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Letter before a small claim to a company for an unpaid invoice (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland · in English · for creditors
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For a business in Northern Ireland owed money by a company or LLP that has not paid an invoice. The final letter before a claim: it sets out the debt, claims statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England reference rate and the fixed sum of £40, £70 or £100 under the Late Payment Act (or the interest your contract sets), gives 14 days to pay or dispute, and names the next step — a claim in the county court, heard as a small claim up to £5,000. It goes by Royal Mail Signed For or by hand.
- Made for use in Northern Ireland
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- A company in Northern Ireland has ignored your invoice for months.
- Your reminders went unanswered and the customer still owes you for the work.
- The client paid part of the bill and stopped answering your emails.
- You want a final letter before taking the company to the small claims court.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Name of the person signing for your business
- Your business's name (company, LLP or trading name)
- Your business's address (number and street)
- Town or city
- Your business's postcode
- Date
- The other business's name (company or LLP)
- Its registered office or business address, with postcode
- Unpaid invoice number(s) and date(s)
- Agreement under which you supplied (for example our agreement dated 3 March 2026, or your purchase order)
- What you supplied
- Amount due
- Due date
- Interest claimed
- Late-payment interest to date
- Fixed sum under section 5A, with statutory interest only (£40, £70 or £100 per invoice; total)
- Total amount
- Where to pay (account name, sort code, account number, reference)
- Attachments
- Your company or LLP number, if a company or LLP
- Part of the UK where it is registered, if a company or LLP
- Your registered office address, if a company or LLP
Common questions
- Is there a pre-action rule for business debts in Northern Ireland like the one in England?
- England and Wales have a Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct; Northern Ireland has no general equivalent for a simple debt. A clear final letter — the amount, how it is made up, a reasonable time to pay and the next step — is still the sensible first move: it gives the company a fair chance, shows the court you did so, and often brings payment. Keep proof that it was sent and received.
- How is statutory interest worked out on an invoice unpaid in Northern Ireland?
- The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK. Take the reference rate for the half-year in which payment fell due (the Bank of England base rate on 31 December or 30 June) and add 8%: 11.75% a year for a debt that fell due in 2026. Multiply the unpaid amount by it, divide by 365 and multiply by the days late. The fixed sum is £40 under £1,000, £70 up to £9,999.99 and £100 above that.
- Where does the claim go if the company still does not pay after 14 days?
- To the county court. A claim of £5,000 or less is heard in the small claims court, an informal hearing before a district judge; nidirect explains how to start one and the fee. A larger debt goes to the county court as an ordinary claim, or to the High Court above the county court’s limit. A judgment that stays unpaid is enforced by the Enforcement of Judgments Office, for a fee.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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