else completely focused on your accounts, you'll not only have peace of mind, you'll have that neutral spokesperson for your business that gives you added credibility. It can also send out a clear message that you mean business, so clients are less likely to muck you about. Use online tools If you can't afford to hire someone to do your payment chasing, then use some handy online accountancy tools like Freeagentcentral.com . We use this for our own business and find it especially helpful to send out automatic reminders for payment. It's also great for staying organised and keeping on top of who owes you what. There are lots of other online tools out there, so do some research and find something that works for you. Charge interest Did you know you have a statutory right to claim interest on late payments? Rates for calculating interest are known as 'reference rates' and are fixed for six-month periods based on The Bank of England base rate. To calculate the interest payment on overdue bills you take the relevant reference rate and add 8 per cent. Read this helpful article by Business Link on how to charge interest on late payments . Last straw If you've tried all of the above and you still haven't been paid for your work or the client is clearly avoiding you, then consider hiring a solicitor or debt collector to take things further. These legal professionals usually take a percentage of the debt they help to