What to do about an unpaid freelance invoice in France.

Check what is due before requesting payment.

Read the accepted quote, payment terms and invoice together. Check the client’s legal identity, any purchase reference, the agreed price, payments already received and the applicable due date. An invoice sent yesterday with a future payment date is not overdue. If the documents conflict, resolve that issue before announcing late-payment charges.

Separate an administrative error from a dispute

Ask whether the accounts team has what it needs: the correct company name, recipient, purchase reference and supporting documents. Correct a genuine invoice error under the applicable invoicing rules and preserve the document trail. The client’s internal approval process does not, by itself, rewrite the payment date you agreed.

If the client disputes the work, ask which deliverable or commitment is concerned. Compare the answer with the accepted scope and feedback already addressed. A missing purchase number needs a different response from a disagreement about conformity. Repeating the same reminder without answering the objection rarely moves the conversation forward.

Build a short, chronological record

Keep the agreement, acceptance messages, invoice, evidence of work delivered, approvals and payment history together. Record the relevant dates, people and next response expected. Retain the original documents: a summary helps someone understand the situation, but does not replace the evidence behind it.

A simple tracking line is enough to begin: “invoice [reference], balance [amount], due [date], last exchange [date], next action [action and date]”. After a call, confirm the useful points in writing and invite the client to correct anything inaccurate. A conversation should not quietly become an agreement that only one party thinks exists.

If the project was organised in Dealokr, start with its signed agreement and project history to find the scope, versions and exchanges. Reconcile those records with the invoice and payments received. They help reconstruct the facts without replacing an assessment of the whole matter.

Send a reminder that asks for a usable answer.

Your first reminder can be straightforward: identify the invoice, outstanding balance and due date, attach the document and ask when payment will be made. Send it to someone who can progress the payment, keeping your project contact informed when useful. A longer list of recipients does not necessarily create a clearer responsibility.

A short message to personalise

Replace every placeholder and check your payment records before sending it. The proposed reply date helps organise the conversation; it is not a universal legal deadline. If the client says a transfer has been sent, ask for its reference and check receipt rather than closing the matter on the basis of a promise.

Confirm any payment plan you accept

A client experiencing difficulties may offer instalments. Consider the proposal against your cash flow and the remaining exposure. If you agree, record the amounts, payment dates, payment method and treatment of any additional sums. Have the agreement address what happens if an instalment is missed, with terms appropriate to the situation.

A proposal is not an accepted payment plan. Obtain written confirmation, record each payment and update the balance as money arrives. If the amount is significant or you are giving up rights, have the arrangement reviewed before accepting it. An open-ended sequence of reminders is less useful than a clear next decision.

Separate late-payment penalties from the €40 allowance.

For business-to-business relationships covered by the French payment-deadline regime, late-payment penalties become due the day after the payment date shown on the invoice, without a prior reminder. The payment terms must state the rate and conditions; the required information must also appear on the invoice.

Verify the rate before calculating anything

An agreed rate cannot be lower than three times the French statutory interest rate. Without a valid different provision, the reference is the European Central Bank’s refinancing rate plus ten percentage points, using the half-year reference set out in the French Commercial Code. Check the rate for the relevant period rather than copying a figure from an old invoice.

Prepare a calculation separate from the principal: invoice reference, calculation base, annual rate, period and result. Get the calculation checked if a partial payment or more than one rate period is involved. An improvised percentage does not make a payment request more convincing or easier to justify.

Do not add €40 for every day of delay

The fixed recovery allowance is €40 per overdue invoice, once, rather than per day or per reminder. It does not apply to a consumer client. The Code also limits these allowances when formal insolvency proceedings prevent payment at maturity; that situation requires a different approach from an ordinary payment reminder.

If your documents are incomplete, your client is a public body or the transaction is international, have the applicable regime checked. Show the principal, penalties and any justified allowance separately. Each amount should have an identifiable basis, rather than simply appearing inside a larger total.

Prepare a formal demand that fits the situation.

If an amicable request has not resolved the issue, a French formal demand, or mise en demeure, sets out what you are requesting. It is not a guaranteed solution or a step universally required in every case. The demand must be sufficiently clear, and you should preserve evidence of its content and delivery using an appropriate method.

A starting structure to have reviewed

The template below concerns a service invoice that you consider due. Adapt it to the contract, the debtor’s exact identity and the exchanges so far. A substantial dispute, a consumer client or an international matter calls for a review of the appropriate approach before you send it.

Choose a date suited to the matter: “seven days” is not a universal legal period to insert automatically. Remove irrelevant placeholders, attach readable copies and check the balance against payments received. Do not announce immediate seizure of assets or proceedings that you have not started.

Depending on the case, a registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt or a demand delivered through a commissaire de justice may be appropriate. Keep the actual document and delivery evidence, not only a tracking number. A lack of response does not itself establish that every part of your claim is legally justified.

Match the next step to the debt and the client’s response.

Before committing more time or money, review the remaining balance, supporting evidence, nature of any dispute and debtor’s situation. Those facts matter more than the number of reminders sent. A lawyer or a French commissaire de justice can help assess the available options and associated costs.

Look for an agreement where dialogue remains possible

Subject to eligibility, France’s Médiateur des entreprises provides a free, confidential service for disputes between economic actors. Participation is voluntary and the aim is an agreement between the parties. It can help reopen a blocked discussion; it does not replace a court decision or guarantee that money will be recovered.

Consider court proceedings without assuming the outcome

A French injonction de payer may suit a contractual debt that is certain, has a defined amount, is due and is not time-barred. The request needs supporting documents and a judge decides whether it is justified. A substantial dispute about the service may call for a different route, to be assessed with a professional.

A commissaire de justice may act in amicable recovery or enforce a title authorising the relevant measures. An invoice alone, even when overdue, does not authorise seizure of assets. Check the competent court, formalities and procedural deadlines for your circumstances instead of relying on a fixed timetable from a general guide.

Change your approach if insolvency proceedings have opened

If the client enters French safeguard, judicial reorganisation or liquidation proceedings, promptly check the formal notices and whether a declaration of your claim is required. The relevant contact and deadlines need particular attention. Continuing the same ordinary reminders overlooks a change that can affect how your claim must be handled; seek suitable advice where needed.

Arrange payment before committing the work.

Once this invoice has a clear follow-up plan, consider what you can improve on your next commission: an identified client and decision-maker, written scope, accepted price, understandable due date and clear handoff conditions. Ask about purchasing procedures before production. That gives you time to obtain an approval or reference instead of discovering it is missing after delivery.

Connect the agreement and payment at the start

For a fixed-price project, Dealokr lets you get the agreement signed and have the client pay 100% of the project price upfront through Stripe Connect. You define the scope, deliverables and revisions before producing the work. The new project is funded at the beginning, rather than leaving the final invoice as the first moment you discover a payment problem.

This arrangement does not turn an existing unpaid invoice into money received. That invoice still needs its own recovery approach. For a new project, agree on the arrangement before signing and verify the actual payment status before beginning the relevant work.

Keep the work, decisions and handoff understandable

In Dealokr, the client can review a preview and request agreed revisions. The project retains a timestamped history of exchanges and stages, while hosted final files remain protected under the handoff process. These records help explain what was presented and which decisions were made, without promising that disagreements can never arise.

Continue issuing invoices and maintaining accounting records through tools appropriate to your activity. A clear agreement, payment tracking and preserved documents serve different, complementary purposes. Together they make the project easier to follow; no single document resolves every possible difficulty on its own.

Five answers to keep your request clear.

How many reminders should I send before taking another step?

There is no universal number to reach. Use the first response to decide whether to correct a document, request a payment date or formalise the demand. Put a next decision in your own follow-up record instead of sending an indefinite sequence of identical emails. Check any requirements attached to the route you are considering.

What if the client says they have already paid?

Ask for the payment date, amount and reference. Compare them with receipts in your records, including payments under another name. If the money has arrived, update the balance and confirm it. If not, explain that reconciliation is still outstanding rather than claiming that the client is being dishonest.

Can I charge the €40 allowance to a private individual?

No. The business recovery allowance described here does not apply to a consumer client. Do not reuse a B2B reminder while automatically keeping its penalties and additional charges. Check the contract and applicable rules for that relationship before requesting amounts beyond the principal.

What if the client disputes only part of the work?

Ask for a specific objection identifying the deliverable and agreed requirement concerned. Separate the amounts being disputed from those the client recognises, then seek written confirmation. Your own allocation is not automatically an accepted agreement. A substantial dispute deserves an appropriate assessment before you choose a recovery route.

Can Dealokr recover this invoice for me?

This project workflow is not a debt-recovery service for an existing invoice. It helps organise future work with a signed agreement, upfront client payment and a record of the project. For the current debt, preserve your evidence and choose the amicable or legal approach appropriate to the circumstances.