Choose your next step
If you’re not sure what’s best in your situation, you can get advice about payment problems.
When you're ready to take further action, you have several options to choose from.
Get advice
You can:
- call the government-backed helpline for England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland to get free business advice
- get free local business help from your nearest –
- call your professional or trade organisation to see what help they offer small businesses
- talk to a solicitor or accountant
Take action
Negotiate a solution
You may be able to reach an agreement with your customer or client. You can do this before taking other action, or you can pause legal action to give you time to negotiate.
Find out how do this negotiation yourself or pay for help from an unbiased third party, such as a mediator.
- Private
- Flexible
- Voluntary and non-binding
- Mediation from £50 plus VAT
Complain to the Small Business Commissioner
Ask the Small Business Commissioner to explore your case and make a recommendation. They’ll tell you if they can investigate.
You shouldn’t go to the Small Business Commissioner if:
- you’re in the construction industry – check your contract to see what should happen in the event of a dispute, or get advice from your professional body
- you supply to a supermarket – complain to the Groceries Code Adjudicator
- you’re a government supplier –
- use the Mystery Shopper service if you’re in England
- the Supplier Feedback Service in Wales
- the Single Point of Enquiry in Scotland
- the information in the Central Procurement Directorate Supplier Charter in Northern Ireland
- Voluntary and non-binding
- Can be anonymous
- Free
Take legal action
The legal action you can take includes sending a solicitor’s letter, making a money claim or getting a binding decision from a judge in court.
There are alternatives to court that can give you a legally binding decision or an expert opinion that will help you resolve your dispute. They can sometimes be quicker than court, but they can also be expensive.
- Solicitor’s letter from around £20
- Start a money claim from £25
- Extra costs for going to court