Late-payment interest calculator, 21 countries

Calculate the interest and compensation due

Choose the country whose law governs the contract (usually the seller's), then enter the invoice amount and the dates.

Law that applies

IrelandS.I. No. 580/2012, reg. 5

Rule: ECB main refinancing rate + 8 points
Rate: 10.40% a year from 1 July to 31 December 2026
ECB main refinancing rate in force on 1 July 2026: 2.40% (set from 17 June 2026)
Fixed compensation: €40 for an invoice up to €1,000, €70 up to €10,000 and €100 above €10,000 (S.I. No. 580/2012, reg. 9). Recovery costs above that amount can be claimed as well.

Sources: S.I. No. 580/2012, reg. 5 · Department of Enterprise · ECB rates · S.I. No. 580/2012, reg. 9. Checked against the official texts on 26 September 2026.

Invoice amount (€)

Due date

Payment date

Days late

Interest

Fixed compensation

Total you can claim

Interest per day on a 365-day year (360 in Bulgaria), each part of the delay at the statutory rate for its half-year. Rates marked * are ones you entered.

How the calculation works

The statutory rate is an annual rate, reset every half-year. The calculator applies it per day of delay and adds the fixed compensation once per invoice.

Formula
Interest = amount × annual rate × days late / 365, for each half-year of the delay

Example (Ireland): an invoice of €15,000, due on 15 July 2026, paid on 29 August 2026: 45 days late
Rate: 10.40% a year (from 1 July to 31 December 2026)
Interest = 15,000 × 0.1040 × 45 / 365 = €192.33
Plus the fixed compensation of €100: total = €292.33

If the delay runs past 30 June or 31 December, the days after that date take the next half-year's rate.

Late-payment interest in the 21 euro-area countries

Every euro-area country applies Directive 2011/7/EU, which sets a floor of the ECB rate + 8 points and a fixed €40 per late invoice. Several go further: for the current half-year the statutory rate runs from 10.40% to 12.40% a year.

Country	Rule	Rate now	Fixed compensation	Sources
Austria	OeNB base rate + 9.2 points§ 456 UGB	10.73%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Belgium	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 points, rounded up to the next half pointLaw of 2 August 2002, art. 5	10.50%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Bulgaria	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsDecree 426/2014; Commerce Act, art. 309a	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Croatia	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsZakon o obveznim odnosima, čl. 29	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Cyprus	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsLaw 123(I)/2012, s. 5	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Estonia	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsVÕS § 113	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Finland	Finnish reference rate + 8 pointsKorkolaki 633/1982, 4 a §	10.50%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
France	ECB main refinancing rate + 10 pointsCode de commerce, art. L441-10	12.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Germany	Bundesbank base rate + 9 points§ 288(2) BGB	10.52%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Greece	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsLaw 4152/2013, par. Z	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Ireland	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsS.I. No. 580/2012, reg. 5	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40 to €100	Law · Rate
Italy	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsD.Lgs. 231/2002, art. 5	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Latvia	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsCivillikums, art. 1765	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Lithuania	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsLaw IX-1873, art. 3(2)	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Luxembourg	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsLaw of 18 April 2004, art. 3	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Malta	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsCommercial Code (Cap. 13), art. 26C	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Netherlands	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsBW art. 6:119a	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Portugal	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsDL 62/2013; Código Comercial, art. 102.º	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Slovakia	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsObchodný zákonník § 369; NV 21/2013 § 1	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Slovenia	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsZPOMZO-1, 2. člen	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate
Spain	ECB main refinancing rate + 8 pointsLey 3/2004, art. 7	10.40%from 1 July to 31 December 2026	€40	Law · Rate

Rules checked against the official texts on 26 September 2026. Rates from the Advanta jurisdiction registry, each with its official source; they change on 1 January and 1 July. This page is information, not legal advice.

How to claim late-payment interest

The interest and the compensation are due by law, but you still have to claim them. Three steps:

Step 1

Send a statement

List the invoice, the days late, the interest and the fixed compensation, with your IBAN. A debit note works too.

Step 2

Set a final deadline

Give a date, for example 15 days, by a means you can prove: a registered letter or an email with acknowledgement of receipt.

Step 3

Go to court if needed

For an undisputed debt, many countries have a fast order-for-payment procedure. For a debtor in another EU country there is the European order for payment (Regulation (EC) No 1896/2006).

How to avoid paying late-payment interest

If it is your company that has to pay suppliers, these are the best practices to avoid incurring late-payment interest:

Use confirming

With confirming, a bank or funder pays your suppliers within the agreed term, so an oversight or a temporary cash gap doesn't turn into a late payment.

Learn more about confirming →

Negotiate realistic terms

When signing contracts, negotiate payment terms you can comfortably meet, taking your collection cycle (DSO) into account. A DPO higher than your DSO creates treasury pressure.

Calculate DPO →

Set up due-date alerts

Many cases of late payment come down to simply forgetting. Set up automatic alerts 5 and 2 days before supplier invoices fall due so you are never caught by surprise.

Manage it on the Advanta platform →

Frequently asked questions

Is the late-payment interest rate the same across the euro area?

No. Directive 2011/7/EU sets a floor of the ECB rate + 8 points and each country may go further. For the current half-year the rates run from 10.40% to 12.40% a year: France adds 10 points to the ECB rate, Germany uses its own base rate + 9 and Austria its base rate + 9.2, and Belgium and Finland round the ECB rate up to the next half point.

Is there a fixed compensation as well?

Yes. Every euro-area country grants at least €40 per late invoice for recovery costs, on top of the interest (Directive 2011/7/EU, art. 6). Ireland raises it to €70 and €100 for larger invoices.

Do I have to send a reminder before charging interest?

No. Between businesses, interest runs without a reminder from the day after the agreed payment date, if you delivered and were not paid on time. If no date was agreed, it runs from 30 days after the debtor received the invoice (Directive 2011/7/EU, art. 3).

What if the delay runs over more than one half-year?

In most countries each day takes the rate of its half-year, and the calculator splits the delay accordingly. Lithuania keeps the rate of the half-year in which the delay began; the calculator does that too.

Which country's rate applies?

The rate of the law that governs the contract. Unless the contract chooses a law, that is usually the law of the seller's or service provider's country (Rome I Regulation, arts. 3 and 4).

Pay suppliers on time, repay later

With confirming, a bank or funder pays your suppliers within the legal term, and your company repays in 60 to 90 days. Advanta prepares the file; it is not a guarantor.

Request access → Explore the live demo → Talk to a specialist →

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