Business debt recovery solicitors.
Cash flow is critical to the growth of any business and when customers fail to pay it can be a time consuming process to get what you're owed.
After just a couple of chasing letters and telephone calls, some businesses may opt to ignore the debt in the hope that payment will eventually arrive, but ultimately end up writing off as bad debts further down the line.
We are specialist business debt recovery solicitors with a history of successful recoveries that can offer you a range of simple fixed fee solutions to help you get the money you are owed.
After just a couple of chasing letters and telephone calls, some businesses may opt to ignore the debt in the hope that payment will eventually arrive, but ultimately end up writing off as bad debts further down the line.
We are specialist business debt recovery solicitors with a history of successful recoveries that can offer you a range of simple fixed fee solutions to help you get the money you are owed.
"UK Small businesses are owed billions in late payments, but a third are reluctant to chase slow-paying customers as they are worried about upsetting them or feel embarrassed."
"According to payments processing company, Bacs, the UK's small and medium-sized firms are currently owed £26bn in overdue payments."
Our fixed fee business debt collection services.
The debt recovery services we offer are flexible and designed to be cost effective for all circumstances and budget. We can take legal action on your unpaid invoices on your behalf, and usually only require a copy of the unpaid invoice/s to start the debt collection process. Our legal services are structured around a simple fixed fee with no deductions taken from the amount you are owed.
All our debt recovery work is conducted or supervised by a qualified solicitor with over ten years' experience in civil litigation. So you can be confident about the debt recovery legal advice we provide.
We offer the below cost effective fixed fee debt collection packages, from sending a debt recovery solicitors letter to taking your debtor to court and obtaining a judgment .
These services are suitable for most undisputed debts up to £100,000 where both parties reside and the debt was incurred in England or Wales (known in the court process as a Small Claim, Fast Track or Intermediate Track Claim).
All our debt recovery work is conducted or supervised by a qualified solicitor with over ten years' experience in civil litigation. So you can be confident about the debt recovery legal advice we provide.
We offer the below cost effective fixed fee debt collection packages, from sending a debt recovery solicitors letter to taking your debtor to court and obtaining a judgment .
These services are suitable for most undisputed debts up to £100,000 where both parties reside and the debt was incurred in England or Wales (known in the court process as a Small Claim, Fast Track or Intermediate Track Claim).
Letter Before ActionDebtor is a Business Often a business debt recovery letter from a firm of solicitors can be sufficient to recover the amount owed
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Letter of ClaimDebtor is an Individual or Sole Trader Send the debtor a Letter of Claim and related documentation to comply with the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims
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Issue Court ProceedingsDebtor is a Business or Individual If following a Letter Before Action or Letter of Claim your debt has not been paid, we will commence formal legal proceedings
£ 160 + VAT
* plus a court issue fee of between £35-£5,000 depending amount being claimed, which will be recovered as part of your debt. The current court fees and claim value bands can be found on the court website and do not attract VAT.
(debts up to £10,000) £ 220 + VAT (debts up to £25,000) £ 275 + VAT (debts up to £100,000) |
Disputed debts and excluded services.
Our fixed fee debt recovery services do not include dealing with disputed debts or defended court proceedings. Should assistance be required with contested court proceedings or debts, we may be able to offer further advice via our business dispute litigation service.
This litigation service may be available to be quoted as a fixed fee for matters allocated to the Small Claims Track or charged at an hourly rate of £150.00 plus VAT for Fast Track and £225.00 plus VAT for Intermediate/Multi Track matters. If we can offer our business dispute litigation service, we will agree with you the fees and scope of work before proceeding.
This litigation service may be available to be quoted as a fixed fee for matters allocated to the Small Claims Track or charged at an hourly rate of £150.00 plus VAT for Fast Track and £225.00 plus VAT for Intermediate/Multi Track matters. If we can offer our business dispute litigation service, we will agree with you the fees and scope of work before proceeding.
Recommended Debt Collection Solicitors
"We approached Catalyst Law to help us get a small amount of money owed to us by a customer. We used the fixed fee letter which worked straightaway and we were paid. We were very pleased with the great service, helpfulness and communication that Catalyst Law provided us."
Let our lawyers help with your business debt recovery today.
How long does it take to recover a business debt?
Debt recovery matters take between 2 to 24 weeks from instructions being received to securing payment or obtaining a judgment in default against a debtor. The exact timeframe depends on the type of debtor (individual or limited company) and if becomes necessary to issue a claim after a letter before action has been sent.
If civil enforcement action is required after obtaining a judgment, the matter will take longer to resolve depending on the method of enforcement used. However you do not have to instruct solicitors to enforce a judgment.
If civil enforcement action is required after obtaining a judgment, the matter will take longer to resolve depending on the method of enforcement used. However you do not have to instruct solicitors to enforce a judgment.
Debt recovery enforcement options.
Once we have assisted you in obtaining a County Court Judgment (CCJ) against a debtor, you may then need to take steps to enforce the judgment should payment not be received.
Unfortunately there are no guarantees that any enforcement method will be successful, as each depends on the financial circumstances and assets of the debtor.
We offer three types of judgment enforcement services which are detailed below along with the typical fees and disbursements (Court fees, third party charges etc.) for each. There may be case specific factors (e.g. multiple defendants) which mean some fees may vary, however will always confirm these with you prior to starting work.
Unfortunately there are no guarantees that any enforcement method will be successful, as each depends on the financial circumstances and assets of the debtor.
We offer three types of judgment enforcement services which are detailed below along with the typical fees and disbursements (Court fees, third party charges etc.) for each. There may be case specific factors (e.g. multiple defendants) which mean some fees may vary, however will always confirm these with you prior to starting work.
Writ of Control
This is when the court gives either a Bailiff or High Court Enforcement Officer (HCEO) the power to attend the debtor's property and secure payment or seize goods to the value of the CCJ.
Our fixed fee to instruct and correspond with a HCEO is £100.00 plus VAT. There will also be a Court fee to transfer the judgment to the High Court of £80.00 along with a HCEO compliance fee of £75.00 plus VAT, which is payable if the writ enforcement process is unsuccessful.
Our fixed fee to instruct and correspond with a HCEO is £100.00 plus VAT. There will also be a Court fee to transfer the judgment to the High Court of £80.00 along with a HCEO compliance fee of £75.00 plus VAT, which is payable if the writ enforcement process is unsuccessful.
Attachment of Earnings
If the debtor is an individual, this order instructs their employer to deduct an amount each week or month from the debtor's wages to be paid directly to you to satisfy the judgment.
Our fixed fee for completing the application for an Attachment of Earnings Order is £100.00 plus VAT. There is also a Court fee of £135.00 to submit the application.
Our fixed fee for completing the application for an Attachment of Earnings Order is £100.00 plus VAT. There is also a Court fee of £135.00 to submit the application.
Charging Order
This is an order to secure the judgment amount against property or land that is owned by the debtor. When the property is sold or remortgaged the debtor will likely need to pay the judgment to remove the charge from the property.
Our fees to draft the charging order documentation is £350.00 plus VAT. There will also be a Court fee for the application of £135.00 and Land Registry fees in the region of £100.00 which are not subject to VAT.
Our fees to draft the charging order documentation is £350.00 plus VAT. There will also be a Court fee for the application of £135.00 and Land Registry fees in the region of £100.00 which are not subject to VAT.
Business debts owed by a consumer or sole trader?
Debts owed to a business by an individual or sole trader now need to be dealt with under the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims which came into force 1 October 2017. This protocol requires that businesses have to provide much more documentation and information to debtors as well as give them at least 30 days to respond.
For business to business debt recovery you are still able to use a 'Letter Before Action' that provides a time frame of between 7 to 14 days. For more detail on what is involved in the new protocol, take a look at our guide What is the Pre-action Protocol for Debt Claims?
For business to business debt recovery you are still able to use a 'Letter Before Action' that provides a time frame of between 7 to 14 days. For more detail on what is involved in the new protocol, take a look at our guide What is the Pre-action Protocol for Debt Claims?
Debt collection agency or solicitor?
A small business debt collection agency can collect debts on your behalf by contacting the debtor using letters, phone calls, text messages etc. to simply chase the debt. However debt collection agencies don't have any more court or legal powers than you do as a creditor.
Intervention from a law firm is often enough to prompt a debtor to take action, especially if the next logical step is for the solicitor to issue legal proceedings to recover the debt on your behalf. Sending a letter before action is also commonly the most cost effective solution for small business debt recovery.
Intervention from a law firm is often enough to prompt a debtor to take action, especially if the next logical step is for the solicitor to issue legal proceedings to recover the debt on your behalf. Sending a letter before action is also commonly the most cost effective solution for small business debt recovery.
Our legal team.
Catalyst Law has been conducting debt recovery for over nine years and has dealt with over 2,000 cases. Assisting clients in recovering unpaid invoices, conducting debt related litigation and advising on judgment enforcement.
Our commercial debt team consists of three solicitors and a legal support administrator. Each solicitor has a minimum of ten years post-qualified experience in civil litigation claims and the whole team have extensive knowledge in the debt recovery process. Regularly conducting legal action against consumers, partnerships, limited companies and government bodies.
The law firm is led by Jane Gittins who supervises the work carried out by the debt team as well as handling cases herself. Jane is a solicitor with 19 years post-qualified experience with a proven track record of successfully dealing with debt matters from a few hundred pounds to the hundreds of thousands. Further information on Catalyst Law and feedback from previous clients can be found on our About Us page.
Our commercial debt team consists of three solicitors and a legal support administrator. Each solicitor has a minimum of ten years post-qualified experience in civil litigation claims and the whole team have extensive knowledge in the debt recovery process. Regularly conducting legal action against consumers, partnerships, limited companies and government bodies.
The law firm is led by Jane Gittins who supervises the work carried out by the debt team as well as handling cases herself. Jane is a solicitor with 19 years post-qualified experience with a proven track record of successfully dealing with debt matters from a few hundred pounds to the hundreds of thousands. Further information on Catalyst Law and feedback from previous clients can be found on our About Us page.
Personal debt collection.
While sole traders, small businesses and SMEs are regularly impacted by non-paying customers, individuals can also be owed money which they wish to recover. If a friend, family member or business owes you money the steps to enforce a personal debt are similar to the above, so please visit our debt recovery for individuals page for more information.
Bulk debt collection.
If your business has multiple debts to recover we offer a free initial telephone consultation to discuss how our bulk debt recovery service can work for your company. On volume debts (5 or more debtors) our debt recovery team may be able to provide a discounted fee structure depending of the amount owed and your terms of business. However please note that we do not offer 'no win no fee' debt collection.
Contact us today with brief details of your requirements and we will advise on the best solution.
Contact us today with brief details of your requirements and we will advise on the best solution.
Further resources on business debt collection.
- How to collect a debt from a customer - Once you've exhausted all the chasing letters and polite phone calls, what are the next steps in getting your invoice paid?
- Owed money, but no contract - Even without a written contract or agreement in place to show a debt, there is probably still other information that you may be able to obtain to prove a payment is due.
- How much does it cost to take someone to court for a debt? - Gain further information on the costs involved with taking someone to court to recover money owed.
- Claiming interest and compensation on overdue invoices - On most commercial arrears (business to business debt collection) you can claim interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate if they are not paid on time.
- How long do you have to collect a debt? - How old can a business debt be before it is 'statute barred'? We explain the time limits for claiming unpaid invoices in the UK.
Contact our commercial debt recovery solicitors
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this website, it does not constitute independent legal advice that is tailored to your individual circumstances. Catalyst Law cannot assume responsibility and do not accept liability for any loss or damage which may arise as a result of your reliance upon it or any of its linked materials. Please read our Terms of Use page for further information. VAT no. 438 1462 92.
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Catalyst Law 2026 - Catalyst Law is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, authorisation number 634437.