works only with commercial B2B debt, it sits outside the FCA’s consumer-credit remit: RobinReturn is not authorised or regulated by the FCA, and does not need to be for this activity.
It is also not a law firm. RobinReturn is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and is not a legal representative; its legal templates are solicitor-drafted, but it does not give legal advice and no lawyer-client relationship forms. The personal data it handles is covered by UK GDPR — see the security page and the privacy notice for how that works.
‘Generally outside the FCA remit’ is not the same as ‘never’ — the debtor matters.
The clean answer above assumes a straightforward commercial debt between two businesses. Where the debtor is an individual or a sole trader, the picture can be more nuanced: depending on the facts, the debt might be a regulated credit agreement, which changes the regulatory position. And FCA authorisation is only one question — contract law, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act, the court rules for any claim, and data-protection law all still apply, and misleading or harassing conduct is unlawful whoever does it.
None of this is legal advice. If your debt involves a consumer, a sole trader, or a regulated credit agreement, take your own advice before acting. New to the terms here? See the glossary, or read the full recovery process.
Generally no, where the debt is a commercial one between businesses. The Financial Conduct Authority regulates debt collecting as a consumer-credit activity — it applies to debts owed by individuals under regulated credit agreements, not to an unpaid trade invoice one company owes another. A business that collects consumer-credit debts is a different matter and does need authorisation.
No. RobinReturn works only with business-to-business commercial debt — unpaid invoices between companies — which sits outside the FCA's consumer-credit remit, so RobinReturn is not authorised or regulated by the FCA and does not need to be for this activity. If your debt involves a consumer or a regulated credit agreement, the position is different and you should take your own advice.
No. RobinReturn is not a law firm, is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and is not a legal representative. It prepares documents and workflows for recovering B2B invoices; its legal templates are solicitor-drafted, but it does not give legal advice and no lawyer-client relationship forms.
Plenty, even though FCA authorisation generally is not one of them. Contract law governs the debt; the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 sets the statutory interest and compensation you can add; the Civil Procedure Rules and their pre-action conduct requirements govern any court claim; and UK GDPR governs the personal data involved. Misleading or harassing conduct is unlawful regardless of who is doing the recovering.
The position can be more nuanced. A debt owed by a sole trader or an individual can, depending on the facts, be a regulated credit agreement, which changes the regulatory picture. RobinReturn is built for clear B2B commercial debts; where the debtor is an individual or the debt might be a consumer-credit one, take your own advice before acting.
RobinReturn is a straightforward, pay-per-action way to recover a B2B invoice — no regulated-credit complexity, no law firm on a retainer. RobinReturn is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.