Why WorkPaid

Sound familiar?

Each scenario below is drawn from real UK trades. Different jobs, different trades, same pattern - all of them solved by a quote that's accepted, paid, and recorded before, during, and after the work.

You're not alone - here are the numbers

53%

saw late payments rise this year

68%

are chasing unpaid invoices right now

£1,646

average debt written off per trade

1,000+

UK small businesses fold every month due to late payments

Source: BBC News, May 2026 · Direct Line survey of 500 UK tradespeople · UK Government on small-business closures.

01 · The verbal-approval trap

You discovered extra work mid-job - a rotten joist, hidden damage, something the original quote couldn't have anticipated. You emailed a revised quote. The customer replied "yeah, go ahead" on WhatsApp. Job's done. Now they're saying they only agreed to the original scope and refusing to pay the £3,000 for the extras.

With WorkPaid

The customer accepts a formal amendment link before the extra work starts. Timestamped. In writing. The agreement is on record - no debate about what "go ahead" meant.

02 · The post-job standoff

Job complete. The customer flags a snag and refuses to release the final £2k until it's fixed. You offer to come back. They won't give you access. A week later they're threatening to counter-sue you for £21k on the whole job.

With WorkPaid

Milestone payments. The big stages get paid as they're signed off, not all at the end. The final balance is already in your account before any single snag turns into leverage.

03 · The "you left it worse" claim

Job's finished and you've packed up. A week later the customer's on the phone saying you cracked a tile, scuffed the wall, left the render patchy - and they want it knocked off the bill. You know the site was clean when you left, but it's your word against theirs and you've got nothing to show for it.

With WorkPaid

You snap photos as you work and at hand-over, saved against the job and dated. When "it was never like that" comes up, you've got a clear record of exactly what you left behind. The argument ends at the photos.

04 · The slow ghost

You quoted the job over WhatsApp. The customer agreed verbally. You did the work and sent your bank details. Three weeks of "I'll pay you Friday" texts later, you write off the £600 because chasing it isn't worth more of your time.

With WorkPaid

Deposit before you start. Final payment goes through one link, with automatic reminders every two days. Customers who weren't going to pay tend to drop off before the work begins.

05 · "I thought it was an estimate"

You wrote "Quote: £2,400." The customer reads it as "rough idea, probably less." The bill comes in at £2,400 and they're suddenly furious, claiming you've overcharged.

With WorkPaid

The customer clicks Accept on the price before the work starts. There's no estimate-vs-quote debate - they agreed to the number, on the record, before anything began.

06 · The deposit pushback

You ask for a 25% deposit. The customer reacts like you've insulted them - "I've never been asked for one before, sounds a bit dodgy." You back down because you need the work. Then the job goes the way these jobs always go.

With WorkPaid

Payments run through Stripe - the same processor used by Deliveroo, Uber, and most major UK businesses. A branded payment page and a professional receipt do the trust-building for you. It looks like the bigger firms customers already pay deposits to.

07 · The end-of-day invoice fight

Finished a long day. Pulled out your phone to type an invoice. Got the VAT wording slightly off. Now the customer's using that as "evidence of unprofessionalism" to delay payment another month.

With WorkPaid

Invoices auto-generate the moment the job's paid. Properly formatted, PDF, VAT-compliant. Nothing to type at the end of a Saturday. Nothing to dispute.

08 · "I never saw the quote"

You sent the quote on WhatsApp. They opened it - you saw the read receipt. You started the work the next day. Now they're claiming they never agreed to anything specific, and your only proof is a tick they can wave away.

With WorkPaid

Every quote keeps a clear record: when it was sent, when it was opened, when it was accepted, when payment cleared. All in one place. There's nothing to deny.

The job is the easy bit.

The stress is everything around it - quoting, deposits, finals, invoices, the follow-up texts.

WorkPaid handles all of it in one link.

How it works

Three steps. Ninety seconds.

Build the quote

Line items, deposit %, optional milestones. Two minutes on your phone.

Send the link

One link by WhatsApp, SMS or email. They read it, accept it, pay the deposit. No app, no signup.

Get paid. Move on.

Deposit's in - paid straight to your bank through Stripe (WorkPaid never holds it), and with Instant Payouts it's there within minutes. The invoice auto-generates when the final clears.

Stop chasing payments.

No subscription, no contract - just 2.5% on payments we collect for you. Customers can pay by card or bank-to-bank (cheaper, no chargebacks); your customer always pays exactly the quote, or you pass our fee on and keep 100%.

Capped at £500 per quote

Get started free →

Or read why I built it.