Unpaid invoice? Check the company on Companies House before you chase

Before you chase an unpaid invoice, make sure you are chasing the right company at the right address. If your customer is a limited company or LLP, the free Companies House register can tell you most of what you need in a few minutes.

Why it matters

A chase sent to a trading name, an old address or the wrong company in a group is easy to ignore. A chase addressed to the company's exact legal name at its registered office is clearer, and more likely to reach someone who can deal with it.

1. Find the company on the register

Search the Companies House register by company name or number. According to GOV.UK, you can get some details about a company for free, including:

• its registered address and date of incorporation
• current and resigned officers
• document images
• previous company names
• insolvency information

You can also set up free email alerts to tell you when a company updates its details, for example a change of director or address.

Bear in mind that Companies House says it does not check the accuracy of the information filed.

2. Use the exact legal name

Check that the name on your invoice matches the registered name, including "Limited" or "Ltd". If you only know a trading name, look at the customer's letters, order forms or website. GOV.UK says a limited company must show its registered number, registered office address, where it is registered and the fact that it is a limited company on business letters, order forms and websites.

3. Note the registered office address

Every limited company must have a registered office. GOV.UK says it must be a physical address in the UK, in the same country the company is registered in, and it must be an address where the company will be made aware of post delivered to it. A PO Box can no longer be used. The address is publicly available on the register.

This is the address to use for formal letters about the debt.

4. Check the company's status

Look at the company's status and filing history. If anything suggests the company is in administration or liquidation, check The Gazette's insolvency notices too. If a customer is insolvent, an ordinary chase may not be the right next step. You may need to make a claim in the insolvency instead, so consider taking advice.

5. Keep a note of what you found

Save the company number, the registered name and the registered office with your invoice records. If you need to escalate later, you will have the details ready. Our checklist on what to do first when an invoice is overdue covers the next steps, and our guide to late payment interest explains what you may be able to add. You can also check what you are owed on an overdue invoice for free.

This post is general information, not legal advice about your situation.

How InvoiceCollect helps

InvoiceCollect chases limited companies and LLPs in England and Wales. It chases the debtor company for 4 weeks by email and text on working days, never more than once a day, plus a posted letter to their registered office. Interest and compensation are written into every chase where the legal conditions are met. Your customer pays you directly and there is no commission. We are not a law firm. Start your chase.

Sources: GOV.UK, Get information about a company; Companies House, Find and update company information; GOV.UK, Rules for registered office addresses; GOV.UK, Running a limited company: signs, stationery and promotional material; The Gazette, Insolvency notices.