How Plumbers Get Paid on Time: Invoices, Deposits and Chasing Late Payments in the UK

You can be booked solid, do tidy work and price properly, and still have a rubbish month because the money hasn't landed. A bathroom fit waiting on its final payment, a letting agent who "pays on the 30th", a homeowner who went quiet after you fixed the leak. It adds up fast when you're buying materials up front and paying for fuel every week.

Most late payment isn't fraud. It's people being disorganised, unclear on what they owe, or quietly unhappy about something they never told you. The fix is mostly boring admin done early. This guide covers how to set things up so you get paid on time, and what to do in the UK when someone still won't pay.

Agree the Money Before You Pick Up a Tool

Nearly every payment argument starts with something that wasn't said at the start. Before the job, the customer should know:

• The price or how it's worked out. A fixed quote, or your hourly or day rate plus materials.
• Any call-out or attendance charge, and whether it comes off the bill if they go ahead.
• When payment is due. On completion, within seven days, or in stages.
• How they can pay. Bank transfer, card, or a payment link.
• What happens if the job grows. For example, "if we find anything extra, I'll stop and give you a price before carrying on."

Put it in writing, even if it's just a text or a short email. "As discussed, £X for the new radiator and valves, fitted Thursday, payment by bank transfer on the day" takes thirty seconds and settles most disputes before they start.

Use Deposits and Stage Payments on Bigger Jobs

For a dripping tap, payment on completion is fine. For a bathroom, kitchen or full central heating install, you shouldn't be funding the customer's project out of your own account for three weeks.

A common setup for larger jobs:

1. A deposit to book the slot, often enough to cover the materials you'll order.
2. One or more stage payments tied to clear milestones, such as first fix done or boiler fitted.
3. The balance on completion, once you've walked the customer through the finished job.

Tie each stage to something the customer can see, not a date. "When the old suite is out and first fix is done" is much harder to argue with than "end of week two".

Know the 14-Day Cancellation Rule for Home Customers

If you agree a job with a homeowner in their home (rather than at your premises), the Consumer Contracts Regulations usually give them a 14-day right to cancel. You have to tell them about it in writing, normally with a cancellation form.

This matters for getting paid. If they ask you to start within the 14 days and you've given them the right information, they can still cancel but have to pay for the work done up to that point. If you never gave them the cancellation information, they may be able to cancel and owe you nothing, even for work already finished. Genuine emergency repairs that the customer asks you to do straight away are treated differently, but don't rely on that for planned work. Citizens Advice and GOV.UK both explain the rules, and a trade body or solicitor can check your paperwork.

Send a Proper Invoice, Same Day

The longer you wait to invoice, the longer you wait to get paid. Send it the day the job finishes, from your phone if you have to.

GOV.UK's guidance on invoicing and taking payment lists what an invoice should include:

• A unique invoice number
• Your name or business name, address and contact details
• If you're a limited company, the full company name as registered
• The customer's name and address
• A clear description of the work and materials
• The date the work was done and the date of the invoice
• The amount due, and VAT details if you're registered (see our guide to VAT for plumbers)

Add your payment terms, bank details and a reference to quote. A one-line "Payment due within 7 days by bank transfer to the account below" in bold near the total does more than a page of small print.

Make Paying You Ridiculously Easy

Every extra step is an excuse to put it off. A few things that help:

• Take card on the doorstep. A card reader on your phone means you can be paid before you've packed the van.
• Send a payment link with the invoice so the customer taps once instead of copying sort codes.
• Show your bank details clearly, and tell customers you'll never change them by text or email. Invoice-redirection scams are real, and a warning protects both of you.
• Use accounting software that marks invoices as paid and sends reminders for you.

Chase Politely, Early and on a Schedule

Most plumbers don't chase because it feels awkward. Treat it as a routine instead of a confrontation. A simple schedule for a homeowner job might look like this:

That question at day seven is important. If the customer is holding back because the shower still drips, you want to know now, fix it, and get paid, not find out in court.

Late Payment Interest for Business Customers

When your customer is a business, such as a letting agent, builder, landlord company or shop, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act lets you claim statutory interest and a fixed sum for debt recovery costs on late invoices. GOV.UK explains how it works on its page about late commercial payments, including the current rate and amounts.

You don't have to use it, and many plumbers don't for good regular customers. But mentioning it in your terms, and in a firm letter, usually speeds things up. These rules don't apply to private homeowners.

If you work for main contractors, the construction payment rules on payment notices and the right to suspend work for non-payment may also apply. That's worth a proper read or a chat with your trade body if subcontracting is a big part of your work.

When a Customer Still Won't Pay

If reminders, calls and a final letter haven't worked:

1. Send a letter before action. Say what's owed, what for, and that you'll start a court claim if it's not paid by a set date, usually 14 days for an individual. Keep a copy.
2. Offer a payment plan if they say they can't afford it in one go. Something coming in beats nothing.
3. Use the small claims process. In England and Wales you can make a claim online through Money Claim Online. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own simple procedures with different limits. There are court fees, which you can usually add to the claim.
4. Keep your evidence together: the quote or agreement, texts and emails, photos of the finished work, the invoice and your reminders.

Judges like a paper trail. A plumber with a clear written price, a dated invoice and polite chasers usually looks a lot better than a customer who says they "weren't sure what it would cost".

Let Your First Phone Call Do Some of the Work

Plenty of payment trouble traces back to the first call: a price mentioned in passing, a call-out charge the customer didn't hear, an address taken down wrong. Whoever answers your phone, whether that's you, a family member or something like Slotby, should confirm the basics and send them by text so there's a record from the start. If you're still deciding how to price your jobs, get that sorted first, because clear prices are much easier to collect.

A Quick Checklist

• Price, payment terms and how to pay agreed in writing before starting
• Deposit and stage payments on anything big
• Cancellation information given for jobs agreed in customers' homes
• Invoice sent the same day, with everything GOV.UK lists
• Card reader or payment link ready
• Chasing schedule written down and followed
• Late payment interest in your terms for business customers
• Evidence kept for every job, just in case

None of this is exciting. But a plumber who gets paid in seven days instead of forty-five has more cash, less stress and more time for the work that actually earns money. If you're still setting things up, our guide to setting up a plumbing business in the UK covers the rest of the basics.