Most late invoices are not refused, they are forgotten, lost in an inbox, or waiting for someone to approve them. A calm follow-up on a schedule gets most of them paid without anyone falling out.
Before it is late
Check the invoice went to the right person, with everything they asked for: the right company name, a purchase order number if they use them, and your payment details. A short note a few days before the due date (“Just checking this reached the right place”) catches most problems while there is still time.
A schedule that works
- On the due date, or a day or two after: a friendly reminder.
- About a week late: a plainer reminder that asks when it will be paid.
- Two to four weeks late: a firm message that says what happens next.
Keep each message short, attach the invoice again every time, and always include the invoice number, the amount and the due date. The person reading may not be the person who received the first email.
Three emails you can copy
1. The friendly reminder
Subject: Invoice INV-0142, $1,200, due 14 November
Hi Sam, a quick reminder that invoice INV-0142 for $1,200 was due on 14 November. I have attached it again in case it went astray. Payment details are on the invoice. Thanks!
2. The plain reminder
Subject: Invoice INV-0142 is now a week overdue
Hi Sam, invoice INV-0142 for $1,200 is now a week past its due date of 14 November. Could you let me know when it will be paid, or whether anything is holding it up? The invoice is attached again.
3. The firm message
Subject: Overdue: invoice INV-0142, $1,200
Hi Sam, invoice INV-0142 for $1,200 is now four weeks overdue. Please arrange payment by 19 December. If there is a problem with the invoice, tell me and I will help fix it. Until it is settled I will need to pause further work on the project.
Pick up the phone
If two emails have gone unanswered, call. A two-minute conversation often finds the real reason: the invoice is stuck with someone who left, or it needs a different format for their system.
If they still do not pay
Pausing work is usually the most effective step you control. After that, the options depend on where you and your client are: a formal letter of demand, a collection agency, or a small claims court. Keep every invoice, email and agreement; you will need them. This guide is general advice, not legal advice.
Make the next one easier
- Ask for a deposit on new projects, especially with a client who paid late before.
- Use shorter payment terms and invoice the day the work is done.
- Bill large projects in parts, so less is ever outstanding at once.
How Involets does it
Once you mark an invoice sent, Involets shows it as overdue once its due date passes, with the number of days late, and Overview and Invoices show what is overdue in total. The free Payment Reminders app in the desk’s App Store reads your unpaid invoices and offers wording pitched at how late each one is: gentle at three days, plainer at two weeks, firm at a month. You send the message yourself, from your own email. See Send an invoice and mark it paid.