Templates › Late payment law by country / state
Invoicing French clients: mandatory late-payment penalty wording, the €40 indemnité forfaitaire and payment term limits.
In France, B2B invoices must state late payment penalties and the €40 fixed recovery indemnity (indemnité forfaitaire pour frais de recouvrement). Payment terms are capped (generally 60 days from invoice, or 45 days end of month if agreed). Penalties may not be lower than three times the legal interest rate; if none is set, the default is the ECB rate plus 10 points. Omitting the mentions can itself lead to fines.
This is a general summary that may be out of date. Not legal advice. Verify current rules on official government or court websites.
Subject: Overdue invoice [INV-123]: [amount] due [due date] Dear [Name], Invoice [INV-123] for [amount] for [services] was due on [due date] and remains unpaid despite my reminders of [dates]. Please pay the outstanding balance [plus interest/compensation permitted by law or our agreement: state the basis] by [date]. If payment is not received by then, I intend to [next step for this jurisdiction] without further notice. If you dispute any part of the invoice, please tell me in writing by that date. Regards, [Your name]
Paste the amount, client, days overdue and region. Get the friendly, firm and final emails plus late-fee wording and calendar reminders in 20 seconds. 2 free, no signup.
Generate my sequence freeNot legally for the reminder, but French improves response rates and is safer for formal demands.
Yes, it is due per late invoice in B2B transactions.
General information and draft wording only. Not legal advice. PaidNudge is not a law firm or a debt collector. Check your contract and local rules, or ask a qualified lawyer, before relying on any late fee, interest or court step.