Professional services

Debt collection for professional services firms with clients abroad

Unpaid project fees, retainers, placement fees and time-and-materials invoices from clients in other countries, collected by a licensed partner in the client's country. You pay only when money is recovered.

$0 upfront One agreement for every country You stay in control of the client relationship
Sound familiar?

Why professional services invoices go unpaid

Your work crosses borders: projects, placements and advisory work for clients in many countries. The work is done, and then the last invoice is the hardest one to collect.

Project delivered, final invoice ignored

The client signed off the work, paid the deposit and went quiet on the last invoice.

Placement made, fee still open

The candidate started weeks ago, but the client's finance team abroad has not paid the placement fee.

Approved hours, unpaid invoices

The project lead approved every hour, yet the time-and-materials invoices sit unpaid in a foreign payables queue.

A court abroad costs more

Suing in the client's country would cost more than the fee itself, so the invoice just ages.

How Debitura helps

A licensed expert in your client's country

We match each claim to a vetted local partner who knows the language, the late-payment law and the courts. You sign one agreement and follow every case on one platform.

Local late-payment law on your side

A partner in the client's country writes in the client's language and applies the national rules on statutory interest and recovery costs.

Deadlines checked before they pass

Limitation periods differ by country, such as six years in England and three years in Germany. The local partner knows when a claim must move.

Collection that fits client work

Brief the partner in the case chat on the engagement and the tone you want. You approve payment plans and you decide whether to escalate.

How it works

From overdue invoice to money in your account

  1. Submit the invoice

    Upload it with the engagement letter or contract and proof of delivery, such as approved time sheets or a sign-off. You see the fee before you confirm.

  2. A local expert takes over

    We match the claim to a licensed partner in your client's country. You talk to them directly in the case chat.

  3. You get paid

    You get paid what is recovered, minus the partner's share. Court action only starts if you accept a quote.

See every step

How Debitura works · 2:39 · Lars Holdgaard, founder

Industry facts

Professional services invoices, in numbers

Agencies, consultancies, recruiters, IT services firms and law and accounting firms sell expertise across borders and often bill after the work is done. When a foreign client stops paying, a licensed partner in the client's country can collect under local law, in the local language.

UK business services give buyers 57 days on average

In Coface's 2025 UK survey, business services had the longest average payment terms of any sector, at 57.0 days, against a 51-day total.

  • Business services57 days
  • Finance56 days
  • ICT54 days
  • Non-profit, government & education52 days
  • Total51 days
  • Construction42 days
  • Publishing, communications & media34 days
  • Pharmaceuticals23 days
Source: Coface, 2025 United Kingdom Payment Survey: Companies face rising payment delays amid buyer cash flow concerns. [1]

Services firms' DSO differs widely by debtor country

In 2025, the median DSO of listed services companies was 34 days in the UK, 47 in the US, 53 in Germany and 79 in France.

  • UK34 days
  • Global45 days
  • US47 days
  • Germany53 days
  • Italy68 days
  • Spain75 days
  • France79 days
Source: Allianz Research, Allianz Trade, Cash at risk: Inventories are driving a new cycle of working capital strain (Global DSO and cash conversion cycle report), 2026. [2]

38.1 days

UK business services reported average payment delays of 38.1 days in 2025, close to construction at 38.2 days. About two-thirds saw delays become more frequent. [1]

62 days

Listed software and IT services companies had a global DSO of 62 days in 2025, with 74 days in Western Europe and 56 in North America. [2]

US$ 5.26 trillion

Global exports of digitally delivered services, including professional and computer services, reached US$ 5.26 trillion in 2025. Europe held a 53.4% share. [3]

Rules that shape collection in professional services

60 days

EU B2B contract payment terms should not exceed 60 days

Under EU Directive 2011/7/EU, B2B contract payment periods may not exceed 60 calendar days unless expressly agreed and not grossly unfair to the creditor. [4]

EUR 40

Late B2B payers in the EU owe interest plus EUR 40

EU law gives B2B service providers statutory interest of at least the reference rate plus eight percentage points, and a fixed EUR 40 recovery sum. [4]

GBP 40 to 100

UK suppliers can claim GBP 40, 70 or 100 per late invoice

Under the UK Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, a supplier can claim a fixed sum of GBP 40, 70 or 100, depending on debt size. [5]

Transfer fees

UK transfer fees can be unenforceable without an extended-hire option

In the UK, an employment business's temp-to-perm transfer fee is unenforceable unless the contract lets the hirer choose an extended hire period instead (2003 Regulations). [6]

6 años

Contract claims expire after six years in England and Wales

In England and Wales, contract claims must be brought within six years. Germany's standard limitation period is three years (BGB section 195). [7]

Third-party figures and legal rules, checked on the source on 17 October 2026. They describe the industry, not Debitura's results. Rules change and depend on the contract and the debtor's country, so this is not legal advice.

Sources (7)
  1. Coface, 2025 United Kingdom Payment Survey: Companies face rising payment delays amid buyer cash flow concerns (2025). www.coface.com/content/download/85388/file/202510%20-%20Payment%20survey%20-%20U
  2. Allianz Research, Allianz Trade, Cash at risk: Inventories are driving a new cycle of working capital strain (Global DSO and cash conversion cycle report) (2026). www.allianz-trade.com/content/dam/onemarketing/aztrade/allianz-trade_com/en_gl/m
  3. World Trade Organization, Global Trade Outlook and Statistics, March 2026 (2026). www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/gtos0326_e.pdf
  4. Official Journal of the European Union (EUR-Lex), Directive 2011/7/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 on combating late payment in commercial transactions (recast) (2011). eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011L0007
  5. legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives), Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, section 5A (1998 (as amended, current text 2026)). www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/20/section/5A
  6. legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives), The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, regulation 10 (2003 (current text 2026)). www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/3319/regulation/10
  7. legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives), Limitation Act 1980, section 5 (1980 (current text 2026)). www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/58/section/5
Ways to submit

Send cases the way you already work

Type in one claim, upload a spreadsheet, or connect your accounting software and send overdue invoices from there.

All integrations

What it costs

No Cure, No Pay, with the fee shown before you submit

No setup fee, no subscription and no retainer. If money is recovered, the success fee depends on where your client is and the size of the claim. One contract shared by every business on Debitura means terms you would struggle to negotiate alone.

See your feeSee what you sign

Europefrom 6%

EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, the UK and Switzerland

Internationalfrom 7.5%

Every other country, including the United States

Preguntas frecuentes

Debt collection for professional services

¿Es Debitura una agencia de recobro?

No. Debitura is a debt collection platform. We match your case to a licensed local collection agency or law firm in your debtor's country, which does the collection under local law. We provide the agreement, the platform and the quality checks.

Do I have to pay anything upfront?

No. There is no setup fee, subscription or retainer. You pay a success fee only on money that is recovered. Legal action is quoted separately and only starts if you accept the quote.

Can I charge interest when a foreign business client pays late?

In the EU, Directive 2011/7/EU gives creditors in B2B deals statutory interest of at least the reference rate plus eight percentage points and a fixed EUR 40 recovery sum, applied through national law. In the UK, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 adds a fixed sum of GBP 40, 70 or 100.

How long do I have to collect an unpaid consulting invoice?

It depends on the debtor's country. In England and Wales, contract claims expire after six years. In Germany, the standard period is three years. The local partner checks the deadline that applies to your claim.

Can you collect a recruitment placement fee from a client abroad?

Yes, if the fee is undisputed. The partner in the client's country collects under local law. In the UK, temp-to-perm transfer fees are only enforceable if the contract meets the 2003 Conduct Regulations, so check your terms first.

What if the client says the work was not delivered as agreed?

Then the claim is disputed. Disputed claims get a quote from the partner first, and legal action only starts if you accept the quote.

Do we stay in control?

Yes. You decide whether to escalate, you approve payment plans over 12 months and discounts over 20%, and you can see every action the partner logs.

What does it cost?

From 6% in Europe and 7.5% elsewhere, depending on claim size and the debtor's country. See the full fee schedule.

Get your client invoices paid

Create a free account and submit your first claim in two minutes. You see the fee and the partner before anything starts.