Your customer is not paying the invoice and you are wondering what the right step is now. Here is the clear order: when default starts, how to send a reminder, and when incaseof.law takes over for you.
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The short answer
For an unpaid invoice, first check the payment terms, receipt, outstanding balance and any objections. A due date and payment default are different things. Keep records of payments, credit notes and reminders. A due, undisputed claim with evidence of default may be submitted to incaseof.law under the terms.
Service scope and requirements: terms, sections I–III. Austria: payment default · Germany: payment default (German sources).
For complaints or a lack of response, see customer not paying. Review collection costs before handover.
Deadlines and default
Before you escalate, a clear view of the deadlines helps. These four stages show when your customer is in default and when handing the claim to incaseof.law is worth it.
Check the agreed payment date and the requirements for your performance. A date printed on the invoice alone does not replace a valid agreement.
An invoice becoming due does not always establish default. The applicable law, agreement and, where required, a reminder determine the next step. Austrian and German rules differ.
A reminder with a firm deadline creates evidence. You will find the right order of steps under how debt collection works and the cost side under what debt collection costs.
If payment still does not arrive, you can submit the claim for debt collection. We enforce it out of court and, if necessary, through the courts.
Austria: payment default · Germany: payment default (German sources).
Special cases
Not every case is the same. Four situations that come up often with unpaid invoices, and how you handle them.
If your customer pays only part of it, the remainder stays an open claim. You simply hand over the amount still outstanding, and the payment already received is credited.
For due, undisputed claims. If the debtor raises a substantiated objection, we can put you in touch with our partner lawyers on request.
Between companies (B2B) the statutory default interest is higher than for private customers (B2C). What that means for the cost side is set out under debt collection costs.
Small invoices are worth it too. There is no minimum volume, and the debt collection costs are borne by the defaulting customer, not by you as the creditor.
How it works
From the moment you hand over, everything runs through incaseof.law. You see every step in your portal. More on how the debt collection process works.
Upload the unpaid invoice digitally or hand it over automatically through the connector in your accounting system. In a few minutes.
As a licensed debt collection institute, incaseof.law calls on your debtor to pay, out of court and, if necessary, through the courts via electronic legal communication.
After successful collection we pay out, 100% of the claim, with nothing deducted. You can see the status in your portal at any time.
Where is my money?
An unpaid invoice costs you time chasing it and liquidity in your account, which is exactly what professional receivables management prevents. You hand over the claim, incaseof.law enforces it, from the out-of-court demand through the court title to enforcement.
Illustrative example.
What does it cost you? 100% of your claim stays with you. The debt collection costs arising from the default are borne by the defaulting debtor, not by you as the creditor.
What debt collection costs, in detailBy industry
The process stays the same, the typical cases differ. Find the right route for your business.
Law, money and peace of mind, from one source
incaseof.law is a debt collection institute licensed in Austria and registered in Germany. You hand over your open claim digitally, and we get the money.
Licensed in Austria and registered in the German Legal Services Register. The terms set out the scope and conditions of an engagement.
incaseof.law keeps no share of your principal claim. What your customer owes belongs in full to your account after successful collection.
Upload the claim, we take care of the rest. The entire collection runs through the connector and electronic legal communication.
Start now
Register to submit your claim, or contact us first if you have any questions.
Frequent questions
From due dates and default through disputed invoices to limitation periods. Your question is not here? We answer personally.
Contact usFrom the guide
From out-of-court demand letters to digital enforcement. How to secure your liquidity, step by step.
Read more
Consequences, deadlines and options for action, and why ignoring a debt collection letter is the worst choice of all.
Read more
A comparison of the regulatory frameworks and cost structures in receivables management between Austria and Germany.
Read moreSources and legal basis