Client won't pay — Bezirksgericht · Austria

Direct answer

Freelancers are not protected like employees, but they have fast tools: statutory late-payment interest and a fixed recovery fee from the day after the due date (EU late-payment rules), and a court payment order that in most countries takes weeks and needs no lawyer. Send one formal reminder with a 7-day deadline and the interest, then file the payment order at Bezirksgericht (justiz.gv.at). Nachbarschaftsmediation / Schlichtungsstelle der Gemeinde (oebm.at) is a cheaper route if the client disputes the work; Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Österreich (01 588 77 81) advises on contracts and cross-border claims.

Call firstBezirksgericht

Report toNachbarschaftsmediation / Schlichtungsstelle der Gemeinde

If that failsEuropäisches Verbraucherzentrum Österreich

🗣️ What to say

"Invoice [number] of [date] for [service], [amount], was due on [date] and remains unpaid. I ask for payment within 7 days to [account]. From [due date] statutory late-payment interest and the €40 recovery fee apply. If unpaid, I will file a court payment order without further notice."

🪜 Step by step

One formal reminderDated, amount, due date, 7 days, the interest and fee. Registered mail or email with read receipt.
Check the paperworkQuote, order, delivery confirmation, invoice. A disputed job needs proof of delivery; an undisputed one just needs the invoice.
Payment order at BezirksgerichtOnline in most countries, small fee, no lawyer. If the client does not object within the period, it becomes enforceable.
Client disputes the work? Nachbarschaftsmediation / Schlichtungsstelle der GemeindeMediation or the small-claims track. The threshold is what matters, not the merits.
Cross-border clientThe European Payment Order and the European Small Claims Procedure work across the EU with standard forms; Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Österreich explains which.

📇 All contacts

BezirksgerichtPayment claim without a lawyer up to €5,000When conciliation fails🔗 www.justiz.gv.at

Nachbarschaftsmediation / Schlichtungsstelle der GemeindeMediation in neighbour and housing disputesFor neighbour disputes🔗 www.oebm.at

Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum ÖsterreichFree help with sellers in other EU countriesSeller in another EU country📞 01 588 77 81 🔗 europakonsument.at

VolksanwaltschaftComplaints about authorities, freeWhen the authority does not answer or acts unfairly📞 0800 223 223 🔗 volksanwaltschaft.gv.at

❓ Frequently asked

What interest can I charge?

The statutory commercial rate (the ECB rate plus 8 points, roughly) plus a €40 minimum recovery fee per invoice, without agreement, from the day after the due date.

The client is a consumer, not a business

Then the commercial rules do not apply; the consumer rate is lower and the recovery fee needs a contract clause. The payment order still works.

The client is going bankrupt

File your claim with the administrator immediately and stop working for them. Unsecured creditors get little; speed gets more.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

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🧾 My client will not pay my invoice — what can I do as a freelancer?