How to write a payment reminder for an unpaid invoice

Why invoices go unpaid, and when to send a reminder

Most invoices that go past their due date haven't been refused. They've been forgotten, filed in the wrong inbox, or stuck in an approval step because they went to someone who can't sign them off, or because the client's accounts team needs a purchase order number that isn't on them. That's why a payment reminder is routine admin rather than a confrontation. A clear note about an overdue invoice (in the US usually called a past due invoice) gives the client what they need to pay and an easy way to tell you what's holding it up.

None of the timing below is a legal requirement; it's what works in practice for many freelancers and small businesses. For a larger amount or a new client, a short courtesy note a few days before the due date confirms that the invoice arrived and that the right person has it. A friendly first reminder goes out shortly after the due date, and if that gets no answer, a firmer second reminder follows a week or two later and asks for a specific payment date.

If that goes unanswered too, pick up the phone, because a two-minute call often finds out what three emails haven't, such as an invoice waiting for sign-off or a contact who has left. Only then send a final notice that repeats the facts and says what you'll do if the invoice stays unpaid. Adapt the pace to the client: a long-standing client with a good record may need only a gentle nudge, while one who has gone silent deserves the call sooner. No reminder guarantees payment, but it works far better when the invoice had a clear due date, which is what payment terms such as net 30 are for.

What every payment reminder should include

If you're unsure how to ask a client for payment, start by making it easy: whoever reads your reminder should be able to pay without asking you anything. Check yours against this list before you send it:

• The invoice number and invoice date
• The amount due, with its currency
• The original due date
• How to pay: your bank details, or a payment link such as PayPal if your invoice has one
• The invoice again, attached as a PDF or as a link
• A line thanking them if they've already paid
• Your name and a direct phone number or email address
• The client's reference or purchase order (PO) number, if they gave you one

The invoice goes along again because the original may have been deleted or forwarded without its attachment. A reminder isn't a new invoice and doesn't change the old one: the invoice keeps its number, date and amount, and you're simply pointing back to it. If something on it really was wrong, correct it first, for example with a credit note and a new invoice, before you chase payment. The "already paid" line matters because payments and reminders cross all the time, and a client who paid yesterday should feel thanked rather than chased.

Keep the tone factual and leave out blame: "invoice 2026-041 for €1,200.00 was due on 15 October" lands better than "you still haven't paid". Ask for a payment date rather than "as soon as possible", because a date gives you both something to follow up. With larger clients, check that the invoice reached the right person, since many pay only through an accounts payable team that matches each invoice to a purchase order. If the client says the invoice is stuck because their PO number isn't on it, ask whether quoting the PO in your reply is enough; if it has to be on the invoice itself, a credit note and a new invoice with the PO number is a clean way to fix it in the maker.

Example payment reminder emails to copy

The overdue invoice emails below run from a friendly first reminder to a final notice, with a text-message version at the end (in the US you'll also see them called past due invoice emails). Use them as a payment reminder template: replace everything in square brackets and adjust the wording so it sounds like you, because a client you're on first-name terms with will notice a sudden switch to stiff language. Each payment reminder email has a subject line that names the invoice, so it's easy to find in a busy inbox.

A friendly first reminder email

Send this shortly after the due date. It assumes the invoice was simply overlooked, so it stays light and ends with a question that's easy to answer.

Subject: Reminder: invoice [number], due [due date]

Hi [name],

Just a quick reminder that invoice [number] of [invoice date] for [amount] was due on [due date], and I don't think I've received payment yet. I've attached it again; you can pay by bank transfer to [bank details] or at [payment link].

If you've already paid, thank you, and please ignore this. If not, could you let me know when I can expect payment?

Kind regards, [your name], [phone number]

A firmer second reminder email

A week or two later, stay polite but be more direct. Mention the first reminder, ask for payment by a date and give the client an opening to tell you about a problem.

Subject: Second reminder: invoice [number] for [amount] is overdue

Hi [name],

I'm following up on invoice [number] for [amount], which was due on [due date]. I sent a reminder on [date] but haven't heard back, so I've attached the invoice again.

Could you please arrange payment by [date]? If something is holding it up, such as a missing PO number, let me know and I'll sort it out. If someone else handles payments, I'm happy to send it to them directly.

Thank you, [your name], [phone number]

A final notice email

Send this after you've tried to call. It states the facts, gives a last date and says what you'll do next, which must be something you're entitled to and prepared to do.

Subject: Final notice: invoice [number] for [amount]

Dear [name],

Invoice [number] of [invoice date] for [amount] was due on [due date] and is still unpaid, despite my reminders of [dates]. Please pay the full amount to [bank details] by [date].

If I haven't received payment or heard from you by then, I will [next step, for example: pause further work for you, or claim the late payment interest and compensation that our contract or the law allows]. I'd much rather settle this directly, so please call me on [phone number] if there's a problem.

Yours sincerely, [your name]

A payment reminder by text or WhatsApp

For clients you usually message, a short text works well as a first nudge or after a call. Include the link so they can open the invoice on their phone.

Hi [name], a quick reminder that invoice [number] for [amount] was due on [due date]. Here it is again: [link]. If you've already paid, thank you, and please ignore this. [your name]

Late payment interest and what a final notice can say

A final notice may mention what the law or your contract gives you when a client pays late, and that differs from one country to the next. Most of the summaries below are about customers that are businesses, so if your client is a private person, check what applies before you mention anything like this.

If you invoice from the UK, this is what applies to business customers. If you agree no payment date, a business customer's payment is late 30 days after it gets your invoice (or after you deliver, if that is later); agreed terms between businesses should usually be no more than 60 days, and longer only if fair to both. On a late payment you can claim statutory interest of 8% above the Bank of England base rate (unless your contract sets a different rate) plus a fixed £40, £70 or £100 for a debt under £1,000, from £1,000 to under £10,000, or £10,000 or more (Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998).

Ireland's rules for business customers run along similar lines. Between businesses, if the contract sets no payment date, payment is due 30 days after the customer receives the invoice (or the goods or services, if the invoice came first); a term over 60 days must be expressly agreed and not grossly unfair. A late payer owes interest at the ECB rate plus 8 points (10.4% a year since 1 Jul 2026) unless the contract sets another rate, plus fixed compensation of €40 (debts up to €1,000), €70 (up to €10,000) or €100 (above), without a reminder, and reasonable further recovery costs.

In Germany, the point at which a payment becomes late works a little differently. Without an agreed date payment is due at once, and a business customer is in default at the latest 30 days after the due date and receipt of the invoice, sooner after a reminder or a fixed calendar due date (§§ 271, 286 BGB). Between businesses, late payment costs interest of 9 percentage points above the base rate (reset each 1 Jan and 1 Jul) plus a €40 flat fee, and payment terms over 60 days are only valid if expressly agreed and not grossly unfair to the supplier (§§ 247, 271a, 288 BGB). So in Germany a clear reminder can make a business customer late sooner, which is one more reason to send one.

The Netherlands gives smaller suppliers extra protection against large customers. Between businesses, payment is due 30 days after the customer receives the invoice unless another term was agreed; terms up to 60 days may be agreed (longer only if expressly agreed and not clearly unfair), but large companies must pay SMEs and self-employed suppliers within 30 days. A late business customer owes statutory commercial interest (wettelijke handelsrente, 10.4% a year since 1 Jul 2026) and at least €40 in collection costs, without a reminder.

France sets firm limits on how long payment terms can be, and attaches penalties to late payment. Unless agreed otherwise, a business customer must pay within 30 days of receiving the goods or service; an agreed term may not exceed 60 days from the invoice date, or 45 days end of month if written in the contract and not abusive (Code de commerce L441-10). Late payment triggers penalties without any reminder (by default the ECB refinancing rate plus 10 points, never less than three times the legal interest rate) plus a €40 recovery indemnity for each invoice paid late. In France, the Netherlands and Ireland, then, your reminder isn't what starts the interest running; it's a courtesy that often gets the invoice paid before it comes to that.

The United States is different again. Federal executive agencies must pay your invoice by the date in the contract or, if none is set, 30 days after receiving a proper invoice; if they pay late they must add interest automatically, at a rate Treasury publishes every six months (Prompt Payment Act). The Act does not set payment terms between private businesses, although on federal construction contracts the prime contractor must, through required contract clauses, pay its subcontractors within 7 days of being paid and owe them interest if late (31 U.S.C. 3905). Some states and cities have their own rules: in New York City, for example, a client must pay a freelancer within 30 days of the work being completed if no date was agreed. Unless one of those rules covers you, a final notice can point to the interest or late fee you agreed with the client, for example in your contract.

In a final notice, name what you're entitled to and, if you've worked it out, the amount, so the client can see exactly what's at stake. Most of these interest rates are a fixed margin on top of a central bank or base rate that changes over time, so check the current figure before you quote one. Never threaten something you can't do or don't intend to do, because an empty threat tells the client your deadlines don't mean much. If the amount is large, the client disputes the invoice or they're based in another country, get advice before you rely on any of these rules.

Sending a payment reminder from the invoice maker

The maker keeps track of unpaid invoices. An invoice you've sent and haven't marked as paid gets "Send payment reminder" in the document menu and the invoice list. Once it's past its due date, the invoice says so on screen ("Overdue: it was due on …") with "Send reminder" and "Mark as paid" buttons, the sidebar shows the overdue total, and the overview has an Overdue filter. To send an invoice reminder:

1. Open the invoice you want to chase, or find it with the Overdue filter in the overview.
2. Choose "Send payment reminder" or "Send reminder". The maker drafts the reminder in the invoice's language (any of its 20 invoice languages), with the number, amount and due date filled in.
3. Edit the subject and text. The draft is worded as a friendly first reminder or, if the due date hasn't passed yet, as a note that the invoice falls due on that date. For a second reminder or a final notice, replace it with the firmer wording above.
4. Send it. With a free account it goes by email with the invoice PDF attached and a button to the invoice's page, or as a link for WhatsApp, Telegram, a text message or your own email app; without an account, copy the text or open it in your email app and attach the PDF yourself.
5. When the money arrives, mark the invoice as paid.

A reminder for an invoice you first sent from the maker doesn't use another of the free account's 10 monthly sends. The invoice records when the last reminder went ("Last reminder: 9 Nov 2026") and the overview shows "Reminded 9 Nov", so you can see when you last chased each client. You send every reminder by hand: nothing goes out automatically or on a schedule, no late fees or interest are added, and there's no separate reminder or final-notice document, because the unchanged invoice simply goes along again. If you haven't made the invoice yet, start with how to make an invoice.