Clairsmith FR

Late Payment Penalty Calculator

A business client is paying you late? Calculate the late-payment penalties and the fixed indemnity you can claim from them, then generate your reminder letter in one click.

The rate set in your terms and conditions or on the invoice.

Today by default, if the invoice is not paid yet.

Business client?

No rate set, or need the minimum rate? Fill in the rate from the current rates:

ECB key rates (Banque de France)
Legal interest rate (Banque de France)

Result

How it is calculated

  • Between businesses, late-payment penalties are due from the day after the due date, with no reminder needed (Article L441-10 of the French Commercial Code).
  • The rate is the one set in your terms and conditions or on the invoice. It cannot be lower than 3 times the legal interest rate. If no rate is set, it is the ECB key rate plus 10 percentage points.
  • Formula: unpaid amount × annual rate × number of days late ÷ 365.
  • On top of this comes a fixed indemnity of €40 for recovery costs, per invoice paid late.
  • With a private client, these rules do not apply: only interest at the legal rate can be claimed, usually after a formal notice.

Calculation aid. Check the rate set in your terms and conditions and the current rates on the Banque de France website.

The watch for freelancers who work on their own

Get the "E-invoicing 2027" checklist and news for freelancers, 1 to 2 emails a month.

Your data is handled by Brevo, in accordance with our privacy policy.