1. What this policy is for

This policy explains when we expect to be paid, what we charge if an invoice is paid late, and what we will do to get overdue money back. It applies to every business customer of The Real Dietitian ("we", "us"). It is based on the UK's late payment law, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

This policy is for business customers only. The legal right to charge interest and fees on late invoices does not cover consumers (private individuals buying for personal use).

2. When payment is due

Our standard payment terms are 30 days from the invoice date, unless we have agreed something different with you in writing. The due date is shown on every invoice.

We only accept longer payment terms longer if they are agreed in writing and are fair to both sides.

Your invoice is "paid" when the money reaches our bank account, not when you send it. Please allow enough time for your payment to clear.

We accept payment by bank transfer, the bank details will be on our invoice to you. Cash is accepted, we ask that you please have this ready to give us on the day if you prefer cash.

3. What you will owe if you pay late

If an invoice is not paid by its due date, we will charge the following. These charges start the day after the due date and are set by law.

We charge interest at 8% a year on top of the Bank of England base rate. Interest builds up daily until we receive the full payment.

To work out the interest on an invoice:

Interest Added= Amount Overdue x (8%+Base Rate /365) x Days Late

Do contact us if you are paying late and need support calculating the amount owing.

We also charge a fixed fee for each late invoice, based on the size of the invoice:

Fixed fee

Less than £1,000: £40

£1,000 to £9,999.99 : £70

£10,000 or more: £100

Extra recovery costs. If we have to spend more than the fixed fee to collect the money (for example, solicitor's or debt agency fees), we may also charge you the reasonable extra cost, and we will show you evidence of it.

These charges apply whether or not we have reminded you first. We will show them as separate lines on a new invoice or statement.

4. How we chase overdue invoices

We follow the same steps for every customer, so nobody is treated differently.

Before the due date: we may send a friendly reminder.

After the payment due date: we send a polite email to check whether the invoice has been received and to ask when it will be paid

21 days overdue: we send a final written notice. It says that unless we are paid,, we will start formal debt recovery (see section 6). We may also pause any work or deliveries for you until the account is settled.

If you are having trouble paying, please tell us as early as you can. We are happy to talk about a payment plan, but it must be agreed in writing. Interest and fees keep running unless we agree otherwise in writing.

5. If you disagree with an invoice

If you think an invoice is wrong, please tell us in writing within 7 days of receiving it. Explain what you disagree with and why.We will look into it and reply within 7 days. Please pay any part of the invoice that is not in dispute by the due date.

If we agree the invoice was wrong, we will issue a corrected invoice or a credit note, and no late charges will apply to the amount we got wrong. If we do not agree, we will explain why, and the original due date still stands. Late charges may still apply.

6. If the invoice stays unpaid

If we have not been paid after the final notice, we may take one or more of these steps:

Send a formal letter, giving you 30 days to pay or respond before we start a court claim.

Pass the debt to a debt recovery agency or a solicitor.

Make a claim through the county court to recover the invoice, interest, fixed fee and any court costs.

Stop supplying goods or services to you until the account is cleared.

We have up to six years from the due date to claim unpaid invoices in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (five years in Scotland), but we aim to act far sooner than that.

Any interest and fees you owe will continue to build up until the full amount is paid.