How much does manual invoice chasing cost?
Invoice chasing rarely shows up as a line on the P&L, so it feels free. It is not. Here is a straightforward way to put a number on it.
The calculation
The visible cost is simple: how often you chase, how long each chase takes, multiplied across the year and your blended hourly cost.
Annual cost = chases per week × minutes each ÷ 60 × 52 × hourly cost.
Worked example
| Invoices chased per week | 10 |
| Minutes per chase | 9 |
| Hours per year (×52) | ≈ 78 |
| Blended hourly cost | £22 |
| Visible admin cost per year | ≈ £1,700 |
Change the inputs to your own numbers — even a small team is usually surprised.
The cost you cannot see
The admin time is the small part. The real cost of manual chasing is slower payment: every day an invoice sits unpaid is working capital you cannot use. Inconsistent chasing pushes up debtor days, strains cash flow and occasionally turns a recoverable invoice into a bad debt. That dwarfs the admin figure.
What automation changes
With automated chasing
- Reminders fire the moment an invoice ages — never forgotten
- A consistent, professional escalation sequence every time
- A real-time view of what is outstanding and what has been chased
- Your team's hours redirected to work that needs judgement
Want this applied to your business?
A free 30-minute automation review turns any of these ideas into a costed plan for your own processes.