Late payment, reminders and default interest in Germany
Whether a customer is in default is not a matter of instinct but of section 286 of the German Civil Code: a reminder, a calendar date or the 30-day rule, with its caveat for consumers. The first module works out default interest above the base rate that changes every six months, the flat fee between businesses and the limits on payment terms. The second walks through the court dunning procedure up to the enforcement order and shows how a payment order suspends limitation. Two modules with case studies worked on the statute itself.
Intermediate2 modules47 minModule 1 free to read
2026 rules — verified on September 23, 2026
Figures are tied to dated, sourced tax constants. A module whose rules have changed is flagged for review, and is unpublished automatically beyond 90 days.
By the end of this course, you can…
These outcomes are the modules' own: the promise cannot say anything the course does not teach.
- pin down the day a debtor falls into default: through a reminder, through a calendar date or, at the latest, under the 30-day rule
- build the consumer caveat of the 30-day rule into your own invoices
- derive the default interest rate for each half-year from the base rate in force and the statutory margin
- claim the flat fee between businesses and know what it is set off against
- test an agreed payment term against the limits of section 271a BGB before signing it
- decide whether a claim suits the court dunning procedure and file the application correctly and in an admissible form
- track the deadlines after the payment order is served: objection, enforcement order and appeal
- work out to the day when the regular limitation period for an invoice claim expires
- tell suspension and restart of limitation apart and trigger them in time
The programme, module by module
Each module has its own page. Durations are derived from the actual text, never announced by hand.
- Module 124 minFree — no accountWhen a customer is in default and what default costs themWhat you will be able to do
- pin down the day a debtor falls into default: through a reminder, through a calendar date or, at the latest, under the 30-day rule
- build the consumer caveat of the 30-day rule into your own invoices
- derive the default interest rate for each half-year from the base rate in force and the statutory margin
- claim the flat fee between businesses and know what it is set off against
- test an agreed payment term against the limits of section 271a BGB before signing it
- Module 224 minIncluded in the full courseFrom payment order to enforceable title, and the limitation clockWhat you will be able to do
- decide whether a claim suits the court dunning procedure and file the application correctly and in an admissible form
- track the deadlines after the payment order is served: objection, enforcement order and appeal
- work out to the day when the regular limitation period for an invoice claim expires
- tell suspension and restart of limitation apart and trigger them in time
What you take away
A handout you keep, not just a page you read. The sections are derived from the course itself: what is announced here is exactly what gets generated.
Participant handout (PDF)
PDF
- Learning objectives (2)
- Key figures (8)
- Mistakes to avoid (2)
- Official sources (2)
Exercise workbook (Word)
Word
- Learning objectives (2)
- Key figures (8)
- Mistakes to avoid (2)
- Official sources (2)
Answers live in a separate appendix: the participant handout and the workbook stay distributable before the exercise.
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Where this course leads
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Educational content, current with the sources cited. It does not replace advice tailored to your situation. These courses are neither certifying nor CPF-eligible: they prepare for no certification registered with the French RNCP or specific register.