A client won't pay my invoice

Pull together what you actually have: the signed agreement or the email thread that formed one, the scope you delivered, the invoice, the payment terms, and every message where the client accepted the work. You do not need a formal contract — an email saying 'yes, go ahead, $4,000' plus delivery and an invoice is an enforceable agreement in every state.

Check your payment terms for a late-fee or interest clause and an attorney-fees clause. Those two lines change the economics of the dispute more than anything else you can do afterward, which is also why your next contract should include them.

Most payments arrive at step three. The demand letter works because it is the first message that reads like it was written for a judge to see later, and clients can tell the difference immediately.

• Day 1 past due: a short factual reminder with the invoice attached again.
• Day 10: a firm note stating the amount, the contract clause, and the late fee now accruing.
• Day 20: a formal written demand — the tone changes here, and it should be obvious that it has.
• Day 35: file in small claims, or hand it to collections if the amount justifies the haircut.

• The parties, the agreement date, and how the agreement was formed.
• The work delivered and the date it was accepted or used.
• The invoice number, amount, due date, and days outstanding.
• Contractual interest or late fees, calculated to a specific figure.
• A firm payment deadline and payment instructions.
• The next step you will take, stated once and without theatrics.

If the engagement is ongoing, stop work — but do it in writing, citing the payment breach, so it is a contractual suspension and not your abandonment. If you hold deliverables, source files, or an unassigned copyright, say so plainly: in the absence of a written assignment, you generally still own what you created until you are paid.

For construction, materials, and improvements to real property, a mechanic's lien is a far bigger hammer than a lawsuit and runs on short statutory deadlines. If that is your situation, look up your state's lien deadline before anything else.

Small claims ceilings run from $2,500 in Kentucky to $25,000 in Delaware and Tennessee, so a typical freelance invoice fits comfortably. The realistic question is collection, not judgment: a judgment against a dissolved LLC with no assets is paper. Check that the client is an operating business before you spend the filing fee, and sue the right entity — the LLC named on the contract, not the person who emailed you, unless they personally guaranteed it.

• 50% deposit up front, or milestone billing on anything over a few weeks.
• Net-14 rather than net-30, with a stated late fee.
• An attorney-fees clause — it is one sentence and it changes every negotiation.
• Written scope and change orders, so 'this wasn't what we agreed' has an answer.
• IP assignment on payment, not on delivery.

• Independent contractor agreement
• AI demand letter drafting
• Small claims limits by state

Easy Legal AI is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or attorney representation. This page is general information about how these disputes usually work; the rules that apply to you depend on your state and your facts.