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Late-payment interest calculatorand the €40 under Spain’s Late Payment Act.
For invoices between businesses in Spain that were paid late. Enter the amount and the dates to see the days late, the interest for each period at the rate published in the BOE, Spain’s Official State Gazette (10.40% in H2 2026), the €40 for recovery costs and a text ready to paste into your reminder.
- Nothing is saved or sent
- Official BOE rates
- Text to copy into your email
Step 1 · The invoice
What you’re owed, and since when
Nothing is saved or sent: everything is calculated in your browser.
The invoice total, including VAT, that’s still unpaid.
The last day to pay. Interest runs from the next day. If the payment term is longer than 60 days, choose “Issue date + term”: between businesses, interest runs from day 61 at the latest.
Only used in the reminder text.
120 days late. Late-payment interest: €341.92. Recovery costs: €40.00. Total to claim on top of the invoice: €381.92.
Step 2 · What you can claim
On top of the invoice
€381.92
- Days late
- 120
- Late-payment interest
- €341.92
- Recovery costs
- €40.00
- Total due today
- €10,381.92
How the figure is worked out
One period · 120 days
H2 2026
€341.92
From to · 120 days · 10.40%
€10,000.00 × 10.40% × 120 ÷ 365 = €341.92
Resolution of 30 June 2026 of Spain’s General Secretariat of the Treasury and International Finance (BOE-A-2026-14327)
+ €40.00 for recovery costs (Article 8.1): once per invoice, with no need to justify them. If the recovery costs you can prove (a lawyer, a burofax, a collection agency) are higher, you can also claim the difference.
Step 3 · Ask for it
Text for your reminder to the customer
We are writing about the invoice, for €10,000.00 and due on 30 June 2026, which is still outstanding as of 28 October 2026, 120 days late. Under Spain’s Late Payment Act (Law 3/2004, on combating late payment in commercial transactions), this delay amounts to €341.92 in late-payment interest (Article 7) and €40.00 in compensation for recovery costs (Article 8). Interest is calculated at the statutory rate of 10.40% per year published in the BOE, Spain’s Official State Gazette. In total, €10,381.92: €10,000.00 for the invoice plus €381.92.
Need the full letter? The demand letter generator writes it with your details, in three tones, with the interest and the €40 as of today.
- Doesn’t apply to consumers. Spain’s Late Payment Act (Law 3/2004) covers transactions between businesses and self-employed professionals, or with public authorities.
- For guidance only. 365-day basis and BOE rates by half-year. Neither interest nor recovery costs are subject to VAT. For a specific case, check with your adviser.
Official rates
Late-payment interest in 2026: 10.15% and 10.40%
The statutory late-payment interest rate for commercial transactions is the rate of the European Central Bank’s most recent main refinancing operation before each half-year, plus eight percentage points (Article 7 of Spain’s Late Payment Act, Law 3/2004). Spain’s General Secretariat of the Treasury and International Finance publishes it in the BOE at the end of June and December. These are the rates the calculator uses:
| Half-year | Rate | Resolution in the BOE |
|---|---|---|
| H2 2026BOE-A-2026-14327 | 10.40% | Resolution of 30 June 2026 · BOE-A-2026-14327, BOE of 1 July 2026 |
| H1 2026BOE-A-2025-27201 | 10.15% | Resolution of 23 December 2025 · BOE-A-2025-27201, BOE of 31 December 2025 |
| H2 2025BOE-A-2025-13217 | 10.15% | Resolution of 25 June 2025 · BOE-A-2025-13217, BOE of 28 June 2025 |
| H1 2025BOE-A-2024-27618 | 11.15% | Resolution of 30 December 2024 · BOE-A-2024-27618, BOE of 31 December 2024 |
| H2 2024BOE-A-2024-13089 | 12.25% | Resolution of 26 June 2024 · BOE-A-2024-13089, BOE of 28 June 2024 |
| H1 2024BOE-A-2023-26709 | 12.50% | Resolution of 28 December 2023 · BOE-A-2023-26709, BOE of 29 December 2023 |
How it’s calculated
How to calculate late-payment interest on an invoice
Interest starts running the day after the due date, with no need to notify the customer (Article 5), and runs until the day they pay. If you didn’t agree a payment term, the invoice is due 30 days after delivery; an agreed term can never exceed 60 days (Article 4).
Interest = outstanding amount × annual rate × days late ÷ 365
If the delay spans two half-years, it’s split into periods and each one uses its own rate. On top of that come €40 for recovery costs (Article 8), once per invoice and with no need to justify them. If the recovery costs you can prove (a lawyer, a burofax, a debt collection agency) exceed that €40, you can also claim the difference. Neither the interest nor the €40 is subject to VAT.
Example
€10,000.00 due on 15 May 2026 and paid on 15 September 2026
- H1 2026: from 16 May 2026 to 30 June 2026, 46 days at 10.15%€10,000.00 × 10.15% × 46 ÷ 365 = €127.92
- H2 2026: from 1 July 2026 to 15 September 2026, 77 days at 10.40%€10,000.00 × 10.40% × 77 ÷ 365 = €219.40
Interest: €347.32 for 123 days. With the €40.00 for recovery costs, you can claim €387.32 on top of the invoice: €10,387.32 in total.
Who it applies to
Late-payment interest between businesses, not with consumers
Spain’s Late Payment Act (Law 3/2004, on combating late payment in commercial transactions) applies to payments between businesses and self-employed professionals, and between them and public authorities. It doesn’t apply to sales to consumers: with a private individual, what you agreed applies or, if there’s no agreement, the statutory interest rate (interés legal del dinero).
If your contract sets a different late-payment rate, the agreement prevails (Article 7.1), unless it’s grossly unfair to the creditor (Article 9). Claiming the interest and the €40 is a right, not an obligation: many businesses mention them in the reminder and decide case by case whether to charge them.
FAQ
Common questions about late-payment interest
What is the late-payment interest rate between businesses in Spain in 2026?
In H1 2026 it was 10.15% (BOE-A-2025-27201). For H2 2026 it is 10.40%, under the Resolution of 30 June 2026 of Spain’s General Secretariat of the Treasury and International Finance (BOE-A-2026-14327), published in the BOE, Spain’s Official State Gazette, on 1 July 2026. It is the European Central Bank rate plus eight percentage points, and it changes every half-year.
How is late-payment interest on an invoice calculated?
Outstanding amount × annual rate × days late ÷ 365. Days are counted from the day after the due date up to the day of payment, and if the delay spans more than one half-year, each period uses its own rate.
Do I need to notify the customer to charge late-payment interest?
No. Under Article 5 of Spain’s Late Payment Act (Law 3/2004), the debtor is in default and owes the interest automatically once the payment term has passed, with no need for a due-date notice or a formal demand. A reminder does help you get paid.
What is the €40 for recovery costs?
Article 8 of Law 3/2004 entitles you to a fixed €40 per invoice paid late, without having to justify any expenses or ask for it expressly. If the recovery costs you can prove (a lawyer, a burofax, a debt collection agency) exceed that €40, you can also claim the difference.
Does it apply to consumers?
No. Law 3/2004 only applies to commercial transactions between businesses and self-employed professionals, or with public authorities. With consumers, what you agreed applies or, failing that, the statutory interest rate (interés legal del dinero).
What if our contract sets a different interest rate?
The agreement prevails: Article 7 applies the rate agreed between the parties and, only if there is none, the statutory rate. An agreement that is grossly unfair to the creditor can be declared void (Article 9). The calculator lets you enter the agreed rate.
Is VAT charged on late-payment interest and the €40?
No. They are compensation for the delay, not the price of goods or a service, so they are not part of the VAT taxable base (Article 78.Three.1 of the Spanish VAT Act, Law 37/1992).
Keep reading
Guides to getting paid on time
- Late-payment interest in 2026: current ratesThe commercial rate, the tax rate and the statutory interest rate, and when each one applies.In Spanish
- Late-payment interest: how it’s calculatedWhere the rate comes from, which days count and how to ask for it without damaging the relationship.In Spanish
- Statutory payment terms between businessesThe 30 and 60 days of Law 3/2004, and when they start counting.In Spanish
- Debt demand letterThree templates, one of them with interest and the €40.In Spanish
- How to chase an unpaid invoiceFrom the first reminder to a court payment order (monitorio), step by step.In Spanish
- Free collections checkHow much cash late payment ties up, and what it costs you.
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