The short version
Send the first reminder the day after the due date, then at one week, two weeks and thirty days. Each one names the invoice number, the amount and the due date, attaches the invoice again, and asks for one thing: payment, or the date it will arrive. Each is a little shorter and a little firmer than the last.
Before you send anything
- Check that it wasn’t paid. Look at every account the client might have paid into.
- Check who you sent it to. If the invoice went to your contact and not to accounts, the first reminder should go to both.
- Attach the invoice every time. Nobody should have to search for it in order to pay it.
The five emails
Swap in your own names, numbers and dates. The examples use invoice INV-014 for $1,275.00, due November 23.
Three days before the due date
A courtesy that heads off the invoice that was simply forgotten. Worth sending for larger invoices and new clients.
Subject: Invoice INV-014 is due on November 23 Hi Dana, A quick note that invoice INV-014 for $1,275.00 is due on November 23. I've attached it again so it's easy to find. If it's already scheduled, thank you, and there's no need to reply. Best, Alex
The day after the due date
Assume it was missed, not ignored. Keep it short and make paying easy.
Subject: Invoice INV-014 was due yesterday Hi Dana, Invoice INV-014 for $1,275.00 was due yesterday, November 23, and I don't have a payment for it yet. It's attached, and the ways to pay are at the bottom of it. Could you let me know when I should expect it? Thanks, Alex
One week late
Ask a direct question, so the reply has to be a date or a reason.
Subject: Invoice INV-014 is a week overdue Hi Dana, I'm following up on invoice INV-014 for $1,275.00, which was due on November 23 and is now a week overdue. The invoice is attached. Is there anything holding it up on your side, such as a missing PO number or a different billing contact? If so, tell me and I'll fix it today. Otherwise, what date will it be paid? Thanks, Alex
Two weeks late
Name what happens next. Copy in whoever handles accounts if you have their address.
Subject: Invoice INV-014 is two weeks overdue Hi Dana, Invoice INV-014 for $1,275.00 is now two weeks past its due date of November 23, and I haven't had a reply to my last two emails. It's attached again. Please pay it this week, or reply with the date it will be paid. I'm pausing further work on the project until it is settled. Thanks, Alex
Thirty days late
A final notice. State the amount, the deadline and the consequence, and nothing else.
Subject: Final notice: invoice INV-014 Hi Dana, This is a final notice for invoice INV-014 for $1,275.00, which was due on November 23 and is 30 days overdue. The invoice is attached. If I haven't received payment or heard from you by December 30, I will take the matter further. Alex
What makes a reminder work
- The facts are in the subject line. The invoice number and how late it is. It can be acted on without being opened.
- One request. Pay, or name a date. A reminder that also asks about the next project gets an answer to the other question.
- No apology and no accusation. “Sorry to bother you” suggests the invoice is optional. State what is owed and when it was due.
- An easy way out. Asking whether a PO number or a different contact is needed gives a stuck invoice a way to get unstuck.
If none of them work
After a final notice, the choices are a phone call, a formal letter, a collections service or small claims court. Which is worth it depends on the amount and on your contract.
Sending them without writing them
Sandglass tracks which of your invoices are due and overdue, and sends a reminder with the invoice attached in one click. If your terms include a late fee, the late fee calculator shows what has accrued.