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Getting paid guides

Getting paid is the last part of the job and the part that is easiest to leave unclear. A customer who knows how to pay, what to write as the reference, and when it is due, pays faster than one who has to ask. The notes below are the three things to hold in your head. They were read on gov.uk on 24 October 2026 where a rule is named.

Three things to know before you bill

First, bank transfer is the way most trades are paid on this app today. The invoice carries the invoice number as the payment reference and the bank block repeats it as Reference: INV-2041. The customer puts that reference on the transfer and you can match the money without asking. Keep your bank details and the reference together on the paper and on the customer’s link so the customer copies them in one go.

Second, a deposit and a balance on one job protects you on a long job. Take a deposit when the quote is accepted, mark it as paid against the invoice, and the balance is what is still owed. The app keeps the money still owed on the invoice and in the payment record, not the original total, so a chase asks for the right amount.

Third, card payments in the app are parked. The app can take a card on site when Mollie or SumUp is live, and the customer’s link will carry a Pay button then. Until then the paper and the customer’s page show bank details, and you can take a card in a separate app and tap Record payment on the bill. The pages here say when a method is live and when it is not, so the site never sells a door that does not open.

How to ask to be paid on site

Set the expectation on the quote, not on the day. Put the payment note under the total: when payment is due and how it is to be made. The app carries a payment note you set once in Settings under How you get paid. It starts as Payment is due on completion, by bank transfer, before I leave site. Keep it on or change it to your own words. When it is on it sits under the total on quotes and bills and under the amount on the customer’s page.

On completion, send the bill straight away. The customer’s page sits at link.yellowtradie.com as /done with the invoice code. It shows the bill and a box to confirm the work was done. The bank details sit on that page with the reference so a customer who wants to transfer can do it from their phone.

Some customers still pay cash on small domestic jobs. If that happens take the cash and tap Record payment. Record the amount and the method on the same invoice so your reports and your tax reflect what arrived, not what was invoiced.

When the money is late

The law lets you chase. Four steps are used across this site and in the app: a reminder on the due date, a nudge at about seven days overdue, a firmer letter with interest where you are due it, and a letter before action that gives a final date, usually 30 days, and notes you may start a claim. Each chase in the app fills with the amount still owed and your bank details and the invoice number, so the customer can pay from that message alone.

You can add statutory interest at 8 percent above the Bank of England base rate plus a fixed sum, where no fixed rate was agreed, for business to business debts under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act. The late payment interest calculator shows that sum. Read the rules on gov.uk for when they apply and what fixed sums are due. The app never files a claim for you. The templates give the words for each step.

Calculators for getting paid

Each page shows the method in words with a table, so it stays useful without the calculator.

Templates for getting paid

  • Invoice template: a worked invoice with payment reference and bank block, and the CIS block where it applies.
  • Statement of account template: what a customer owes across all jobs, dated and signed, helpful when the arrears span months.
  • Payment reminder template: the same ladder in message form, one thing per line, with the amount still owed.
  • Late payment letter template: the four steps as letters you can copy, with the letter before action and the small claims note at the end.
  • Timesheet template: hours on a job that become a labour line on the invoice, so time on site turns into cash.

Each specimen uses numbers that add up and real looking details marked as examples.

Posts on getting paid

Each post carries a key facts box at the top and sources at the foot. No post invents a customer count or a review.

  • Taking money on site: bank transfer, deposits, cash and card, with the payment note and the reference in place.
  • How to chase unpaid invoices: the four letters with the bank details and the reference ready to copy.
  • Late payment interest explained: statutory interest, your own rate, and when interest does not apply.
  • The cost of a missed call: how a missed enquiry reduces takings from your own records.

Related pages in the app

  • Getting paid: bank transfer with the invoice number as reference, deposits and balances on one job, and card payments when they are live.
  • Chasing: the chase with the amount still owed and the bank details already in it.
  • Customer messages: four messages for the four moments, where a blank box sends the app’s own words.
  • The customer’s page: the link where the customer approves a quote or signs off a bill. The bill page shows the bank details and the reference.

Sources

Payment and interest rules read on gov.uk on 24 October 2026.

Latest from the blog

The newest posts on getting paid sit here with the newest first. Until they are live the list below is planned and will appear as each post is published.

  • Taking money on site: bank transfer, deposits and taking a card on site when the page is live.
  • How to chase unpaid invoices: the four steps and the words to use, with the letters ready to copy.
  • Late payment interest explained: statutory interest at 8 percent above base rate and your own fixed rate.
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Sources