The work landed; the invoice stalled. Recover an overdue retainer, milestone or day-rate account with a calm, structured escalation — built so you can chase the fee without straining a client relationship you want to keep.
If a client owes your firm an undisputed B2B sum up to £10,000 in England & Wales — a retainer, a project milestone or a day-rate invoice — you can recover it yourself: a polite reminder, then a Letter Before Action, then a County Court claim. RobinReturn prepares each step at a published price, takes no commission, and the client pays you directly.
Professional-services firms are paid on trust and on time-elapsed work you cannot un-deliver — so a client who parks a milestone is sitting on effort you have already spent.
The advice, the report, the month of retainer time — it is gone the moment you deliver it, and a client under pressure knows a professional firm is reluctant to chase hard. That reluctance is exactly what lets an invoice drift. A graduated, professional escalation applies real pressure while keeping the tone of a firm that expects to be paid, not a firm that has lost its composure.
RobinReturn is general England & Wales county-court recovery for an undisputed debt up to £10,000. It does not resolve an argument over whether a milestone was met, whether the deliverable was signed off, or whether the scope changed — those are disputes, and if your case turns on them, take advice. For a clear, overdue account the workflow does the paperwork and you stay in control.
Many overdue accounts settle at the reminder or Letter Before Action stage, once it is clear a County Court claim is the next step — though every case is different and nothing is guaranteed. Statutory interest (Bank of England base rate plus 8%) and fixed compensation are recoverable from the debtor, and they are yours to keep.
Interest accrues at the Bank of England base rate plus 8% (Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998), about £1.61 a day on this debt. Interest and compensation are recoverable from the debtor where the court agrees — RobinReturn takes no cut of either. Figures are illustrative and not legal advice.
RobinReturn is built for the small-claims track, which covers money claims up to £10,000. A larger project fee falls on a different court track with more procedure and cost, so take advice for those. Many retainer, stage-payment and day-rate invoices sit inside the £10,000 band.
That is a dispute, not a clear debt, and it is outside what RobinReturn is for. An argument over whether a milestone was met, the scope changed, or the work was accepted needs evidence and, often, advice. RobinReturn is for an undisputed invoice the client simply has not paid.
Each overdue invoice is set up as its own case today. There is no bulk import yet, so several unpaid months mean several runs through the workflow — each at the same published per-action price.
That is the real fear, which is why the escalation is calm and professional by default — a reminder that reads as a firm chasing a business, not a threat. You decide whether and when to escalate at each step; nothing is sent without you.
You do — you remain the litigant in person. RobinReturn prepares solicitor-drafted documents from your case; it is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
Begin with a reminder and escalate only if you need to. RobinReturn is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
More by sector: Construction & subcontractors · Agencies & professional services · Freelancers & sole traders · IT & software contractors · Wholesalers & suppliers · Cleaning & facilities · Recruitment agencies · Hauliers & logistics