The fourteen-day letter: how to send it, and what goes wrong if you get it wrong

What is the veertiendagenbrief, and for whom is it mandatory?

A legally required final demand to a consumer, before you may charge extrajudicial collection costs. The rule is in Article 6:96(6) of the Dutch Civil Code. It says: collection costs are only owed after the debtor who does not run a business has been summoned without result to pay within fourteen days. Default (verzuim) must already have occurred, the term starts on the day after the demand, and the letter states the consequences of not paying, including the amount of the costs.

The letter is only mandatory towards consumers: people who do not act in the course of a profession or business. Towards a business client you may charge the collection costs as soon as default has occurred and you have taken collection steps. No veertiendagenbrief needs to come first there, although a formal demand is sensible there too.

The purpose of the rule is protection: a consumer gets one clear, final chance to pay without extra costs, and knows in advance exactly what it will cost them if they do not. The term veertiendagenbrief on this site gives the definition and the scale.

• Article 6:96(6) BW: first a demand with fourteen days, only then costs.
• Only mandatory towards consumers.
• Purpose: one final chance, with the amount stated.

What must it say, literally?

Four things. Which claim it concerns: the invoice number, the amount and the due date that has passed. That the consumer gets another fourteen days to pay, and that this term starts on the day after receipt of the letter. What the consequence is if they do not pay within that term: that they will then owe collection costs. And how high those costs will then be, as a concrete amount, calculated according to the statutory scale.

That amount is the part that is most often missing or wrong. It is not enough to write that costs will follow; the law requires the amount to be stated. Calculate it from the principal: 15% on the first €2,500, and so on according to the scale, with a minimum of €40. On an invoice of €300 it is therefore €45; on an invoice of €150, the minimum of €40. If your client does not account for VAT (btw) on your services because they are a consumer, you may only charge VAT on the collection costs if you cannot offset it yourself. You must then declare that in the letter.

Beyond that, the usual requirements for a business letter apply: your name, the date, how payment can be made. Keep the tone businesslike. A threatening letter does not work better and looks worse in a case file.

• The claim, the term of fourteen days after receipt, the consequence, the amount.
• The amount stated concretely, according to the scale, at least €40.
• VAT on the costs only if you cannot offset it, with a declaration.

When do the fourteen days start?

On the day after the day on which the consumer received the letter. Not on the day of sending, not on the date on the letter, and not on the day of receipt itself. The Dutch Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) confirmed that in 2016: the fourteen-day term begins on the day after receipt, and a letter that states a shorter or differently calculated term does not meet the law.

That has consequences for the wording. Do not write “within fourteen days of the date of this letter” or “before 20 September”, because then you have calculated the term yourself and it may turn out too short. Write the term as the law means it: that the consumer can pay within fourteen days from the day after receipt of this letter. If you still want to name a date, be generous: a date that is still at least fourteen days after receipt, even with a late delivery.

And only send the letter once default has occurred. A veertiendagenbrief sent before the due date, or before a necessary notice of default (ingebrekestelling), is too early and has no effect. The article about payment terms and default explains when a consumer is in default.

• The day after receipt; not the sending, the date on the letter or the receipt itself.
• Word it as the law does; a date you calculate yourself is a risk.
• Only send once default has occurred.

Who must prove that the letter arrived?

You do. If you claim collection costs from a consumer in court, you must state three things and prove them if necessary. That the veertiendagenbrief was sent. That it was received, and on which day at the latest. And that the fourteen days after that passed without payment. If the consumer disputes receipt, it is up to you to make it plausible that the letter arrived.

That argues for a way of sending with proof. By post that is a registered letter or a letter with confirmation of receipt; by email, a message to an address the consumer used for the agreement themselves, with a read receipt or a reply as proof. Many business owners send the letter in two ways at once, by post and by email, and keep the proof of sending for both.

Keep the letter itself, the proof of sending, the confirmation of receipt and a note of the day on which you let the fourteen days start. That file is small, and it is the difference between a claim that holds and one that fails on the costs.

• The creditor proves sending, receipt and the expiry of the term.
• Registered, with confirmation of receipt, or by email with proof; often both.
• A small file per letter: letter, proof of sending, receipt, start day.

Which mistakes cost you the right to collection costs?

Not stating the amount, or stating a wrong amount, for example higher than the scale allows. Calculating the term too short or wrongly, with a date that is no longer fourteen days after receipt if delivery is late. Sending the letter before the consumer is in default. Not being able to prove receipt. And sending the letter to a business client in the belief that it is mandatory there, which it is not, but that is not a mistake that costs anything.

A letter that does not meet the requirements does not have the legal effect the law attaches to it: the consumer does not come to owe collection costs, not even if they still do not pay afterwards. The invoice itself remains due and the interest runs, but the costs of collecting are then for you. You can only repair this by sending a new, correct letter and waiting fourteen days again.

The lesson is simple: use a fixed text that meets the four requirements, calculate the amount with the scale, send with proof, and wait. A bookkeeping platform that prepares the letter in the right form takes away the first two mistakes; the third and fourth stay with you.

• No amount or a wrong amount, a term that is too short, sent too early, receipt not provable.
• Consequence: no collection costs, but still the invoice and the interest.
• Repair: a new letter, fourteen days again.

What do you do after the fourteen days?

If the consumer pays the principal within the term, they owe no collection costs, even if they did not pay the interest along with it; the veertiendagenbrief is about the principal. If they do not pay, the collection costs are owed from the day after the term expires, and you may charge them at the next step.

That next step is a final demand with principal, interest and costs, or handing the claim over to a collection agency, which must apply the same scale. In a real dispute about the delivery, going to a lawyer or the court is the way. Then the file you have built up counts: the invoice, the reminder, the veertiendagenbrief and the proof of receipt.

And look back at the process. A veertiendagenbrief is a sign that something went wrong earlier: an unclear invoice, a missed reminder, a client you could have got to know better. The article about payment terms and default describes how you prevent it next time.

• Paid within the term: no costs, even without the interest.
• Not paid: costs owed, then a final demand or collection.
• The file counts; and the letter is a sign to improve the process.

Sources

Checked on 5 September 2026. The scale comes from the Besluit vergoeding voor buitengerechtelijke incassokosten (the Dutch decree on compensation for extrajudicial collection costs) and from the Rijksoverheid (the Dutch central government). The rule on the start of the term and the burden of proof comes from the case law of the Hoge Raad, cited via Cassatieblog. You can read the statutory text itself via wetten.overheid.nl.

• Rijksoverheid, how much do I pay in collection costs
• Besluit vergoeding voor buitengerechtelijke incassokosten (Dutch decree on extrajudicial collection costs)
• wetten.overheid.nl, Article 6:96(6) of the Dutch Civil Code (BW)
• Hoge Raad (Dutch Supreme Court) 25 November 2016, ECLI:NL:HR:2016:2704
• Cassatieblog, the veertiendagenbrief and proof of receipt

Further reading

Three places that connect to this.