Send payment reminders yourself or hand over the claim?
Handling reminders yourself costs time and attention, and delay can put the claim at risk. When you hand over to incaseof.law, you keep 100% of the principal because the defaulting customer bears late-payment costs.
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Briefly explained
Handle payment reminders yourself or use a debt collection agency?
Legally, a reminder with a deadline is sufficient, further payment reminders are optional. As soon as your customer does not respond to this, each further attempt costs more than it brings. incaseof.law Stay 2026 100 % Your principal claim with you, because the defaulting customer pays the defaulting costs.
Information provided by incaseof.law, licensed debt collection agency in Austria and Germany. Legal basis of the default costs: late-payment interest and default damage in the ABGB. As of August 2026.
The True Price
The real cost of handling payment reminders yourself.
Handling reminders yourself appears cheapest because no separate invoice is issued. But three cost items still exist even though they do not appear on a bill.
Chasing payments takes up your team’s time
Follow-ups, deadlines and calls take up your team’s time. While you handle reminders internally, every hour spent is an hour unavailable for the business.
Your customer relationship is also at stake
When you chase payment yourself, you negotiate money directly with your customer. Handing over lets incaseof.law manage the difficult part while you preserve the relationship.
The statute of limitations continues
Many current business claims expire in Austria after three years. If the deadline expires, the claim is permanently lost, regardless of how often you have warned.
The late-payment interest you may claim is calculated by the Late-payment interest calculator off. Create a formally clean reminder with the Payment reminder generator. Both remain meaningful as long as your customer is still responding.
Next step
Sent a second reminder and still had no response?
Each further attempt then costs more than it achieves. Submit the unpaid invoice in a few minutes; incaseof.law handles the rest. Your principal claim remains unreduced.
In comparison
Handle reminders yourself or hand over the claim: a direct comparison.
Nine criteria, both columns with their disadvantages. The table on the left describes your own reminder and on the right the performance model of incaseof.law.
Situation as at: August 2026
| Characteristic | Handle reminders yourself | Handover to incaseof.law |
|---|---|---|
| What remains of the principal claim | 100% if your customer pays at the end. | 100 % of the principal claim, without deduction and without commission. |
| Those who bear the costs of default | Your own time will remain with you. | The defaulting debtor. |
| Time spent | Follow-ups, deadlines and phone calls take up your team’s time. | Upload invoice, status at any time in the portal. |
| Duration until payment | Open. Each further reminder extends the period. | ca. 21 days up to the payout on average, often only a few days. |
| Range | Usually ends at the last payment reminder in practice. | From the request to the judicial title to enforcement. |
| Legal status | No special legal status vis-à-vis the debtor. | Licensed debt collection agency in Austria and Germany, confirmed by the Supreme Court. |
| Time limits and limitation period | You monitor the deadline yourself. | incaseof.law checks the deadline of the claim and initiates the steps in good time. |
| Contract and minimum volume | Not applicable, but all the work remains in the house. | No contract, no minimum volume, no costs for creditors. |
| When it fits | As long as the invoice is fresh and your customer is still responding. | As soon as deadlines pass or your customer no longer responds. |
What fits for whom: While the invoice is recent and the customer responds, your own reminder is the quickest route; one reminder with a deadline can suffice legally. If deadlines pass or the customer stops responding, handover preserves the full principal because the debtor bears late-payment costs. For the cost breakdown, see the Summary of debt collection costs.
Comparison criteria: payout, who pays, workload, duration, scope of enforcement, legal status, deadline monitoring, contractual commitment and suitable use cases. The incaseof.law column describes our service model. The 21-day figure is the network’s case average. As of August 2026.
Decision-making aid
Five signs that sending more reminders will not help.
If you recognise these costs, you have reached the point where handing over may be cheaper than another reminder.
- The term of the last payment reminder has elapsed.You sent a reminder with a deadline. The deadline has passed and no payment has arrived.
- Your customer is no longer responding.Calls, emails, and reminders remain unanswered. Any further attempt will take time without changing the situation.
- The bill is several weeks old.The older a claim is, the harder it gets, and the deadline for the statute of limitations is approaching.
- Following up takes up your team’s time.Time spent monitoring deadlines and chasing payments is time away from running the business. These hours do not appear on a separate invoice.
- You want to avoid putting pressure on the customer relationship yourself.A licensed debt collection agency conducts the conversation about money in your place, factually and on your behalf.
If any of these points applies, handover allows you to retain the full principal. For how handover works, see Debt collection services. If it's more about the bill than about the customer, the page helps Bill not paid.
Your result
100 % of the claim and the costs are borne by the debtor.
incaseof.law retains no share of your principal and charges no success commission. Unsuccessful collection also creates no costs for you.
The handover
What you hand over and what you receive.
Once you hand over the claim, incaseof.law communicates with the debtor on your behalf. That is the main difference from sending reminders yourself.
Your result
100 % of the claim
without deductions to your account, after successful entry
- incaseof.law does not retain any portion of your principal claim.
- No commission and no deduction from the amount collected.
- No contract, no minimum volume, no costs for creditors.
- If collection is unsuccessful, you incur no costs from it.
The procedure
Every stage, handled for you
from invitation to payment
- Out-of-court payment request with clear deadline, then reminder and final reminder.
- If payment remains outstanding, incaseof.law obtains an enforceable title through electronic court filing (ERV).
- Enforcement is the last step, completely controlled by incaseof.law.
- You can see the status of each claim until payment is made in the portal.
Situation as at: August 2026
Whether a judicial step becomes necessary after the out-of-court stage decides the course. The difference between the two paths is in comparison out of court or court; for collection step by step, see how incaseof.law works.
Customer voices
What clients say about handing over their claims.
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Right, money and rest, from one source
A solution that secures three things: your right, your money and your peace.
incaseof.law is a licensed collection agency in Austria and Germany with a model confirmed by the Supreme Court. Submit the payment-order claim digitally; we file it through ERV.
Licensed and confirmed by the Austrian Supreme Court
We prepare and electronically file the payment-order claim through ERV, under human supervision and within the legal framework. You do not need to attend court yourself.
100 % go to you
We retain no share of the principal. The debtor reimburses court fees and owes collection fees as an ancillary claim.
You keep control
You hand over the claim digitally and keep an eye on the status. If you want to be represented by a lawyer, you switch to the partner law firm with a click.
Start Now
Submit your outstanding claim in a few minutes.
Transfer your outstanding claim digitally, the rest will be carried out by incaseof.law, up to the request for payment order. If you have any questions, contact us in advance.
Common questions
Your questions about reminders and handing over claims.
From the number of reminders to the costs to the statute of limitations. Your question is not there? We answer personally.
Get in touchFrom our guides
Knowledge that protects your liquidity.
How many reminders are required until collection?
There is no legal minimum number. Which levels are common in Austria and what they bring.
Read more
Reminder before collection: from when you can hand over
Legally, a reminder with a deadline is enough. When further reminders are worthwhile and when you better hand over.
Read more
Interest on late payments in Austria: what you are entitled to in case of late payment
In case of late payment, you are entitled to interest on late payment. This is how you calculate what the defaulting customer bears.
Read moreSources and legal bases
- § 1333 ABGB, late interest and late payment costs (RIS, 2026)
- Regulation on the maximum rates of debt collection institutions due, BGBl. No 141/1996 (RIS, 2026)
- § 118 GewO 1994, debt institutions (RIS, 2026)
- § 244 ZPO, payment procedure and value limit 75,000 Euro (RIS, 2026)
- Order for payment procedure, explanation page of the Republic of Austria (2026)
- GISA, Business Information System Austria, GISA 32140156 (2026)
- Legal Services Register, Federal Office of Justice, Reg. No. 2024 0000 8388 (2026)
Last reviewed 21.08.2026