Important: Payt is not a debt collection agency. With Payt's software, you can carry out an amicable debt collection process yourself. You remain responsible for the execution of this process.
Why debt collection via Payt?
Many outstanding receivables can be collected easily through automated reminders (letter, email, SMS). Traditional collection agencies often have unclear procedures and fee structures, causing businesses to lose control over their receivables. With Payt, you manage the collection process yourself, meaning no third party is involved. This way, you remain in full control of the process:
- You decide whether to charge or waive collection fees
- The collected collection fees are transferred directly to your account
- Personal contact with your customer remains possible, which can improve the relationship
- The process is fully automated for maximum effectiveness, without the involvement of third parties
What should I know about a debt collection case?
If a customer does not pay on time, you can charge out-of-court collection fees. These are costs incurred to collect an invoice without the involvement of a judge. For private customers, a final reminder (WIK letter) is mandatory before collection fees can be charged. This reminder must:
- Provide a payment deadline of 14 days
- Announce the amount of the collection fees
You must be able to prove when the WIK letter was sent. With Payt, you can easily check this in the invoice timeline. For business customers, a final reminder is not legally required but is often effective in practice for resolving payment arrears amicably.
What does the debt collection process in Payt look like?
The debt collection process you can manage in Payt consists of six phases. These steps are carried out only on working days:
- First reminder (day 1): Letter, email, and SMS with a payment term of 10 days
- Reminder of first reminder (day 6): Call robot, email, and SMS
- Second reminder (day 12): Registered email or letter (if email address unknown) with a payment term of 8 days
- Reminder of second reminder (day 17): Email and SMS
- Notice of default (day 21): Letter, email, and SMS with a payment term of 5 days
- Pre-legal phase (day 27–31): Final reminder about the ending of the collection process. If no payment follows, the case may be forwarded to a bailiff.
On day 31, a pre-legal letter is sent with a payment deadline of 3 days. If the customer does not pay, the case can be handed over to a bailiff. Within Payt, you can choose a bailiff per case or set a default bailiff for all collection cases after the notice of default.
The call robot is disabled by default during collection processes, while SMS messages are enabled. If you want to change this, please contact the service desk.
What are the collection fees for the amicable debt collection process?
| Amount of outstanding account | Maximum collection costs |
| The first €2.500 | 15% |
| Over the next €2.500 | 10% |
| Over the next €5.000 | 5% |
| Over the next €190.000 | 1% |
| Over €200.000 | 0.5% |
A minimum amount of €40 applies for collection fees, regardless of the outstanding invoice amount. The creditor is always allowed to request this amount.
How is communication handled with my customer?
Your customer can view the case and respond through the online invoice portal. You remain responsible for following up on responses.
Tip: Include as many contact details as possible in your bookkeeping to maximise the chance of reaching the customer successfully.
What should I do if I receive a payment?
Payments relating to the debt collection case are recorded in your accounting package that is linked with Payt, by registering the payment on the associated invoice. During the daily import, the payment is processed in Payt. Collected or waived collection fees are recorded manually in Payt on the case page.
How can I view the invoice(s) linked to the debt collection case?
From the debt collection case to the invoice
On the left-hand side of the debt collection case page, select the blue invoice number you want to open to view it.
From the invoice page to the debt collection case
On the invoice page timeline, select the blue number of the debt collection case to open it.
