Five payment reminder templates - from friendly nudge to final notice - plus the timing rules that make reminders work without souring the relationship.
BillingOtter Team
Most late payments are not malicious - they are forgotten. Invoices get buried in inboxes, approvers go on vacation, accounts-payable batches run monthly. A polite, well-timed reminder solves the majority of late payments without any conflict at all.
An invoice that is sent once and never mentioned again is easy to forget. A short reminder on a fixed schedule keeps it near the top of the client's list without any awkwardness.
Use a fixed schedule and never deviate:
Subject: Invoice #1042 - due this Friday
Hi Sarah, just a friendly heads-up that invoice #1042 for $2,400 is due this Friday, June 12. I've re-attached it for convenience. Let me know if anything is needed on my side for processing. Thanks!
Subject: Invoice #1042 due today
Hi Sarah, a quick note that invoice #1042 ($2,400) is due today. If it's already in process, please ignore this. Otherwise, payment details are on the invoice. Thank you!
Subject: Overdue: invoice #1042 (7 days)
Hi Sarah, invoice #1042 for $2,400 was due on June 12 and is now a week overdue. Could you let me know when I can expect payment? If there's an issue with the invoice, I'm happy to fix it today. I've re-attached it here.
Subject: Invoice #1042 - 14 days overdue
Hi Sarah, invoice #1042 remains unpaid 14 days after its due date. As noted in our agreement, a late fee of 1.5% per month applies to overdue balances, which I'd rather not charge - could we resolve this by Friday? Not sure how much a late fee adds up to? Our late fee calculator does the math.
Subject: Final notice - invoice #1042
Hi Sarah, despite several reminders, invoice #1042 ($2,400, due June 12) remains unpaid. If payment is not received within 7 days, I will need to pause current work and refer the balance for collection. I'd much prefer to resolve this directly - please reply today.
Typing these by hand every week is exactly the kind of work software should do. BillingOtter shows which invoices are paid, due and overdue on every plan, and on Creator Pro and Team it sends the payment reminders for you. And if you're still creating invoices manually, start with our free invoice generator.
BillingOtter sends automatic payment reminders and optional late fees on Creator Pro ($8.99/mo) and Team, so you do not have to chase by hand.
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