The cost of an LBA depends on who prepares it, how complex the debt is and whether you need legal advice. RobinReturn is built for clear UK B2B invoices where a pay-per-action workflow is enough.
A letter before action costs anything from £0 if you write it yourself to several hundred pounds for a bespoke solicitor's letter. In published prices checked on 25 September 2026: £7.50 + VAT online, £10 to £720 + VAT from solicitors, or an agency commission of roughly 8–15% of what it recovers on recent debt, and more on older debt. RobinReturn is £9.50 plus a £25 review fee plus VAT, paid to the reviewing solicitor: £34.50 + VAT (£41.40 inc. VAT). No court fee applies at this stage.
Published prices, checked on 25 September 2026 (sources below). Prices change, so check the provider's own page. A low price only helps if the route suits the case: the invoice value, the dispute risk and whether you need advice.
| Option | Published price | Best for | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | £0, plus your time | Simple, undisputed debts where you are confident about the content the Pre-Action Protocol expects. | A letter that misses required content can count against you on costs if the claim goes to court. |
| Fixed-fee online letter | Garfield AI: £7.50 + VAT per letter before action | The lowest published price for a single letter, from an SRA-regulated firm. | Each later step is priced separately, so check what the next one costs. |
| RobinReturn | £9.50 + VAT, plus a £25 review fee plus VAT paid to the reviewing solicitor: £34.50 + VAT (£41.40 inc. VAT) | Documented UK B2B invoices where you want the reminders, the letter and the court papers in one place. | Each later step is priced separately. Software, not a law firm, so not suitable where you need legal advice or representation. |
| Solicitor's letter | £10 to £720 + VAT in the price lists we checked: £10–£12.50 for a standard-form letter, £250 with instructions and document review, £460–£720 for a bespoke letter | Disputed, complex or high-value matters, or where you want advice as well as a letter. | At the bespoke end, the fee can be a large share of a small invoice. |
| Collection agency | Commission on what is recovered: 10% (STA International) and 15% (Redwood Collections) published for UK commercial debt; one agency's guide puts debt 12–24 months old at 20–25% | Cases where you would rather hand the chasing over and the customer relationship no longer matters. | The commission comes out of what you recover, and the rate rises with the age of the debt. |
RobinReturn's letter before action is £9.50. The £25 review fee plus VAT is paid to the reviewing solicitor, not to RobinReturn. RobinReturn takes no cut of the statutory compensation or the invoice: both are yours to keep.
For example, if a £4,820 B2B invoice is paid after the letter, the letter stage costs £9.50 + £25 = £34.50 + VAT (£41.40 inc. VAT). An agency charging 15% of what it recovers would take £723 of the same invoice.
If the letter does not work, the next cost is the HMCTS court fee to issue a claim: £35 to £455 for claims up to £10,000 (checked 24 September 2026). See the full fee table.
See the full price book for reminder, LBA and claim-form stages, or check what a letter before action must contain.
| Debt profile | Recommended route | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Clear B2B invoice, low dispute risk, below £10,000 | RobinReturn or structured self-service | The workflow is likely more important than bespoke advice. |
| Customer says the work was defective | Consider solicitor advice | The issue is evidence and liability, not just payment delay. |
| Consumer debtor or regulated credit issue | Do not use RobinReturn | The public site is positioned for B2B invoice recovery. |
| Large contract dispute or strategic account | Solicitor-led strategy | The downside risk may exceed the cost saving. |
Each price was read from the provider's own page on 25 September 2026. RobinReturn's fees and the review fee are exclusive of VAT; the review fee goes to the reviewing solicitor.
RobinReturn's Letter Before Action is £9.50, plus a £25 review fee plus VAT, paid to the reviewing solicitor, not to RobinReturn: £34.50 + VAT in total (£41.40 inc. VAT). RobinReturn does not take a percentage of the invoice or of the statutory compensation recovered.
No. Court fees apply only if the matter progresses to the claim stage. A Letter Before Action is a pre-court step.
No. If the debt is disputed, consumer-facing, high-value or legally complex, a solicitor may be the better option. RobinReturn is intended for documented B2B unpaid invoices and does not give legal advice.
Begin with a reminder, escalate to an LBA only when needed, and see costs before moving to the claim stage.