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Debt collection for accounting and finance.
Less chasing. More time for client work.
Recover overdue professional fees and keep your team focused on client work. For accounting practices, bookkeepers and financial advisers.
“Professional, efficient, and achieved fantastic results for our business.”
Unpaid fees we help with.
Fees for work your business has completed, whether the client is a business or an individual.
Accounting fees
Annual accounts, reporting and compliance work.
Bookkeeping services
Monthly or ongoing bookkeeping invoices.
Tax preparation
Fees for returns and lodgements already prepared.
Advisory work
Advice and planning fees for completed engagements.
Why practices hand over overdue fees.
Time back for client work
Partners and staff stop chasing the same invoices month after month.
Professional, measured contact
Follow-up that suits an ongoing professional relationship.
A clear view of each account
See activity on lodged accounts and payments as they are made, online.
A structured approach.
Focused on getting you paid.
Getting a response is often the first step towards recovering payment. We start professionally, establish why the account remains unpaid and make clear that it needs to be resolved.
From there, we follow a structured five-stage process, with firmer demands where needed.
Initial outreach
Establish contact, make the outstanding obligation clear and identify what is preventing payment.
Follow-up & engagement
Follow up, address questions and discuss how the account can be resolved.
Formal demand
A firmer request for payment, with a clear opportunity to respond.
Final demand
A final opportunity to engage before the account is reviewed for further action.
Outcome & next steps
Review the outcome and recommend the next step for your account.
- Legal referral
- Pause & re-engage
Where appropriate, with legal action subject to your instructions.
Payment or a suitable resolution can be reached at any stage.
Firm follow-up. A reason to respond.
An aggressive demand can be ignored just as easily as a polite reminder. Our approach combines clear payment expectations with an opportunity to resolve the account, backed by consistent follow-up and progressively firmer demands.
The process responds to the circumstances of each account.
Manage your debts and track recovery online.
Lodge debts, send documents and updates, and follow collection activity through our online client system.
Lodge debts your way
Submit debts individually, upload a bulk file or lodge via API.
Send updates straight to the account
Send documents and payment updates online or via API, directly to the relevant account.
Track collection progress and payments
View debt status, payments received, the collection stage and recent account activity.
Multiple staff members
Give multiple staff members access to your account.
Multiple locations
Add multiple business locations to your account.
Account summary
- Status
- In progress
- Collection stage
- Stage 2 of 5
- Payments
- View history
Recent account activity
- Email sent
- Call made
- Payment arrangement started
Show what was agreed and what was done.
Fee disputes usually turn on the engagement and the work. These records make the account clear.
Engagement letter or terms
The scope of work and how fees were agreed.
Completed work
Lodgement confirmations, reports or deliverables.
Invoices and statements
What was billed, when, and any part-payments.
Correspondence about fees
Fee estimates, reminders and replies.
You don't need to send client files or working papers to make an enquiry.
If the client disputes the scope or the bill.
Tell us before the account is lodged. We look at the engagement terms, the work completed and the correspondence, and explain whether the account is suitable to follow up.
Your appraisal and account setup.
Tell us about the overdue fees
The amounts, the work and any query the client has raised.
Set up your account
We explain the account setup, ongoing recovery support and fees before you proceed.
Lodge accounts and follow progress
Lodge overdue fees online and see activity and payments as they happen.
Enquiring does not lodge a debt or engage our services.
Questions from accounting and finance businesses.
Can you follow up fees owed by individual clients?
Yes. Your firm is our client, and unpaid invoices for services your firm supplied can be discussed whether the client is an individual or a business.
Do you collect loan or credit contract balances?
This service is for unpaid invoices for goods or services a business supplied, such as your professional fees. It is not for loan or credit contract balances, and we don't collect personal loans. If you're unsure whether a debt is suitable, ask us when you enquire.
What if the client says the work was outside the engagement?
Tell us about it first. Keep the engagement letter, the work completed and the correspondence about fees. We review the circumstances and explain whether the account is suitable.
What about my relationship with the customer?
Our approach is firm and respectful. Tell us if you're still working with the customer or have concerns about the relationship, so we can take that into account.
What are my chances of recovering an unpaid debt?
You may have a better chance than you think. Even debts that have been ignored for months can sometimes be recovered with the right approach.
However, no collection agency can guarantee recovery. The age of the debt, the debtor's financial circumstances and whether the debt is disputed can all affect the outcome.
The important thing is not to give up simply because your customer has stopped responding.
Does waiting make a debt harder to recover?
Often, yes. The longer a debt remains unpaid, the more difficult recovery can become. Customers can become harder to contact, businesses can close, and financial circumstances can deteriorate.
An overdue invoice that may be recoverable today could become much harder to collect in six months. Taking action sooner gives you the opportunity to pursue payment before your options become more limited.
What happens if you can't recover my debt?
Not every debt can be recovered, and we won't promise otherwise. Our commission is based on money successfully collected, so if no payment is recovered, there's no collection commission.
We'll explain any other applicable fees upfront and keep you informed of progress so you can make decisions about the next steps.
What types of debts do you recover, and is there a minimum amount?
We specialise in recovering unpaid invoices and overdue accounts for businesses, including money owed by other businesses or individual customers for goods and services supplied.
We can assist with a single debt or multiple overdue accounts, provided the combined outstanding balance is at least $2,000.
We generally don't accept private loans between friends or family, personal financial disputes, or debts below our minimum value where recovery would not be commercially viable.
What will it cost?
Our commission is charged only on money successfully recovered. We'll explain our commission and any other applicable fees upfront, so you can make an informed decision before proceeding.
Prepare your supporting recordsDealing with a disputed invoice
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Google reviews
4.5/ 5
Based on 1,100+ reviews
“Professional, efficient, and achieved fantastic results for our business.”
“They are quite professional and hit the ground running fast.”
“We have been using Marshall Freeman Collections for more than 10 years and have found them and their staff to be extremely committed to getting a successful outcome.”
“They have a very user friendly online system where you report your bad debtor information and then they look after the rest.”
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You’ve done the work.Let’s help you get paid.
A structured, five-stage recovery process
Less stress. We handle the difficult calls.
Get back to running your business
“…great communication, easy to set up…”
Get a free debt appraisal
Tell us about your unpaid invoices. A specialist will call to discuss your options.