Key takeaways
- Between businesses, the agreed payment term may not exceed 60 days since 1 February 2022.
- Where nothing is agreed, the statutory default term is 30 calendar days from receipt of the invoice.
- The term runs from receipt of the invoice; any verification period is included in it, not added on top.
- A late payment triggers interest (10.5% in the first half of 2026) and a fixed EUR 40 recovery compensation.
What the law of 2 August 2002 says
In Belgium, B2B payment terms are not just a matter of commercial negotiation: they are governed by the law of 2 August 2002 on combating late payment in commercial transactions. That law transposes Directive 2011/7/EU and was significantly tightened by the law of 14 August 2021, which entered into force on 1 February 2022.
The stake is concrete: receivables paid in 75 days rather than 30 lock up cash and weaken a small business. The legislator therefore tightened the rules so a creditor no longer depends on the goodwill of a customer larger than itself.
This article sets out what the law actually allows: the default term, the cap between businesses, when the clock starts, and what a late payment costs the debtor.
The default term: 30 days
Where the contract or the general terms set no payment term, the law imposes one: 30 calendar days. This is not optional; it is the safety net that applies in the absence of an express agreement.
The starting point matters as much as the duration. The 30 days run from the debtor's receipt of the invoice, or from receipt of the goods or services where that comes later. An invoice that never arrives does not start the clock: issuing and sending it promptly means being paid sooner.
The 60-day cap between businesses
This is the central change brought by the 2021 reform: between businesses, the agreed payment term may no longer exceed 60 days. The rule is absolute. A clause stipulating 90 or 120 days is deemed unwritten, and the term then falls back to the default regime of 30 days.
Before this reform, large buyers could impose very long terms on their smaller suppliers. The cap closes that door: no business may now force a partner to wait more than two months, save for sectors granted an exemption by royal decree.
| Contractual situation | Applicable term | |
|---|---|---|
| No term agreed | 30 days by default | |
| Agreed term of 45 days | 45 days, valid | |
| Agreed term of 60 days | 60 days, the legal cap | |
| Clause of 90 days | Deemed unwritten: back to 30 days |
When the term starts to run
The 2021 reform also clarified when the clock starts, where some practices used to stretch it artificially. Two principles now frame the starting point.
First, businesses may no longer fix the invoice receipt date by contract: the term runs from the debtor's actual receipt of the invoice. Second, where a procedure to verify or accept the goods is provided for, that verification period forms part of the payment term and is not added to it.
The rules on when the term starts
Starting point
The debtor's receipt of the invoice, or receipt of the goods or services where that is later.
Receipt date not negotiable
The parties may no longer fix the invoice receipt date by contract.
Verification included
Any verification period is included in the payment term, never added on top.
default term
absent an express agreement
cap between businesses
since 1 February 2022
late-payment interest
commercial transactions, first half of 2026
What a late payment costs
A delay is not free for the debtor. As soon as the term is exceeded, the creditor is entitled, automatically and without a reminder, to three things.
First, late-payment interest at the rate specific to commercial transactions. That rate is set every six months by FPS Finance and stands at 10.5% for the first half of 2026, well above the ordinary statutory interest rate (4.5% in 2026). Second, a fixed recovery compensation of EUR 40, due automatically. Third, reasonable compensation for other recovery costs actually incurred beyond that fixed sum.
These rights apply without any prior reminder: the creditor does not have to put the debtor on formal notice to claim them. That is precisely what gives the law its teeth against a poor payer.
Clear invoices, paid faster
YouInv produces your compliant invoices, tracks payments and flags overdue ones, with no re-keying.
Invoice correctly to be paid on time
The law sets the framework, but it is your invoicing that determines how quickly the money comes in. A complete invoice, sent on delivery and to the right recipient, starts the term without delay. An incomplete or disputable invoice, by contrast, means reminders and a clock that never runs.
Two habits help in practice: checking that every invoice carries the mandatory invoice details expected, and reconciling incoming payments quickly to spot delays as they appear. Automated bank reconciliation turns a theoretical schedule into real cash-flow control.
Further reading
- Mandatory details on a Belgian invoice: the elements without which an invoice can be disputed.
- Bank reconciliation: automating the matching: spotting late payments as soon as they occur.
- Invoicing in Belgium: rules and obligations: the general framework for business-to-business invoicing.
The reference sources govern: Directive 2011/7/EU on EUR-Lex and the interest rates published by FPS Finance.
What is the maximum B2B payment term in Belgium?
Since 1 February 2022, the payment term agreed between two businesses may not exceed 60 days. Any contractual clause setting a longer term is deemed unwritten: the term then falls back to the statutory default of 30 days.
Which term applies if none is agreed?
Where no payment term is agreed, the law of 2 August 2002 sets a default term of 30 calendar days. It runs from the debtor's receipt of the invoice, or from receipt of the goods or services if that is later.
When does the payment term start to run?
The term runs from the debtor's receipt of the invoice. Businesses may no longer fix the invoice receipt date by contract, and any verification period forms part of the payment term rather than being added to it.
What can the creditor claim for a late payment?
The creditor is entitled, automatically and without a reminder, to late-payment interest at the commercial-transactions rate (10.5% for the first half of 2026), a fixed recovery compensation of EUR 40, and reasonable compensation for other recovery costs.
Does the law on payment terms also apply to the self-employed?
Yes. The law of 2 August 2002 covers commercial transactions between businesses, which includes the self-employed and the liberal professions acting in their business capacity. Sales to consumers fall under a separate regime.
