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Work · Germany
Updated September 2026

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

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 Amtsgericht — Online-Mahnverfahren (mahngerichte.de). Schiedsamt / Schiedsstelle der Gemeinde (schiedsamt.de) is a cheaper route if the client disputes the work; Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Deutschland (+49 7851 991480) advises on contracts and cross-border claims.

Call firstAmtsgericht — Online-Mahnverfahren
Report toSchiedsamt / Schiedsstelle der Gemeinde
If that failsEuropäisches Verbraucherzentrum Deutschland

🗣️ 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

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

📇 All contacts

Amtsgericht — Online-MahnverfahrenPayment order without a lawyer, then a claimLast step, when the claim is clear🔗 www.mahngerichte.de
Schiedsamt / Schiedsstelle der GemeindeLow-cost mediation in neighbour disputes, often mandatory before courtFor neighbour and building disputes🔗 www.schiedsamt.de
Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum DeutschlandFree help with sellers in other EU countriesSeller is in another EU country, Norway or Iceland📞 +49 7851 991480🔗 www.evz.de
Petitionsausschuss / Bürgerbeauftragte der LänderComplaints about authorities, inaction, unfair treatmentWhen the authority does not answer or acts unfairly🔗 epetitionen.bundestag.de

❓ 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

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “freelancer client not paying Germany”
  • “court payment order unpaid invoice”
  • “late payment interest freelancer”
  • “european payment order”
  • “small claims unpaid invoice Germany”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

💼Unpaid wages→👻Fake invoice→⚖️Unfair dismissal→🤒Sick and pressured→

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