Demand Letter Pack

Germany · Unpaid invoice

A payment reminder (Mahnung) for an unpaid invoice in Germany

In Germany, a reminder (Mahnung) sent after the due date puts your client in default (Verzug), if they are not in default already. From then on, default interest runs, and a business client also owes a flat fee. You answer the questions and get the letter in German or English, with the dates worked out.

Start your letterFrom €49, paid once. No account needed.

The questions, and the documents that come with the letters (checklist, timeline, next steps and memo), are in English. The letters can be written in German or English.

Other languages: Deutsch

The rules your letter follows

Taken from the official sources listed below. Interest rates change from time to time; these are the current ones.

Deadline in the letter
14 days
No law fixes the period. You can choose up to 30 days.
Default interest between businesses
10.52%
Until 31 December 2026. On payment for goods or services where no consumer is involved, from the date of default.
Default interest when a consumer is involved
6.52%
Until 31 December 2026. From the date of default.
Flat fee for late payment
€40
Only if your client is not a consumer, and only once they are in default. It is deducted from any later claim for legal costs.
Default without a reminder, at the latest
30 days
After the due date and receipt of the invoice. For a consumer, only if the invoice said so.
Limitation period
3 years
From the end of the year in which the claim arose and you knew about it.
Court
Amtsgericht
The local court, for claims up to €10,000. You do not need a lawyer. Larger claims go to the Landgericht, where you do.
How to send it
Einwurf-Einschreiben
Registered post put through the letterbox. Send it by email too, and keep the posting and delivery receipts.

What the letter does

A German Mahnung names the invoice, the amount and a clear date to pay. Sent after the due date, it puts your client in default. If you agreed a payment date, or a period for payment counted from the invoice, and it has passed, they are already in default without a reminder.

Even without a reminder, a client who owes you for goods or services is in default at the latest 30 days after the due date and receipt of the invoice. Statutory default interest runs from the date of default. Between businesses the rate is higher.

When your client is a consumer

The automatic default rule applies to a consumer only if your invoice specifically said so. Otherwise, unless you agreed a payment date or period, it is the reminder that puts them in default.

The lower interest rate applies, and you cannot claim the flat fee of €40 from a consumer.

If they still do not pay

For money claims there is a court payment order procedure (gerichtliches Mahnverfahren). You apply online for a payment order (Mahnbescheid), and the court does not check whether the money is owed. If your client does not object to it in time, the court issues an enforcement order (Vollstreckungsbescheid) at your further request, without a hearing. The court fee depends on the amount and is lower than for a full claim.

Claims up to €10,000 go to the local court (Amtsgericht), where you do not need a lawyer. Larger claims go to the regional court (Landgericht), where you do. The escalation memo in the Complete pack explains each of these steps, but does not choose one for you.

Where the rules come from

  • § 286 BGBDefault (Verzug) by reminder; without one where a calendar date, or a period running from an event such as the invoice, was set for payment; at the latest 30 days after the due date and receipt of an invoice (for a consumer only if the invoice said so)

    checked 14 October 2026

  • § 288 BGBDefault interest, and the EUR 40 flat fee where the debtor is not a consumer

    checked 7 October 2026

  • § 247 BGBBase rate

    checked 7 October 2026

  • § 195 BGBRegular limitation period

    checked 7 October 2026

What is in the envelope

Word and PDF files you can edit before you send anything.

  1. 01

    Demand letter

    The formal letter, in the language you choose, with your amount and payment details. The deadline, and any interest and costs, follow the local rules.

  2. 02

    Evidence checklist

    What to keep and what to enclose, checked against the files you uploaded.

  3. 03

    Timeline

    Your dispute date by date, including the dates still to come.

  4. 04

    Next steps

    How to send the letter so you can prove it arrived, and what to do with each kind of reply.

  5. 05

    Final demandComplete

    A shorter second letter with a last deadline, for when the first one passes.

  6. 06

    Escalation memoComplete

    Court, collection agencies and lawyers: what each route involves. It describes the options; it does not choose one for you.

How it works

  1. Today

    You answer the questions. It takes about ten minutes, and your answers are saved as you go.

  2. Today

    You check the summary and pay. A few minutes later your documents are ready, in Word and PDF.

  3. When you are ready

    You sign the letter and send it yourself, so it comes from you.

Questions

Can I charge the flat fee of €40?

Only if your client is not a consumer, and only once they are in default. If they are not yet in default, the letter says the fee will also be claimed if the amount is not paid by the deadline. The fee is deducted from any later claim for legal costs, such as a lawyer's fees.

Do I have to send a reminder before going to court?

No rule says you must. But if your client gave you no reason to sue and accepts the claim straight away, you pay the costs of the case. And it is often the reminder that puts them in default.

Why Einwurf-Einschreiben and not registered post with a return receipt?

A registered letter that must be handed over in person, and that the recipient never collects, does not as a rule count as received. The collection notice left behind does not count either. An Einwurf-Einschreiben goes through the letterbox, and with the posting and delivery receipts it is prima facie proof that the letter arrived.

Can I have the letter written in English?

Yes. German is the default, and you can choose English instead.

What does it cost?

€49 for the Standard pack and €79 for Complete, including VAT. You pay once.

P.S.

Your documents are written by an AI system and checked automatically against your answers and the local rules. No lawyer reviews them. They are document drafts and general information, not legal advice. Your answers are deleted 30 days after delivery, or sooner if you ask.

How we use AIPrivacy noticeRefunds

Start your letter

Also for GermanyDeposit not returned in Germany: a letter to the landlord