Creating and tracking receivables

Every outstanding receivable is held with debtor, claim amount, invoice date, due date, legal basis and status. The status clearly shows: open, in dunning (level 1/2/3), for court-stage enforcement, in enforcement, settled, written off. A dashboard shows outstanding receivables by age, debtor and dunning level — you see at a glance what is left.

Dunning levels with templates

LEGALinhouse implements a staged dunning process with three levels — from the friendly reminder (level 1) through the clear dunning notice (level 2) to the final notice with reference to court-stage enforcement (level 3). Templates can be customized per tenant, grace periods between levels are configurable, and dunning fees per level can be set.

Receivable overdue → Level 1 (e.g. after 14 days) → Level 2 (e.g. after another 14 days) → Level 3 (e.g. after another 14 days) → Handover to court-stage dunning proceedings

Every dunning level generates a letter in the correspondence module — DIN 5008-compliant, with current claim amount including interest and dunning fees, and with a note in the receivable. Mailing franked via INTERNETMARKE directly from the system.

Interest and dunning fees

Default interest is calculated to the day — depending on debtor type with the matching base-rate premium (5 percentage points for consumers, 9 percentage points between businesses under §288 BGB). The base rate is maintained centrally; changes take effect on all running receivables from the cutoff date.

Dunning fees per level are configurable as a flat fee or as a percentage. For B2B receivables, the §288(5) BGB flat fee (€40) is automatically included when activated.

What the calculation produces on a given date

Principal claim + day-precise default interest + accumulated dunning fees + B2B flat fee (where applicable) = total receivable on the cutoff date. This sum appears in the dunning letter, in the receivables overview and at the handover to court-stage proceedings — consistent and traceable.

Court-stage dunning proceedings

If a receivable remains unpaid after level 3, LEGALinhouse prepares the court-stage dunning proceedings: drafting an application for a payment order (Mahnbescheid), with all required information from the receivable. The employee reviews, adjusts where needed and files the application themselves with the competent dunning court. LEGALinhouse itself does not provide a legal service — the system prepares the step, the employee performs it.

The transition into court-stage proceedings is documented in the receivable; from this point on the receivable runs as a matter with its own reference number.

Links to matter and correspondence

A receivable rarely stands alone. It references a contract (e.g. delivery, services), generates correspondence (dunning notices, debtor responses) and can transition into a full matter if it becomes disputed. These connections are visible in the UI — you navigate from the dunning notice to the invoice to the contract to the client conversation without switching tools.