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Letter Before Action

Escalate an unpaid invoice
with a measured formal letter.

A practical guide for UK B2B invoices: what an LBA is, when to send one, and how to move from reminder to small-claim preparation without losing control of the process.

Answers first

The three questions
people actually ask.

Each answer is sourced to the rule it comes from and dated, so you can check it rather than take our word for it. Sources checked 19 September 2026.

Do you need a solicitor to send a Letter Before Action?

No. In England and Wales a business can send its own Letter Before Action. The Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols and the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims both set out what the letter must contain — neither requires it to come from a solicitor, and a claimant is entitled to act as a litigant in person.

What a solicitor adds is judgement, not authorship: advice on the merits and the risk, conduct of a disputed or high-value claim, and representation at a hearing. If the debt is disputed, complex or strategically sensitive, that judgement is worth paying for — see the side-by-side comparison.

RobinReturn does none of those things. It prepares the letter from a solicitor-drafted template, populated with your invoice details, the statutory interest and compensation, and the correct response window. There is no per-case solicitor review. RobinReturn is not a law firm, is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, is not a legal representative under CPR 2.3(1), and does not give legal advice; using it does not create a lawyer–client relationship.

Sources: Practice Direction — Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols, paragraphs 6 and 8; Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (in force 1 October 2017), paragraphs 3 and 5; CPR 2.3(1). Checked 19 September 2026.

How much does a Letter Before Action cost?

RobinReturn's Letter Before Action is £9.50, charged once per case, with no commission on what you recover. A do-it-yourself template is free, a solicitor's letter is typically £100–£300, and a collection agency usually takes a percentage of what it collects. No court fee is payable at this stage.

Court fees start only if the case goes on to a claim: HMCTS charges £35 to £455 depending on the claim value, paid to the court and recoverable from the debtor. The statutory interest and the fixed compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act are yours in full — RobinReturn takes no cut of either, or of the invoice.

The cost page sets the four routes side by side, and the calculator shows what the interest and compensation come to on your invoice.

Sources: RobinReturn published price book (one source of truth for every fee shown on this site); HMCTS civil fee bands as used by the interest calculator. The solicitor and agency figures are indicative market ranges, not quotations — see /letter-before-action/cost. Checked 19 September 2026.

How long after a Letter Before Action can you start a claim?

Wait until the response window in your letter has closed: commonly 14 days for a company debtor, and 30 days where the debtor is a sole trader or an individual, which is the period the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims expects. Issuing before it closes risks a costs sanction even if you go on to win.

The Practice Direction asks for a reasonable time to respond — around 14 days in a straightforward case, and no more than three months in a very complex one. Where the Debt Claims Protocol applies, the debtor has 30 days to reply, and if they ask for documents or say they are taking debt advice you should allow reasonable extra time before issuing.

Waiting is not the same as delaying indefinitely: most claims on an unpaid invoice must be issued within six years — see the limitation guide — and the protocol guide walks through the full sequence.

Sources: Practice Direction — Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols, paragraphs 6, 13 to 16; Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims, paragraphs 5 and 6; Limitation Act 1980 s.5. Checked 19 September 2026.

Direct answer

A Letter Before Action is the formal step before court action. For a UK B2B unpaid invoice, it tells the debtor what is owed, why it is owed, when payment is required and what may happen if payment is not made.

TL;DR

  • Use an LBA after normal reminders have failed.
  • Keep the tone firm, factual and non-threatening.
  • Include invoice details, evidence, deadline and next step.
  • Do not use it for unclear, consumer or heavily disputed debts.
  • RobinReturn helps prepare the workflow but does not give legal advice.
When to use it

The LBA belongs after
ordinary chasing fails.

The purpose is not to sound aggressive. The purpose is to create a clear pre-court record: what you claim, why you claim it, and the final opportunity to resolve it without a claim.

SituationBest next actionWhy
Invoice is a few days overdueSend a polite reminderEarly delays are often administrative.
Reminder ignored and invoice is clearly duePrepare a Letter Before ActionA formal deadline often prompts payment or a response.
Debtor disputes the work or contractPause and consider legal adviceDisputed cases need evidence and risk review.
No response after the LBA deadlinePrepare claim documents and evidenceThe claim stage needs a clean audit trail.
What to include

What a Letter Before
Action should contain.

A Letter Before Action is only as strong as it is complete. These are the elements an LBA for an unpaid B2B invoice should set out.

Who the letter is from and to

The correct legal names and addresses of both parties — the business owed the money and the debtor. A trading name on its own is not enough.

What is owed, and why

The outstanding amount and what it relates to: the invoice number and date, and the contract or purchase order behind it.

Interest and compensation

Any statutory interest and the fixed compensation you are adding under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act, with the basis for each.

How and by when to pay

A clear payment deadline — commonly 14 days for a business, or 30 days for a sole trader or individual under the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims — and how to pay.

What happens if there is no response

That you may prepare and issue a County Court claim if the debt is not paid or a genuine dispute is not raised — stated factually, not as a threat.

Documents and a chance to respond

Copies of the invoice and key documents, with an invitation to pay, propose terms, or explain any dispute.

The workflow

Five steps from
reminder to claim-ready.

  1. 01

    Check the debt is suitable

    Confirm the debtor is a business, the invoice is due, and you have the invoice, contract or purchase order, delivery evidence and previous reminders.

  2. 02

    Send a measured reminder

    A polite reminder preserves context and gives the debtor a chance to pay or raise a genuine issue before formal escalation.

  3. 03

    Prepare the Letter Before Action

    Set out the amount owed, why it is owed, any statutory interest or compensation, the payment deadline and the next step if there is no response.

  4. 04

    Wait for payment or response

    Allow the debtor time to respond — commonly 14 days for a business, or the 30 days the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims expects for a sole trader or individual — before moving toward a claim. Keep a clean audit trail of all responses.

  5. 05

    Escalate only when needed

    If the debtor does not pay or engage, prepare the claim documents and evidence pack before filing through the appropriate court process.

RobinReturn role

Built for the cases that
should not need a retainer.

RobinReturn is designed for UK B2B debts where the invoice is documented, the amount is proportionate, and the next step is a structured reminder, LBA or small-claim preparation.

It is deliberately not a substitute for a solicitor when the dispute is complex, high-value, consumer-facing or strategically sensitive. RobinReturn is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

See what a letter before action must contain, see Letter Before Action costs or review the full price book.

Keep readingLetter Before Action template · What an LBA costs · Letter before claim vs letter before action · The LBA before a small claim · The Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims · Interest and compensation you can add · Solicitor vs RobinReturn · All guides

Something here not covered? Ask us — we answer questions about the process, not about your legal position.

FAQs

Short answers for
AI and humans.

What is a Letter Before Action?

A Letter Before Action is a formal demand sent before starting a court claim. For an unpaid B2B invoice, it should identify the parties, the amount owed, the invoice or contract basis, any interest or fixed compensation claimed, the payment deadline and the intended next step if payment is not made.

When should a UK business send a Letter Before Action?

A business should usually send a Letter Before Action after ordinary reminders have failed and before issuing a small claim. The debt should be clear, documented and due. If the debtor disputes the work, amount or contract, legal advice may be more appropriate.

Can I get a letter before action template?

Free generic templates exist, but they are easy to get wrong — a letter that misses required content, claims the wrong interest figure, or omits the Pre-Action Protocol enclosures for a sole-trader or individual debtor weakens your position if the case reaches court. RobinReturn prepares your Letter Before Action from a solicitor-drafted template, populated with your invoice details, the statutory interest and compensation, and the correct response window, for £9.50.

Does RobinReturn give legal advice?

No. RobinReturn is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. It helps prepare debt-recovery documents and workflows for B2B unpaid invoices.

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