You filled the role; the invoice is another story. Recover an overdue placement fee or contractor margin with a calm, structured escalation — built so you can chase the money without losing an account the desk still bills.
If a client owes you an undisputed B2B sum up to £10,000 in England & Wales — a placement fee or contractor margin — 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.
Recruitment runs on cashflow: on a contract desk you are often paying the contractor weekly while the client settles monthly, or later — so a slow payer squeezes payroll, not just profit.
A permanent placement fee is a large lump sum, and a client under pressure will let it drift or lean on the rebate period to justify a pause. On a temp or contract desk the pain is different: you have already funded the contractor's pay, and every week the client is late is a week you are out of pocket. A graduated, professional escalation applies real pressure while keeping the tone of a business chasing a business.
RobinReturn is general England & Wales county-court recovery for an undisputed debt up to £10,000. It does not resolve a rebate dispute, a back-door hire, or an argument over whether the fee is even due — if your case turns on those, take advice. For a clear, overdue invoice the workflow does the paperwork and you stay in control.
Many overdue fees 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 reference rate plus 8%) and fixed compensation are recoverable from the debtor, and they are yours to keep.
Use the calculator below to see what you can add, or calculate late payment interest with the formula and reference rates in full.
Interest accrues at the reference 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 permanent fee above that — common on senior roles — falls on a different court track with more procedure and cost, so take advice for those. Many contract-margin and lower-value permanent invoices sit inside the £10,000 band.
That is a dispute, not a clear debt, and it is outside what RobinReturn is for. A rebate claim, a back-door hire or an argument over whether the fee was earned needs evidence and, often, advice. RobinReturn is for an undisputed invoice the client simply has not paid.
Yes, where the margin invoice is undisputed and due. The fact that you have funded the contractor's pay does not change the recovery route: a reminder, a Letter Before Action, then a claim. Each overdue invoice is set up as its own case — there is no bulk import yet.
That is the real fear, which is why the escalation is calm and professional by default — a reminder that reads as a business chasing a business. 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.
The formal letter that sets a payment deadline before any claim — what it should say, and when to send it.
A solicitor, a DIY template, a collection agency or a flat per-letter price — the options side by side.
How an undisputed B2B invoice up to £10,000 goes through the County Court small-claims track.
The HMCTS fee to issue a claim scales with the amount, and you can add it to your claim.
What goes on the County Court claim form and the Particulars of Claim for an unpaid invoice.
Flat pay-per-action with no commission, instead of a percentage of what you recover.
When a solicitor is worth paying for — a disputed or complex debt — and when it is not.
Every step's price in one place, with the court fees shown upfront.
Your first reminder sequence is on us. Escalate only if you need to. RobinReturn is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
For undisputed invoices up to £10,000 owed by another business in England or Wales.
New to RobinReturn? See how RobinReturn works, why businesses choose it, who is behind it and what has changed recently.
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