Invoice overdue. Where to start?
Work completed, invoice sent, payment deadline has passed. You check your account and still do not see the transfer.
Before you start debt collection, determine what you're dealing with: an oversight, the client's financial problem, an error in the document, or a dispute over the claim.
The most important distinction: a client who does not pay and a client who disputes the obligation to pay may require different procedures. Disputed claims are not handled in the same way as ordinary undisputed arrears. Forbrukerrådet
Step 1. Check the invoice and payment history
Start with your own documentation:
Was the invoice issued to the correct person or company?
Was it sent to the agreed address?
Does the amount match the order and the work performed?
Has the payment deadline actually passed?
Has the client paid part of the amount?
Could the transfer have been recorded under a different number?
Have you received a complaint or objections?
Prepare the contract or order, the invoice, correspondence and documents confirming completion.
This is a practical check before further action. It helps avoid a situation where a reminder concerns an amount already paid or an incorrect document.
If the invoice needs correction, return to the guide: First invoice in Norway: how to issue it and correct an error.
Step 2. Send a factual reminder
Purring is a reminder about an unpaid claim. It is not the same as a formal warning before debt collection.
You can start with a short contact: indicate the invoice number, the remaining amount and the due date, then ask them to check the payment. Attach the document again or a secure link to it.
You do not have to send several reminders before an inkassovarsel. The regulations do not grant the debtor the right to receive an ordinary purring before such a warning. Finanstilsynet.no
In practice: for a first overdue payment, a calm message helps determine whether the problem is administrative, financial or disputed.
Step 3. Distinguish sending a reminder from charging a fee
The mere passing of the deadline does not mean you can freely add costs.
If you want to charge a fee for a purring, the reminder can be sent no earlier than 14 days after the original payment deadline. It must also provide at least 14 days for payment and indicate the amount and the basis of the claim. Finanstilsynet.no
In 2026 the maximum fee for qualifying reminders or inkassovarsel is 38 NOK per document, subject to the conditions and limitations governing their charging. This is a cap, not an obligation to collect the fee. Finanstilsynet.no
Do not add an additional fee for each email or phone call.
Step 4. Prepare a proper inkassovarsel
Inkassovarsel is a warning that an unpaid claim may be referred to debt collection.
It should be in writing, relate to a debt whose due date has already passed, and set at least 14 days to pay. An ordinary purring does not have to precede it. Charging a fee for the warning is subject to additional conditions. Forbrukerrådet
Altinn indicates that the document should be clearly marked as „Inkassovarsel” or „Varsel om inkasso”. Reminders and debt collection
In practice, include:
the creditor's and debtor's details;
invoice number and description of the claim;
the remaining amount to be paid;
separately itemized, correctly calculated additional charges;
a new deadline;
payment details;
information about the possible referral of the case to inkasso.
Keep a copy and proof of sending. It's safest to use a properly configured software function or the services of an authorized company.
Step 5. If the customer disputes the invoice, clarify the dispute
The customer may say that the price differs from what was agreed, that part of the work was not performed, or that the service is defective.
Ask for specific objections and compare them with the documentation. Do not automatically treat every complaint as an attempt to avoid payment.
If the allegations are not obviously groundless, the claim is treated as omtvistet krav - a disputed claim. It should not be pursued through ordinary inkasso; clarification, an agreement, or the appropriate legal route is needed. Forbrukerrådet
This does not mean that your claim automatically disappears. It means that the collection mechanism itself does not decide who is right.
If you have already passed the case to a debt collection company, also provide it with the customer's objections and your response.
Step 6. Choose the next steps based on the situation
Situation — Next step — Client missed the invoice — Confirm the agreed payment date — Client requests installments — Consider a written schedule and a method for reconciling payments — No payment and no dispute — Check the conditions for further inkasso — Dispute about price or performance — Clarify the allegations and consider legal action — Uncertainty about the claim — Organize the basis and documentation before escalation
You can agree with the collection agency on the stage of handing over the case and the scope of service. Altinn describes both independent debt collection - self-collection - and cooperation with an external company. Reminders and debt collection
In a dispute one possible route is the Conciliation Board, i.e., the body that conducts conciliation proceedings and hears certain civil cases. Referring a case requires checking the procedure and involves a fee. regjeringen.no
You can find instructions on the page: Politiet - filing a conciliation complaint.
Do not treat the sending of a collection notice as a verdict or as an automatic right to seize the client's assets.
Can interest be charged?
Under certain conditions you can demand default interest, i.e., interest for delay.
The statutory rate applicable from 1 July to 31 December 2026 is 12.25% per year. Rates are set every six months. The start of accrual and any contractual arrangements must be checked for the specific claim. Finanstilsynet.no
Do not treat this rate as a monthly fee. For delays covering different periods apply the appropriate rates.
Up-to-date information and a calculator are published by Finanstilsynet.
Do not automatically add up all additional charges
For certain claims against businesses, public authorities and other legal entities, standard compensation may be due for the costs of recovering debts. From 1 July 2026 it is 430 NOK. It is not a general fee for every private customer. Finanstilsynet.no
The standard compensation and collection costs are not simply added to each other in full - there are rules for their mutual consideration. Finanstilsynet.no
Before you add surcharges, check the legal basis, the type of customer and the stage of proceedings.
What to do now?
Open one overdue invoice and determine:
Are the details, amount and due date correct?
How much actually remains to be paid?
Has the customer raised any objections?
What messages and reminders have already been sent?
What deadline currently applies?
Only then choose the next action. A properly documented case provides a better basis for recovering money than further messages sent without organizing the facts.
Information verified: 18.10.2026.
