Payment reminder email
A payment reminder email for a late invoice. Pick a tone, say how many days overdue it is, copy the email. The wording changes with the lateness, so a first nudge doesn't read like a final demand.
Tone
Assumes it slipped through. Good for the first nudge.
How late is it
Details (optional, fills the blanks)
Hi there, I'm writing about invoice [invoice number] for [amount], which was due on [due date]. I haven't seen the payment come in yet, so I wanted to check it reached the right person. If it's already been paid, thank you, and could you send me the payment date so I can match it? If anything on the invoice needs changing, tell me and I'll sort it out. Thanks, [Your name]
Attach the original invoice when you send it. Nothing you type here leaves this page.
Before you send it
- Check the payment hasn't arrived. Bank transfers can take a few days, and it happens.
- Reply on the thread the invoice went out on, and attach the invoice again.
- Send it to whoever pays the invoices, not only to the person you worked with.
- Keep it about the invoice. Mention the work only if the client says something is wrong with it.
Questions
When should I send the first payment reminder?
A day or two after the due date. Early on, most late payments are an invoice sitting in the wrong inbox, so the first email should assume that and make it easy to pay.
How many reminders should I send?
Usually three: a friendly one just after the due date, a firm one about two weeks later asking for a payment date, and a final notice with a deadline once it is a month or more overdue. Pick up the phone somewhere in between if the amount matters.
Can I charge a late fee?
If your contract or terms say so, and in some countries the law allows interest on late business payments even without it. Only mention a fee in the reminder if you're entitled to it and prepared to charge it.
Is this written by AI?
No. They are fixed templates. The same choices always produce the same email, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
See what's overdue without checking
OIO lists every overdue invoice in one place and writes the reminder for you, with the invoice number, amount and due date filled in. You read it and send it from your own mail. Free plan, no card.
Start freeOther free tools: invoice generator, quote template, day rate calculator.