Sometimes—but there is no single U.S. rate that applies to every overdue invoice. Whether you can add a fee or interest depends on the customer and transaction, the contract, and the law that governs it. Check those factors before adding a charge; the available federal rules address specific consumer-credit and federal-agency situations, not all private invoices.
What determines whether you can charge?
Start with the agreement and the law that applies to the transaction. Review the signed contract, any incorporated terms, the invoice due date, and the governing-law clause. Look for language that authorizes a late fee or interest and specifies when it starts, how it is calculated, and whether it repeats.
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A contract term is not automatically valid just because the customer agreed to it. Check current primary law in the governing jurisdiction for applicable limits, including any rules about the amount, accrual, compounding, repeat charges, or caps. If the agreement is silent, do not assume a default rate without checking the law.
The United States-focused sources discussed here do not establish a universally safe rate for a private invoice. The customer’s state, contract, transaction, and industry may change the answer.
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- Two-Part Carbonless Invoice Book: Each invoice book has 50 sets of invoices, each with a white/light yellow section, with the yellow section retained in the invoice book to maintain detailed records.
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- Wraparound Divider Flap: A thick folded cardboard divider is integrated into the back of each invoice book for use between each two-part sales order to prevent the written content from rubbing off on subsequent copies of the invoice, resulting in wasted invoices.
- 2 Packs/50 Sets (100 Sets Total): Each invoice book provides 50 sequentially numbered carbonless sets of 2 invoice books for long-term use.
- Customizable Space: Each invoice book for small business has space at the top to add a company seal or sticker.
Identify the customer and transaction
Business customer and private invoice
For a business-to-business invoice, the contract and applicable state law are central. Confirm that the purchase was genuinely for business use and check for transaction-specific requirements, such as rules for construction work, lending, public contracts, or a regulated industry.
Consumer credit
A sale or credit arrangement for personal, family, or household use may be subject to consumer-credit rules that do not apply to an ordinary business invoice. The Federal Trade Commission’s guide to the Credit Practices Rule describes covered consumer-credit transactions and notes that the rule prohibits certain late fees.
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Under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Regulation Z commentary on finance charges, whether a late-payment charge is excluded from the finance charge can depend on the account terms and the creditor’s practices. Relevant details include whether the creditor actually requires payment in full or allows balances to roll over. That classification is not blanket permission to impose any late fee.
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Do not apply the federal Prompt Payment Act to a private customer. The Act concerns qualifying payments by federal agencies to vendors. The U.S. Department of the Treasury says interest is based on the rate in effect when the invoice becomes late and accrues from the day after the required payment date through the payment date, subject to the Act’s conditions. Congress enacted the Act in 1982, according to Treasury’s Prompt Payment Act guidance.
Rank #3
- This value 3 pack of Adams Invoice Books give you 150 two part carbonless invoices with a perforated white customer receipt and yellow duplicates for your records; 3 50-invoice books per pack
- Unique horizontal invoice sheets capture the purchased by and shipped to addresses; a compact 5-9/16 x 8-7/16 page still leaves plenty of room for details on up to 12 items sold
- Wraparound back cover prevents write-through between sets; pull out the perforated white customer receipt and the yellow carbonless duplicates stay behind for your records
- Unique 6 digit invoice numbers help you thumb through orders quickly; blank space up top gives you room for a company stamp—an affordable custom touch
- In value packs with three 50-invoice books for your small business; buy ahead to keep on site or take on the road for pop-up shop sales
What is different about federal contracts?
For a federal contract, consult the contract’s prompt-payment clause and follow its requirements. FAR 52.232-25 addresses proper invoices, acceptance, disputes, and interest penalties. It excludes specified delays related to disagreements or amounts withheld under contract terms, so an overdue invoice does not necessarily mean interest is due on every amount claimed.
In the circumstances specified by the clause, a vendor seeking an additional penalty must follow its demand procedure, including a 40-day deadline. Check the clause text and the facts of the contract before relying on that procedure or treating the deadline as applicable to another kind of customer.
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- 50 TWO-PART CARBONLESS FORMS: Customers get the perforated white top copy; retain the canary and pink copies for your records
- WRAP-AROUND COVER: Fold the back cover between sets to keep invoices neat and legible
- ROOM FOR CUSTOMIZATION: A blank space at top leaves room for your company stamp; a big savings over custom-printed forms
- CONSECUTIVELY NUMBERED: Large 6-digit numbers in the upper right hand corner help you thumb through orders quickly
Why a state example does not establish a general rate
State statutes may cover only particular transactions. North Carolina’s G.S. 24-10.1, for example, regulates late-payment charges for specified loan categories and includes a once-per-late-payment limit in covered circumstances. It is not a rule for every North Carolina invoice, much less for invoices nationwide.
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State-by-state summaries can help identify questions to investigate, but verify the rule against current primary law for the actual jurisdiction and transaction. A secondary overview such as Dueflo’s state guide, reviewed in July 2026, is a starting point—not a substitute for that check.
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- CONSECUTIVE NUMBERS: Effortlessly identify the chronological order of transactions in each book by the pre-printed number on each sales order set
- WRAPAROUND DIVIDER FLAP: A thick, folded paperboard divider is integrated into the back of each book to use between each 2-part sales order form.
- PERSONALIZE: Each sales order form sheet contains space at the top to add a company stamp or sticker
How to assess and notify the customer
- Read the agreement. Locate the due date, governing-law clause, and any term covering late fees or interest, including its start date and calculation method.
- Classify the transaction. Determine whether the customer bought for business or personal, family, or household use, and whether a special lending, construction, public-contract, or regulated-industry rule may apply.
- Verify the proposed charge. Check current primary law for the governing jurisdiction. Confirm the permitted amount, accrual start, calculation method, compounding, repeat charges, and any cap. Do not rely on a generic percentage.
- Send an itemized notice. Identify the invoice, original principal, due date, contractual basis for the charge, calculation period, and amount claimed. Keep the agreement, invoice, delivery or acceptance records, and payment history.
- Handle disputes under the applicable process. If the customer disputes the amount or performance, follow the contract’s dispute and withholding terms. The federal contract clause addresses disagreements in its own covered context; do not assume the same treatment applies to private invoices.
- Use the federal process only for federal-agency debt. For a qualifying federal payment, follow the applicable Prompt Payment clause and agency process rather than treating the federal rules as a template for private collections.
When can you charge a business client interest on an overdue invoice?
There is no one nationwide rate established by the sources cited here. Check the contract and governing law first, then confirm that the transaction is not subject to a more specific rule. If the contract is silent or the applicable law is unclear, do not choose a rate based only on a state summary or another business’s practice.
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