By magician and writer Martyn Rowland, who founded the admin platform Giggio

When a comedian delivers a line that gets a huge laugh, it’s usually a good thing. Less so when the line is: ‘Just wondering when that invoice might be paid?’ and the audience is the accounts department.  

Late or non-payment is a growing problem in the entertainment industry. Each year brings news of at least one event failing to pay acts. 

The Leicester Comedy Festival is the latest organisation to face problems – with the company behind it submitting a ‘serious incident report’ to the Charity Commission over its financial issues. Many of the 500 acts say they have not yet been paid five months on. Meanwhile, the festival axed its June outdoor gig, cancelling performances from up-and-coming and high-profile comedians. 

I polled 60 entertainers this month about their experience around payments for gigs. 75 per cent had been paid late, not at all or experienced a combination of both in the past 12 months. Almost half (46 per cent) said between two and five events they performed at had failed to pay them on time or not at all, while 17 per cent said six or more events were late or non-payers.

The economy is struggling, but without artists there is no show. So how can the comedy industry minimise payment issues? 

One solution, which would need legislation, is to require commercial enterprises to ringfence money for acts as ticket sales come in, giving another layer of protection for artists. 

While raising standards on the circuit is a longer-term goal, here are some immediate practical steps comedians can take when booking gigs, which will go some way to protecting income. I’ll also cover what to do if things go wrong. 

Create a contract for every job

Whether you’re Stewart Lee or just starting out, charging £120 or £2,000, a contract will save you stress and prevent client confusion. If that confusion turns to arguments, a contract can also save your fee. Here is what to put in it and why it matters. 

A verbal contract is just as binding as a written one, but only if you can show what was agreed. Proof can be emails, texts, WhatsApp messages, your invoice, their acceptance, or anything that shows the client agreed to the date, fee and details.

The law cares about three things: you offered your service, they accepted and you both understood the key terms. If those exist, you have a contract.

The issue is that verbal contracts fall apart when the client (or you) says: ‘that’s not what we agreed.’ Without written terms, you enter a ‘they said, they said’ problem, which is why written contracts exist. They remove arguments before they start.

A simple contract tells both sides what will happen. It must include the event date, times, location, your fee and what it covers, when the fee is due, your deposit terms and cancellation terms.

Keep the whole thing concise - they’re booking entertainment, not negotiating a ceasefire.

Take a deposit to secure a booking

Take a deposit or full payment for each booking, as this reserves the date. If the client cancels and you lose work by holding that date, it can absolutely be non-refundable. You just need to state this clearly in your booking terms: ‘A deposit of £X is required to secure the date. This deposit is non-refundable because the date is reserved exclusively for the client.’

That’s it. Clear, fair, and legally sound.

What if you need to cancel? In this case, everything flips. The contract protects the client, not you. They have a contract for that date, and you are the one breaking the agreement so you refund any payments you may have taken in full. You cannot keep any part of it. The contract was for you to perform. If you cannot do that, the money goes back.

This is usually made explicit with a simple clause: ‘If the artist is unable to perform due to illness or emergency, all fees paid will be refunded in full, and liability is limited to that refund.’

That line does two things. It makes it clear the client gets their money back, and it caps what you owe if something genuinely goes wrong. It’s also worth attempting to help them find another comedian. It’s the right thing to do and helps protect your reputation.

Give clients the option to agree contracts online. Don’t expect them to physically sign and return anything. The world has moved on since 2003, even if your set list hasn’t.

Invoice clearly and offer card payment

Ensure invoices have payment dates and bank details included. State your payment terms clearly.

Offer simple payment methods. Some large companies create long delays by insisting you are ‘set up as a supplier’ for BACS payments. Most would pay instantly by card. Sometimes the card fee is worth the time saved.

Chasing payments - take control and don’t give up

If you do need to chase payment beyond polite but firm requests to settle an invoice, it is not always clear what you are meant to do, or what your rights are. 

More often than not, an email following up a late invoice is all that’s required to get things moving. Many clients respond at this stage. You mention the amount owed, remind them of the due date and crucially, include a clear date for payment. For example: ‘Please can you arrange payment by Friday or else.’

But what do you do if they don’t respond to this email? Or promise payment will be with you by the end of the week, and it’s not?

It’s time for a stern notice. Mention the invoice number, the original due date, and the amount they still owe. Give them a firm deadline, such as seven days, so there’s no room for confusion. 

For a corporate booking, you can casually mention adding ‘statutory late fees under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act’. It doesn’t just let you charge interest on the balance at 8 per cent over the base rate (so currently a total of 11.75 per cent), it also lets you add a fixed charge - currently £40 for any invoice under £1,000, £70 for invoices £1,000 and over or £100 for invoices of £10,000 or more - so it’s worth doing. 

So with a corporate booking of £850, you can add a fixed late fee of £40, and the statutory interest works out at about 28p per day until they pay. That’s almost enough for a Freddo, every single day, until they pay. Mentioning this, (the Act, not the Freddo) gives you a clear, lawful way to show the client that the amount will keep increasing until the invoice is settled.

When I had this issue, it was promptly dealt with at the mention of increased fees. There’s a handy page here to calculate what the fees are. 

Many comedians are members of Equity. The mere mention of its name is a useful tool, as clients often respond quickly once they know a union can take over. 

Equity’s legal team can advise you on next steps, contact the client and handle the matter if the client keeps ignoring payment requests. It will expect you to have a clear contract or booking confirmation and will want to see proof. It will only step in if the amount is due and not disputed.

If you’re not a member of Equity, or chasing payment for a private booking not covered by the Act mentioned above and you’ve reached the point where emails and reminders are going nowhere, the small claims process is the next step. It is simple, takes only a few minutes online and you don’t need a solicitor.

Before you do this, send a formal ‘Letter Before Action’. It tells the client that if they do not pay by a set date, you will start court proceedings. This usually gets results because it is a clear, final warning. But if it doesn’t, it’s time for the big guns.

Go to Money Claim Online on the Gov.uk site. Enter the client’s full name and address, the amount owed, the fixed late fee and interest if it was a business booking and a brief description of what happened. Mention the date of the event, the agreed fee, and that the invoice became overdue. 

You pay a small fee when you submit the claim. The amount depends on how much you are owed. If you are claiming £850, the fee is £70. You add this to the total you are claiming, and if the client ends up paying they reimburse the fee as part of the judgement.

The court then posts the paperwork to the client, and they have 14 days to respond. At this point, many clients pay because they realise the matter is now formal and cannot be ignored. If they still do not pay, the court process continues, but most invoices will be settled long before a hearing is needed.

This route keeps control in your hands. You set the deadlines, take clear steps and show the client that you are not dropping the matter. The process is there to help small businesses and freelancers, and built for situations exactly like this.

Collective action can create change

Just one poor payment experience is enough to know which promoters and venues to avoid. 

Individual artists might just hold the power. After all, Sainsbury’s won’t deliver your shopping if you haven’t paid for it. 

• Martyn Rowland is a professional magician, TV writer and founder of Giggio, software that keeps entertainers organised. He is currently starring in the London show The Magician’s Table. 

Published: 21 Jul 2026