A short, signed acknowledgment of a debt — the simplest written record of "you owe me money, here's how much, here's when you'll pay it back." Lighter than the full Personal Loan Agreement; designed for small sums between friends or family. The volume-acquisition entry into the casual-contracts cluster.The promise. "Three minutes. One signed page. The simplest possible record that you lent the money — and they agreed they owe it."

AAt a glance

BCustomer input — what we ask the user

B.1The conversation shape

The shortest interview in the suite — 2–4 minutes. Direct, no-frills. The IOU is a fundamentally different shape from the Personal Loan Agreement: the default is single-signature (only the debtor signs, acknowledging the debt). A bilateral variant is offered for users who want both signatures.

B.2The fields we collect

Section A — The parties

• Your role required — I'm the lender / I'm the debtor
• Your full name and address required
• Other party's full name and address required

Section B — The debt

• Amount required
• What the money was for encouraged
• Date the money was transferred required
• Method of transfer optional

Section C — Repayment

• When does the debt need to be repaid? required — fixed date / on demand with notice / no specified date
• Fixed date OR notice period conditional
• Method of repayment required

Section D — Signature

• Single-signature (debtor acknowledges) — default
• Or: Bilateral (both sign)
• Optional witness for amounts > £500

B.3Evidence & verification

• Email verification of signing party.
• No ID verification at this tier — the IOU is informal by design.

B.4Branching

1. Single-signature, fixed repayment date — ~60%
2. Single-signature, on-demand — ~25%
3. Bilateral promissory note — ~15%

B.5Drop-off risks

• "What was the money for" — users overthink. Mitigation: "skip if you'd rather."
• Repayment date — some users don't have one. Mitigation: "on demand with 14 days' notice" default.

CProduct output

C.1The deliverable

A 1-page IOU, signed by the debtor (single-signature default) or both parties (bilateral). PDF + DOCX. Emailed to both parties.

See the Specimen Output below: Jamie Patel acknowledging £750 owed to Sam Robertson for festival tickets — repayable on 1 August 2026.

C.2Document mock-up — skeleton

IOU / ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF DEBT

I, [Debtor full name] of [address],
acknowledge that I owe [Lender full name] of [address]
the sum of £[X.XX].

The money was [provided for / lent to me on] [date]
by [method of transfer].

I agree to repay this sum by [fixed date]
                          OR
I agree to repay this sum on demand, with [N] days'
written notice from the Lender.

Signed:
[Debtor signature] on [date]

[Optional Lender countersignature]
[Optional Witness signature for amounts > £500]

Footer: "Self-help legal tool · Not legal advice"

C.3What's included

• IOU (PDF + DOCX)
• Brief plain-English "what an IOU does and doesn't do" explainer
• Soft prompt to upgrade to Personal Loan Agreement for larger sums / longer terms

C.4The visual treatment

Single-page, clean, simple. Cream background, ink body, orange accent strip. No serif — casual document, not a will.

C.5Handoff & follow-up

• Both parties get PDF immediately.
• Account storage.
• If repayment date set: reminder 7 days before due.
• 30-day check-in: "Did the debt get repaid?"

DPricing & commercial shape

• Free for one-off.
• £5 standalone (intentionally lower than PLA's £9).
• Membership at £7.99/mo or £49/yr covers unlimited.

Upsell hooks: Personal Loan Agreement (over £2k or longer terms) · Personal Legal MOT · Membership.

ECompliance guardrails

E.1Why 🟢

Same regulatory shape as Personal Loan Agreement — private one-off debt acknowledgments between individuals, outside the regulated consumer-credit regime. The IOU is centuries-old; we're providing a template.

E.2User-as-actor framing

• We provide the template based on inputs.
• The debtor signs in own name.
• The lender keeps the signed IOU as evidence.
• The lender enforces the debt themselves (small claims for < £10k).

E.3What the AI does NOT do

• Advise on enforceability.
• Handle the money transfer.
• Act on the lender's behalf in any dispute.
• Check debtor solvency or willingness to repay.

E.4Required disclosures

E.5Danger words

• "Get your money back guaranteed" — never
• "Force them to pay" — agreement is consensual, enforcement via courts
• "Earn interest on lending" — never
• "Replace a loan agreement" — IOUs and loan agreements are different shapes

FMarketing & SEO essentials

F.1Search intent

• "IOU template UK" — primary
• "How to write an IOU" — research / mid-funnel
• "Is an IOU legally binding UK" — converts well
• "Friend won't pay me back" — problem-aware

F.2Keyword cluster

Primary: iou template uk

Secondary:

• iou form uk · promissory note template uk
• acknowledgment of debt template
• how to write an iou

Long-tail:

• is an iou legally binding uk
• iou between friends
• do I need an iou or a loan agreement

F.3On-page must-haves

• H1: "Free IOU Template UK — Signed in 3 Minutes · LegalHelp"
• Meta title: "IOU Template UK · Free · 3 Minutes · LegalHelp"
• Meta: "Free IOU / Promissory Note template. Three minutes. One signed page. The simplest written record of a debt."
• Schema: Product + Service + FAQPage
• FAQ section (top 6 PAA)
• Internal links: Personal Loan Agreement · Builder contract · Variation-Order · Personal Legal MOT
• IOU vs Personal Loan Agreement comparison

F.4Content programme (6 articles)

1. "Is an IOU legally binding in the UK?" — high-conversion piece
2. "IOU vs promissory note vs loan agreement"
3. "How to write an IOU that actually works"
4. "My friend won't pay me back — what can I do?"
5. "How long does an IOU last? Limitation periods"
6. "Witnessing an IOU — do you need to?"

F.5Rob fit

MSE fit: Natural — "how to lend money to friends without losing them."

F.6Danger words (product-specific)

• "Replaces a loan agreement" — never
• "Watertight" — IOUs can be challenged
• "Force payment" — never

GBuild dependencies & open questions

G.1Before launch

• AI template pipeline (lightest in suite). Owner: Pablo.
• E-sign envelope flow (shared with cluster). Owner: Pablo.
• Compliance copy sign-off. Owner: Ed.
• Content programme (6 articles). Owner: Rachel + Jemima.

G.2Open questions

1. Single-signature default or bilateral default? Test for conversion.
2. Notarisation flag for sums > £5,000?
3. Bundle with Personal Loan Agreement. "Start with an IOU, upgrade to PLA free at £2k threshold"?