| AustriaUGB §§ 456 and 458 (Unternehmensgesetzbuch, Austrian Business Code: default interest and flat collection-cost fee) | 10.73% | The base rate in force on the first day of each half-year applies for that whole half-year; the statutory rate for delayed payment between entrepreneurs is that base rate plus 9.2 percentage points. | A flat €40 collection-cost fee can be claimed from an entrepreneur in default without proof of damage or a reminder (§458 UGB); higher proven collection costs are recoverable under §1333(2) ABGB. | § 456 UGB (statutory default interest), RIS |
| BelgiumWet van 2 augustus 2002 betreffende de bestrijding van de betalingsachterstand bij handelstransacties (Law of 2 August 2002 on combating late payment in commercial transactions) | 10.5% | The ECB rate in force on 1 January applies for the first half of the year and the rate in force on 1 July for the second half; add 8 percentage points and round up to the next half point, and the Minister of Finance announces the result in the Belgisch Staatsblad. | A flat EUR 40 for the creditor's collection costs is added automatically when late-payment interest is due, and reasonable further recovery costs can be claimed on top. | Wet van 2 augustus 2002 betreffende de bestrijding van de betalingsachterstand bij handelstransacties (consolidated text, Justel) |
| BulgariaCommercial Act art. 303a; Decree 426/2014 as amended by Decree 347/2025 | 10.4% | ECB rate in force on 1 January or 1 July + 8 points, from 1 January 2026. Before 2026 the base was the BNB base rate + 10 points. | €40 fixed compensation for recovery costs in commercial transactions. | State Gazette: Decree 347/2025 on statutory interest |
| CroatiaZakon o obveznim odnosima (Obligations Act), art. 29; Zakon o financijskom poslovanju i predstečajnoj nagodbi (Financial Operations and Pre-Bankruptcy Settlement Act), arts. 11-13 | 10.4% | For the first half-year the ECB rate in force on 1 January applies, and for the second half-year the rate in force on 1 July; the statutory rate is that reference rate plus 8 percentage points for trade contracts (plus 3 points for other relations). | The creditor may claim a fixed EUR 40 compensation for each late B2B payment without a further reminder, in addition to interest; the right cannot be excluded by contract. | Narodne novine NN 68/2026: ECB main refinancing rate in force 1 July 2026 (2.40%) |
| CyprusLaw 123(I)/2012 on combating late payment in commercial transactions (Ο περί Καταπολέμησης της Καθυστέρησης Πληρωμών στις Εμπορικές Συναλλαγές Νόμος), transposing Directive 2011/7/EU | 10.4% | ECB reference rate for each half-year plus 8 points (Law 123(I)/2012, transposing the EU Late Payment Directive). | A fixed EUR 40 compensation for recovery costs is due from a late-paying business debtor, without a further reminder, in addition to interest and reasonable additional recovery costs. | European e-Justice Portal: interest rates, Cyprus |
| CzechiaNařízení vlády č. 351/2013 Sb., o stanovení výše úroku z prodlení a nákladů spojených s uplatněním pohledávky (Government Regulation on the amount of late-payment interest and claim-recovery costs) | 11.75% | The annual rate equals the CNB two-week repo rate in force on the first day of the calendar half-year in which the delay occurred, plus 8 percentage points (for example, a 0.05% repo rate gives 8.05%). | The regulation sets a minimum of CZK 1,200 in recovery costs for each claim between businesses, and for supplies to public contracting authorities; it is a minimum, not a flat fee on top of interest. | Government Regulation 351/2013 Coll. (consolidated text, zakonyprolidi.cz) |
| DenmarkRenteloven (Interest on Late Payment Act) | 10% | The lending rate set by Nationalbanken on 1 January or 1 July applies for that half-year, and late interest is that reference rate plus 8 percentage points unless otherwise agreed. | A fixed compensation of DKK 310 per late payment can be claimed on top of interest, without a reminder, under renteloven section 9 a(3) as set by the 2013 ministerial order (BEK 105/2013). | Nationalbanken press release: lending rate raised to 2.00% from 12 June 2026 |
| EstoniaLaw of Obligations Act (Võlaõigusseadus) | 10.4% | The statutory rate is the last ECB main refinancing operations rate before 1 January or 1 July, applied for that half-year, plus 8 percentage points per year. | At least EUR 40 per late invoice for recovery costs, on top of interest (EU Late Payment Directive). | Law of Obligations Act (English, Riigi Teataja) |
| FinlandKorkolaki 633/1982 - Interest Act | 10.5% | The Bank of Finland publishes the reference rate for each half-year: the ECB main refinancing rate in force before the half-year starts, rounded up to the nearest 0.5 point, applies for the next six months, and commercial late interest is that rate plus 8 points (plus 7 points for other claims). | A fixed EUR 40 compensation per late payment, on top of interest. | Bank of Finland: reference rate and penalty interest rates for 1 July to 31 December 2026 |
| FranceCode de commerce, art. L441-10 | 12.4% | ECB rate in force on 1 January or 1 July of each half-year + 10 points, unless your terms set another rate (at least 3× the legal interest rate: 8.25% for July–December 2026). | €40 flat recovery indemnity per late invoice, for business customers. | Service-Public: Payment periods and late payment penalties |
| GermanyBGB §§ 247, 288 and 271a (German Civil Code: base rate, default interest, payment terms) | 10.52% | The Bundesbank base rate in force on 1 January or 1 July applies to that half-year; the statutory B2B rate is that base rate plus 9 percentage points. | A flat €40 recovery fee per claim is payable by a non-consumer debtor in default (§288(5) BGB), on top of interest. | § 288 BGB (default interest and flat fee), gesetze-im-internet.de |
| GreeceLaw 4152/2013 (ν. 4152/2013), art. 1 subpara. Z, transposing Directive 2011/7/EU (Late payment in commercial transactions) | 10.4% | Statutory interest equals the reference rate plus 8 percentage points, calculated per day of delay; the reference-rate reset dates should be confirmed in the codified ΦΕΚ text. | The creditor may claim a fixed EUR 40 compensation for recovery costs in a commercial transaction, without a further reminder, and may claim reasonable additional recovery costs. | Law 4152/2013 (codified text, AADE PDF) |
| HungaryCivil Code (Ptk.), Act V of 2013, section 6:155 (2013. évi V. törvény a Polgári Törvénykönyvről, 6:155. §) | 14% | The base rate in force on the first day of the calendar half-year in which the delay occurs applies for that whole half-year, plus 8 percentage points. The 'last day of preceding half-year' formulation gives identical results for 2024 to 2026. | A fixed recovery sum equal to EUR 40 in forints per late invoice, on top of interest. | Civil Code (Ptk.), Act V of 2013 - Hatályos Jogszabályok Gyűjteménye |
| IrelandEuropean Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 580/2012) | 10.4% | The ECB main refinancing rate in force on 1 January or 1 July applies for the following six months, plus 8 percentage points, unless the contract sets another rate; interest accrues daily at the annual rate divided by 365. | A fixed recovery sum on top of interest: EUR 40 up to EUR 1,000, EUR 70 from EUR 1,000 to EUR 10,000 and EUR 100 above EUR 10,000. | Late payment interest rate (DETE) |
| ItalyD.Lgs. 231/2002 | 10.4% | ECB reference rate for each half-year (published by the MEF in the Gazzetta Ufficiale) + 8 points. | €40 fixed compensation for recovery costs. | Normattiva: D.Lgs. 231/2002 |
| LatviaCivil Law (Civillikums), applying Directive 2011/7/EU | 10.4% | At least the ECB reference rate in force on 1 January or 1 July, plus 8 points, for that half-year. | At least EUR 40 per late invoice for recovery costs, on top of interest (EU Late Payment Directive). | Directive 2011/7/EU on combating late payment in commercial transactions (EUR-Lex) |
| LithuaniaLaw on the Prevention of Late Payment in Commercial Transactions (Komercinių sandorių vėlavimo apmokėti prevencijos įstatymas, IX-1873) | 10.4% | ECB reference rate for each half-year plus 8 points. | At least EUR 40 per late invoice for recovery costs, on top of interest (EU Late Payment Directive). | Law on the Prevention of Late Payment in Commercial Transactions (IX-1873, e-Seimas) |
| LuxembourgLoi modifiée du 18 avril 2004 relative aux délais de paiement et aux intérêts de retard (Luxembourg late-payment law, as amended in 2013) | 10.4% | The ECB rate that applies at the start of the half-year, plus the margin, is the statutory rate unless the contract provides otherwise; it is published by the Luxembourg authorities each semester. | A fixed €40 recovery sum per late payment, in line with EU Directive 2011/7/EU; the original 2004 text provided only for reasonable recovery costs or a contractual lump sum, so this must be confirmed in the consolidated text. | Loi du 18 avril 2004 relative aux délais de paiement et aux intérêts de retard (original text), Legilux |
| MaltaCommercial Code (Cap. 13), Sub-title IA 'Of Late Payments in Commercial Transactions', Articles 26A to 26I (transposing Directive 2011/7/EU; inserted by Legal Notice 272 of 2012 and amended by Legal Notice 13 of 2014) | 10.4% | The ECB rate in force on 1 January (first semester) or 1 July (second semester) applies for that half-year (Article 26C(5)), plus at least 8 percentage points. | The creditor may claim a minimum of EUR 40 as compensation for recovery costs without a reminder, and a higher reasonable sum if it can prove greater costs (Article 26E). | Commercial Code (Cap. 13), Sub-title IA - Of Late Payments in Commercial Transactions (consolidated text) |
| NetherlandsBurgerlijk Wetboek Boek 6 arts. 6:119a, 6:120 and 6:96 (Dutch Civil Code, Book 6, commercial interest and collection costs) | 10.4% | The ECB rate for the most recent operation before 1 January or 1 July applies for the following half-year, plus 8 percentage points; the government publishes the resulting rate. | A creditor can claim at least EUR 40 in collection costs without a reminder, plus a sliding percentage of the principal for larger claims under the collection-costs decree (the decree text checked is a 2012 version valid to 30 September 2024). | Hoe hoog is de wettelijke rente? (Rijksoverheid) |
| PolandUstawa o przeciwdziałaniu nadmiernemu opóźnieniom w transakcjach handlowych (Act on counteracting excessive delays in commercial transactions, 8 March 2013) | 13.75% | Interest equals the NBP reference rate in force plus 10 percentage points; the reference rate changes with NBP Monetary Policy Council decisions, so the applicable rate moves during the delay rather than being fixed per half-year. | A fixed recovery fee of EUR 40 applies to debts up to PLN 5,000, EUR 70 to debts above PLN 5,000 up to PLN 50,000, and EUR 100 to debts of PLN 50,000 or more, converted to PLN at the NBP average EUR rate of the last working day of the previous month; the creditor may also claim proven higher recovery costs. | Act of 8 March 2013 on counteracting excessive delays in commercial transactions (consolidated text, Dz.U. 2022 poz. 893) |
| PortugalDecreto-Lei n.º 62/2013 (late payment in commercial transactions, transposing Directive 2011/7/EU) and § 5 of Article 102 of the Código Comercial | 10.4% | The ECB rate in force on 1 January (first half) or 1 July (second half) applies for that half-year, plus 8 percentage points for Decree-Law 62/2013 claims (the Commercial Code § 3 rate uses 7 points). | The creditor may claim a fixed EUR 40 for collection costs without a reminder, and more if it proves higher reasonable collection costs (Article 7). | Aviso n.º 16623/2026/2 - statutory late-payment rates for the second half of 2026 (Direção-Geral do Tesouro e Finanças) |
| RomaniaLaw 72/2013 on measures to combat late payment in commercial transactions (Legea 72/2013), amending Government Ordinance 13/2011 (OG 13/2011) | 14.5% | BNR reference rate at the start of each half-year (1 January or 1 July) plus 8 points, for debts between professionals. | The creditor may claim the RON equivalent of EUR 40 at the payment date as minimum additional damages, due from the date penalty interest starts to run (Law 72/2013 art. 10). | Law 72/2013 - Portal Legislativ (legislatie.just.ro) |
| SlovakiaObchodný zákonník, §§ 369 and 369a (Commercial Code), with Nariadenie vlády SR č. 21/2013 Z. z. (Government Regulation 21/2013) | 10.4% | The variable rate is the ECB base rate valid on 1 January or 1 July, the first day of the calendar half-year, plus 8 percentage points, as published by the Ministry of Justice for each half-year; the creditor may instead claim the ECB base rate on the first day of default plus 9 points, fixed for the whole delay. | A flat recovery fee of EUR 40 (or the equivalent amount) is payable for each late-paid invoice, in addition to interest; higher proven recovery costs may be claimed separately. | Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic: current statutory default interest rate (table of rates by half-year) |
| SloveniaAct on Prescribed Default Interest Rate (ZPOMZO-1) and Act on Preventing Late Payments (ZPreZP-1) | 10.4% | The ECB main refinancing rate in force on 1 January or 1 July applies for that six-month period, plus 8 percentage points. This gives 12.50% (H1 2024), 12.25% (H2 2024), 11.15% (H1 2025), 10.15% (H2 2025 and H1 2026) and 10.40% (H2 2026). | A flat EUR 40 sum for collection costs is payable on each late payment under ZPreZP-1, on top of the default interest. | ZPreZP-1, Act on Preventing Late Payments (PISRS) |
| SpainLey 3/2004 | 10.4% | Rate of the last ECB main refinancing operation before each half-year + 8 points, published in the BOE (10.40% for July–December 2026). | €40 per invoice for collection costs. | BOE: Ley 3/2004 (consolidated) |
| SwedenRäntelagen (1975:635) - Interest Act | 10% | The Riksbank sets the reference rate twice a year for the coming half-year (1 January and 1 July); that rate applies for the whole half-year, and the late-payment interest is the reference rate plus 8 percentage points. | A fixed SEK 450 late-payment compensation (förseningsersättning) is payable per late commercial payment on top of interest, without any collection steps; where reminder and debt-collection costs already exceed SEK 450, only the difference is payable. | Riksbank: reference rate (referensränta) history table |
| United KingdomLate Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 | 11.75% | Bank Rate in force on 31 December (debts overdue from January to June) or 30 June (July to December) + 8 points. The rate stays fixed for the whole debt. | £40 for debts under £1,000, £70 up to £9,999.99 and £100 from £10,000, once per invoice. | GOV.UK: Charging interest on commercial debt |