BadCop › Late fees by jurisdiction
Can I charge a late fee on an invoice? Rules by country
What the law says about interest and fees on overdue commercial invoices, country by country, with sources. Two things are true almost everywhere: the fee has to be agreed before the work, and it has to be proportionate.
Late payment interest and fees on invoices in the UKFor business-to-business and public-sector invoices, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest)…Late payment interest on invoices in the EU (Directive 2011/7/EU)Across the EU, Directive 2011/7/EU gives businesses a statutory right to interest on late commercial…Charging late fees on invoices in the United StatesThere is no federal statutory late-payment interest for private invoices in the US. A late fee is en…Charging interest and late fees on invoices in AustraliaIn Australia you can charge interest on overdue invoices if the customer agreed to it before you sup…Charging interest on overdue invoices in CanadaCanada's federal Interest Act has a trap for small businesses: if your terms state interest for a pe…Verzugszinsen: late payment interest on invoices in GermanyIn Germany, section 288 of the Civil Code (BGB) gives businesses a statutory right to default intere…Late payment interest on invoices in IrelandIreland implements the EU Late Payment Directive through the Late Payment in Commercial Transactions…Charging interest on overdue invoices in New ZealandNew Zealand has no statutory right to interest on a late invoice. You can charge it only if your wri…
This is general information with sources, not legal advice. Rules change, national implementations differ, and consumer contracts have their own regimes. Check with an adviser before relying on any of it.