Our payment terms are 30 days from receipt of invoice or receipt of goods/service, whichever is the later. (You would have signed up to this when you started to trade with us).

However, as we are signed up to the ‘Prompt Payment Code’ and in order to assist our creditors, we will make every effort to pay all invoices within 10 days - so you may be paid sooner than expected. To help us meet this commitment we need your help.

Make sure that all invoices are sent directly to:

Payments Section
Torbay Council
Town Hall
Castle Circus
Torquay
TQ1 3DR

Your invoice to us must include:

  • Our name and address
  • Your name and address
    A unique identifying number (invoice number)
  • The date of invoice
  • A description of goods/service
  • Vat number and breakdown if appropriate
  • The total amount
  • Our ‘Official Order Number’ that you should have been given when we commissioned the work with you. (This is a six digit 123456 format)

We need these details to comply with HMRC regulations Opens in a new window ( although as you may be able to send us a ‘modified or simplified’ invoice).

No works should be carried out, or service provided to us, without an Official Torbay Order Number.  In the case of emergencies an Order number should be obtained the next working day and your invoice marked accordingly.  If you are not given an order number please request one from the person/department commissioning the goods/service.

We may return the invoice if this information is not available.

If there has been a dispute concerning the payment of the invoice or the goods/services provided, your invoice will still be entered onto our financial system along with details of the dispute.  The individual or departments you have been dealing with will provide you with details of the dispute and keep you updated.  

Our system is able to record all updates and notes of phone discussions etc (if notified to the Payment Section) so we can keep a full picture of any problem, but the invoice will not be paid until the dispute has been cleared.

We make daily payment runs, and if your invoice is due for payment (based on the date identified above), our system will automatically ensure your invoice is paid within the current payment terms (or as mentioned, where possible in 10 days).

Date(s) by which an invoice must normally be received and approved to be included in the next payment run.

We have an internal target to input invoices received into the section within 2 working days of receipt, however we guarantee to input within 10 days of receipt.

However, prompt payments are dependent upon the following:

  • We need to have set you up on our system before we can make a payment so we will need to have received back the supplier setup form from you if you are a new supplier or if your details have changed. Depending on the information received back we may need to carry out checks on your employment status to determine if payment is to be made through the Creditor payment system or Payroll.
  • Invoices are sent directly to the Payments Section and are marked with a relevant order number
  • Your invoice complies with VAT regulations if applicable
  • The department you have been dealing with authorises the payment when the goods/service has been received and there are no disputes
  • We strive to pay all invoices by BACS (and to email you out the remittance advice) therefore, we need to hold up to date bank details for you
  • Where applicable CIS verification needs to be completed with HMRC and you will need to provide a breakdown of any materials on your invoice if required by HMRC