Client won't pay for finished work. What can I do?

What to do first, today

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.

Step 1: Gather your record

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.

1. The agreement, or the messages that stand in for one: scope, price, deadline.
2. Proof of delivery: photos, handover emails, a completed checklist, a sign-off message.
3. The invoice with the original due date.
4. Every payment reminder you have already sent, with dates.
5. Any message where the client acknowledged the work or promised to pay.

Step 2: Send a written demand with a date

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.

Step 3: Follow-up options if the date passes

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.

Step 4: When a lien or local remedy may exist

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.

Step 5: When to stop chasing

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.

What you cannot fix after the fact

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.

How TrustChain prevents it next time

TrustChain turns an agreement between two people into a signed, dated record: one final text that both parties sign, a timestamped audit trail of each signature, and an optional anchor that writes a fingerprint of the signed record to the Polygon blockchain. Once both parties sign, neither side can edit the text in the app. Once the record is anchored, it is also tamper-evident: a later change would no longer match the fingerprint on Polygon.

Both parties verify identity with a photo ID plus a selfie before signing, and an unverified account can't sign. Anyone with the public link can check, without an account, that the record exists and that both parties signed, and, if it was anchored, see its fingerprint and the date it was written to Polygon. The link never shows the text, so share your own PDF when a mediator needs to read what was signed.

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, get it signed before you start: the Free plan at trustchain.biz covers 1 agreement a month, no card needed.