Can my client ignore my 14-day payment term and pay within 30 days?

You send an invoice with a 14-day payment term. Your client replies: ‘We always pay within 30 days.’ Can they do that? If you validly agreed on 14 days in advance, the client generally cannot change that to 30 days on their own. Your agreement matters, so settle payment terms before starting the assignment, as KVK recommends.

If the term first appears on your invoice, the position is different. This article covers assignments governed by Dutch law.

Putting a term on an invoice is not the same as agreeing to it

An invoice does not automatically establish a new payment agreement. In a case before the Overijssel District Court, a business relied on the 14 days printed on its invoices. That did not sufficiently demonstrate an agreed term: it had to be agreed in advance, rather than imposed unilaterally afterwards. See the ruling on the 14-day term, in Dutch.

Check your accepted quote, contract and earlier correspondence first. If you agreed on 30 days there, you cannot shorten that agreement by putting 14 days on the invoice.

When does the 30-day term apply?

For business contracts, the default is 30 days if no payment term was agreed. This is not a general right to disregard a shorter agreed term. Consumers have no fixed statutory 30-day payment term; you agree on a reasonable term instead. Business.gov.nl explains the differences.

The rule requiring large companies to pay SME suppliers and self-employed professionals within 30 days does not allow them to extend a valid 14-day agreement either. Those 30 days are a maximum for that relationship. Business.gov.nl: payment by large companies.

What if the 14 days are in my general terms and conditions?

If your business client accepted your applicable general terms and conditions specifying 14 days, that is generally the agreed payment term. The client cannot extend it unilaterally by saying ‘our company always pays within 30 days’. This follows from being bound by accepted terms. Dutch court ruling on general terms becoming part of an agreement.

Keep evidence of which version was accepted and that you made it available in time. For example, retain the quote, the attached PDF and the acceptance email. Referring to terms on your website afterwards is not the same. KVK: sharing terms and recording acceptance, in Dutch.

‘I did not read the small print’ does not automatically undo an acceptance. A client can generally be bound without knowing the contents. This does not rule out a possible challenge, for example because the terms were not properly made available. Dutch legal opinion on being bound by terms and grounds for setting them aside.

Example: you send a quote with your general terms attached. They specify ‘payment within 14 days of receipt of the invoice’. The client accepts the quote including those terms. If the invoice arrives on 1 October, payment under that agreement is due by 15 October. An internal payment run at the end of the month does not, by itself, change the agreement.

Check whether you separately agreed on a different term, such as 30 days, for this assignment. If the client refers to their own purchasing conditions or disputes whether your terms apply, have the applicable agreements assessed before taking further steps.

How to respond to ‘we always pay within 30 days’

Find the agreement first. Only use the reply below if the 14-day term was actually agreed. Fill in the details and attach the accepted quote or confirmation.

Hi [name],

Thank you for your message. In our accepted quote [quote number], we agreed on a 14-day payment term. The agreed due date for invoice [invoice number] is therefore [date].

Could you please arrange for payment to arrive by that date? I have attached the quote and invoice again for convenience. If anything is missing for processing, please let me know.

Thank you!

Kind regards,

[Your name]

Has the due date already passed? Adjust the request, for example: ‘The agreed due date has now passed. Could you please transfer the outstanding amount by [new date]?’

If the term is in the accepted general terms and conditions, replace the first paragraph with:

When accepting quote [quote number], you agreed to our general terms and conditions. Article [number] requires payment within 14 days of receipt of the invoice. Invoice [invoice number] was received on [receipt date], making the agreed due date [date]. I have attached the relevant terms again for reference.

Use the actual wording of your terms: ‘from the invoice date’ and ‘from receipt of the invoice’ can produce different due dates.

If you cannot find an agreement on 14 days, ask which agreement the client is relying on and confirm the payment date together. Make a clear agreement in advance for future assignments.

Prevent the same discussion on your next invoice

Include the term in your quote and obtain the client’s agreement. Also agree when the term starts, for example upon receipt of the invoice. Show the same term and the corresponding due date on the invoice, and retain the acceptance. This follows KVK’s advice to agree on payment terms in advance.

Before sending a reminder, check whether payment has arrived and whether the client has an outstanding question about the invoice. Use our friendly payment reminder with a sample email to follow up politely. If payment still does not arrive, read about payment reminders and next steps.

Rules and sources checked on 27 September 2026.