Glossary · Austria and Germany
Reminder costs and charges
Reminder costs are expenses arising from a payment request. Businesses use several labels for them, including reminder fees or charges. A label on an invoice does not itself establish a right to reimbursement.
Distinguish the concepts
Your own expense and an amount recoverable from the debtor are separate. Internal administration time is not automatically recoverable at any chosen flat rate. Contractual charges also need assessment under applicable rules. External collection costs and a statutory late-payment lump sum are further categories that cannot simply be stacked without checking overlap.
Jurisdiction and scope
Austrian recovery of additional collection expenses requires, among other things, necessary and appropriate measures and a reasonable relationship to the claim. In Germany, assess the conditions for damages caused by default. In particular, a demand that first triggers default should not automatically be treated as an expense caused by an already existing default.
Illustrative business example
Your accounting system adds ten euros at every reminder stage. Before handover, check the actual expense, relevant agreement and whether default had already arisen. Keep principal and each additional item separate. An automated export does not prove that every amount is legally owed.
Common questions
Is there a universal fixed reminder charge?
No fixed entitlement follows just from sending a reminder. Jurisdiction, legal basis and expense matter.
What about the EUR 40 lump sum?
It is a separate statutory item for certain transactions. In particular, Germany’s offset against legal-recovery costs must be considered.
How should I document a charge?
Record reason, date, amount and basis. Distinguish actual expense from a contractual or statutory claim to reimbursement.
Related topics
Your next step
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