Guide
Today, collect every piece of evidence that the work was agreed and delivered, then send the client one written demand that states the amount, the due date, and what happens if that date passes.
Updated September 9, 2026
Nonpayment after finished work is usually a dispute about evidence, not about the work itself. The client is betting that you cannot show what was agreed, what was delivered, and when payment was due. Close that bet in the first 24 hours: assemble the record, then put one clear written demand in front of them before you make another phone call.
Collect every document that shows the deal and the delivery in one folder before you write anything to the client.
Keep these five items together:
If the agreement was only spoken, write down what was agreed, when, and who was present, and date that note today. A contemporaneous note is weaker than a signed document, but it is stronger than memory alone.
A demand letter is a short written message that states the amount owed, the work it covers, a specific date by which payment is due, and what you will do if that date passes. Send it by email and keep a copy; a printed copy by tracked mail adds a second delivery record.
Keep the tone flat and factual: the work agreed, the work delivered and when, the amount outstanding, and the new deadline, usually seven to fourteen days out. Name only the next step you will actually take, such as filing in small claims court.
Mediation and small claims court are the two common routes for a contractor or freelancer once a written demand is ignored. Mediation means a neutral third party helps both sides reach a settlement; it costs less than court and preserves the relationship with a repeat customer. Small claims court handles disputes under a set dollar limit, and the limit, the fees, and the filing steps vary by province, state, and country.
Before you file, check the small claims limit where the client is located, the filing deadline for unpaid invoices there, and whether the client is an individual or a company. A paralegal, a law society referral line, or a legal aid clinic can confirm these in one call.
In construction, a lien is a claim registered against the property where the work was done, and it gives an unpaid contractor or subcontractor a remedy that a plain invoice does not. Lien rights are strictly jurisdiction specific: the deadline to file, who qualifies, and what counts as the last day of work differ by province and state, and missing the deadline usually ends the right.
TrustChain's AI Advisor has statute-grounded answers only for the British Columbia Builders Lien Act; for any other place its answers are general guidance, not legal advice. For any other jurisdiction, look up the lien deadline today and talk to a local professional before the window closes.
Stop when the cost of the next step is higher than the amount you are likely to recover. Add up the filing fee, your hours preparing and attending, and the realistic odds that the client can pay even after a judgment. If the number is negative, write off the invoice, keep the file, and never work for that client again without a deposit.
Two exceptions are worth the extra effort: an amount large enough to affect your cash flow, and a client likely to repeat the pattern with other trades in your area.
Three gaps cannot be repaired once the work is finished: a scope that was never written down, a price or deadline that was never confirmed in writing, and a client whose identity you never verified. Each of these turns the dispute into your word against theirs. A signed scope with dates, sent before the first hour of work, is the one document that would have settled this in a single email.
TrustChain turns an agreement between two people into a tamper-evident record: a cryptographic fingerprint (keccak256) of exactly what was signed, a timestamped audit trail, and an optional anchor of that fingerprint on the Polygon blockchain. Once both parties sign, the record cannot be rewritten by either side, so a later claim that the scope was different can be checked against the fingerprint.
Both parties verify identity with a photo ID plus a selfie before signing, which takes about two minutes, and an unverified account cannot sign. Anyone with the public verification link can check the record without an account, so a mediator or a court clerk can confirm what was signed and when.
TrustChain does not chase the money and makes no claim of enforceability in any particular place. It makes the record of the deal hard to dispute.
Next job, protect it before you start: one protected agreement per month is free at trustchain.biz, no card needed.
It depends on the jurisdiction: lien deadlines run from a defined event such as the last day of work or completion, and the number of days differs by province and state. Look up the rule for the place where the property sits today and confirm it with a local professional, because a missed lien deadline usually cannot be reopened.
Whether messages that show scope, price, and acceptance are treated as a binding agreement depends on where the parties are and what they agreed. Keep the thread as evidence either way, and ask a local professional whether it is enough for a claim in your jurisdiction.
No. TrustChain does not chase the money and makes no claim of enforceability in any particular place; it makes the record of the deal hard to dispute. Either party can download their own record, certificate, and PDF on any plan and use it in a demand, a mediation, or a claim.
TrustChain records what both parties sign at the time they sign it, so it cannot produce a record for work that was finished without one. If the client now agrees to a payment schedule, that new agreement can be created, identity-verified, and signed on TrustChain, and the free plan covers one protected agreement per month.
The free plan covers one protected agreement a month: both identities verified, the signed text fingerprinted, a public verification link. No card needed.