Referring an old debt
Decide whether an aged invoice is still worth pursuing — and how to give it the best shot.
What this play helps you do
- Judge whether an aged debt is still worth pursuing
- Understand why older debts are harder but not hopeless
- Refresh stale details before referring
- Set realistic client expectations for older matters
- Use an appraisal to make a clear-eyed decision
6 min
When to run this
Run this play when a client surfaces an invoice that has been sitting unpaid for many months — often something they had half written off. Old debts are harder to collect, but 'old' does not mean 'worthless', and a specialist can sometimes recover what an in-house chase could not.
How it works
Older debts face two headwinds: details go stale, and the debtor's circumstances may have changed. The counterweight is that a professional recovery approach often succeeds where informal reminders stalled — a debtor who ignored a creditor's emails may respond promptly to a recovery specialist.
Before referring, do a quick refresh: confirm the debtor still trades, update contact details, and check the balance and any interest the contract allows. A little tidy-up materially improves the odds.
What Merion needs
Provide the original invoices, the terms of trade, any acknowledgement of the debt, and the most current debtor contact details you can find. Where the debt was partly paid or renegotiated along the way, a short note of that history helps Merion start from the right number.
What to tell the client
Be honest that older debts can be tougher, while pointing out the upside: with no-recovery-no-fee, there is nothing to lose by having a specialist try. Frame it as turning a written-off number back into a real possibility. A free debt appraisal is the ideal first step for an aged account, and you can then lodge it via the refer a debt form.
Key takeaways
- Old does not mean worthless — specialists recover where chasing failed.
- Refresh contact details and the balance before referring.
- No-recovery-no-fee means nothing to lose by trying an aged debt.
FAQ
Is there a point where a debt is too old to pursue?
Very old debts are harder, and time limits can apply to legal steps, but recovery contact is often still worthwhile. A free appraisal will give you a realistic read.
The client had written this off — why refer it now?
Because there is no upfront cost. A specialist may recover funds the client had given up on, turning a write-off back into income.
What information matters most for an old debt?
Up-to-date debtor contact details and the original invoices. Anything acknowledging the debt also strengthens the position.
Run the play — we'll handle recovery
Commission-only recovery your clients can trust. No recovery, no fee.