Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax

Helping UK freelancers get paid on time: late payment rights, chase-up wording, Self Assessment and MTD dates. Every rule checked on Not legal advice.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

Your UK business client is paying late.

You may be owed more than the invoice.

What UK late payment law generally lets you claim (business-to-business only, not consumers) 🧵

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

When you need to verify, including the separate 14-day PSC window:
https://t.co/44FSGv22nt

Free One Login route: https://t.co/x76jhubRP9

A short guide: https://t.co/5Xqjj6oP84

Check https://t.co/3fTNIr5vU4 for your own dates. General information, not legal advice.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

If you use a limited company, treat 17 November as the last day of the Companies House identity check transition.

Sole traders are out of scope. Link your personal code to both usual roles: director and person with significant control. Your own deadline may already have passed.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

@HMRCgovuk Worth knowing if you're self-employed: the £1,000 test is on income before expenses. Earn £1,400 from freelance work, spend £600 on kit, and you'd generally still need to file for 2025-26. The online deadline is 31 January 2027.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

Source: https://t.co/3fTNIr4Y4w, Increasing the trading allowance. https://t.co/quBx26Dbfv
Finance Bill 2026-27 still to pass. Current £1,000 rules: https://t.co/PKJWk63puw

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

From 6 April 2027 the trading allowance is due to rise from £1,000 to £3,000, if Finance Bill 2026-27 passes as planned.

Same change for the Self Assessment reporting threshold. Check https://t.co/VAYsRVf3ko; it is not law yet.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

@minns_ai Fair point. https://t.co/3fTNIr4Y4w says the April 2029 change is about when you pay, not how much, and the frequency isn't decided yet, so the transition year is the detail to watch. Putting a fixed share of each invoice aside helps either way.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

Paying tax closer to when money comes in isn't mad on its own. The hard bit for freelancers is that clients don't pay on a timetable.

From April 2029, HMRC plans smaller, more regular Payments on Account. How often isn't decided yet. What's your plan for the overlap year?

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

@weekonekit Good one. A calendar date also makes the day it becomes late obvious. In the UK, if no date was agreed, a B2B invoice is generally due 30 days after the client gets it or the work is delivered, whichever is later, and statutory interest may apply after that.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

Things I wish I'd known before my first late payer:
1. Put payment terms in the contract, not only on the invoice
2. Ask who signs off payment before you start
3. Remind the day after due, not two weeks later
4. Statutory interest is the law, not a threat
What would you add?

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

None of this is legal advice. On business debts, https://t.co/VAYsRVf3ko explains interest and fixed recovery costs: https://t.co/ANn4yHYhl0
Reply with what you would add.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

Calculator: pick the tax year, car/van or motorcycle, and miles.
https://t.co/VE1xfRWJGU
Rates: https://t.co/VAYsRVevuQ https://t.co/3j7w5BSR61
Sole traders and partnerships only, not limited companies. Check https://t.co/VAYsRVevuQ before you file.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

The mileage rate depends on when you drove, not when you file.

The return due 31 January covers 2025-26, so it generally uses 45p a mile for the first 10,000. Miles you drive now are 2026-27 at 55p.

Example, 12,000 business miles by car: £5,000 for 2025-26, £6,000 for 2026-27.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

@MoneySavingExp Worth knowing if a grandparent under State Pension age does the childcare: they may be able to get Specified Adult Childcare Class 3 NI credits for a child under 12, if the parent gets Child Benefit and agrees to transfer them. It can fill gaps in their State Pension record.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

@yourlaunchkit_ @MartinSLewis Yes, and the catch worth knowing: if you reduce them and the final bill comes in higher, HMRC generally charges interest on the difference. So base the lower figure on your actual numbers so far, not a hopeful guess.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

@MoneyHelperUK For self-employed people, the HMRC app is a quick way to check your Self Assessment UTR and how much you owe before 31 January. You can also pay from it and set a payment reminder, which may be the easiest small step this week.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

@SB_Commissioner Worth knowing while the bill is debated: on a late B2B invoice a small supplier can already claim statutory interest at 8% over base (11.75% a year for July to December 2026) plus £40, £70 or £100 fixed compensation, depending on the invoice size.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

Source: https://t.co/3fTNIr5vU4 Timely payments in Income Tax Self Assessment factsheet. https://t.co/s56M3CWQZG
It changes when you pay, not how much. Returns still due by 31 January. Frequency still to come from HMRC. Check https://t.co/VAYsRVf3ko.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

@itcontracting Whatever happens to it, the current rules are worth knowing: if a medium or large client decides you're inside IR35, they must give you a status determination statement with reasons. You can disagree, and they must respond within 45 days.

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

£1,800 × 11.75% (interest starting Jul-Dec 2026) ÷ 365 × 45 ≈ £26.08, plus £70 fixed sum for debts of £1,000 to £9,999.99. B2B only; a different contract rate can change what you can claim.
Interest: https://t.co/TEpDk5xnZh
Fixed sums: https://t.co/tf4PwlvVmt

[Freelancer Ledger · UK late pay & tax @FreelancrLedger]

Worked example: £1,800 B2B invoice, 45 days overdue.
Under the late payment rules you may be able to add £70 fixed compensation, plus interest at 11.75% a year for each day it's late: about £26.08.
Same invoice. Clearer chase.