Payment reminder email templates for late invoices

An invoice can be late because an email got buried, a bill sat in someone’s approval pile, or the money is tight. You rarely know which on day one, so the first reminder should assume the mildest reason, and each one after it gets a little more direct without getting rude.

Below are four templates for an invoice that is 7, 30, 60 and 90 days past its due date. Each has when to send it, the tone to aim for, a subject line and the message. Replace everything in [square brackets], and send the result as an overdue invoice email from your own address.

Before you send any of them

• Check the invoice first. Confirm the amount and the due date, and that no payment or credit has landed since.
• Put the invoice number, the amount and the due date in every message, and attach the invoice again or link to it, so nobody has to go looking.
• Send it to the person who pays the bills. That is not always the person you work with day to day.
• Send it from your own email address, so replies come straight back to you.

What matters more than the wording

A few habits do more for you than the exact words. Rules about fees, interest and collecting from a customer vary by place and by contract, and this page is general information, not legal or tax advice, so when the amount matters, check with your bookkeeper or the rules where you operate.

When to pick up the phone instead of sending another email

Email suits the first reminder and the paper trail. Once a reminder gets no reply, or the amount matters to your month, call. A two-minute conversation tells you what another email will not: whether the customer received the invoice, disagrees with it, or is short of cash. Then send a short message that confirms what you agreed, so there is a written record.

Keep a written record

Save each reminder with the date you sent it. After a call, note who you spoke to, what they said and any date they promised. Keep the quote, the approval or agreement, and the invoice in the same place. If the invoice is ever disputed, a dated record beats memory.

Offer a payment plan

A customer who cannot pay everything now may still pay in parts, and parts beat nothing. Offer the plan in writing: how much, on which dates, and when the rest is due. Ask for the first payment now, and ask them to reply to confirm. For example:

Mention a late fee only if your agreement says so

If your agreement, quote or invoice terms already set a late fee or interest, say so and quote the term word for word. A fee the customer never agreed to turns a payment conversation into an argument about the fee. For example:

When the customer disputes the invoice

Stop sending reminders on a schedule while you sort it out, because a final notice in the middle of a conversation makes it harder to resolve. Ask what exactly is wrong: the price, the scope, the quality, the dates, or a credit that was missed. Check the answer against your quote, your approvals and your records of time and materials, and reply in writing.

If part of the invoice is not in question, ask for that part now. If something is wrong, correct it, send a corrected invoice or a credit note, and say what changed. Then agree a date to settle the rest.

How Bevr handles this for you

If you would rather not send reminders like these yourself, Bevr can. Bevr emails the customer directly, from your business, as an invoice goes 7, 30, 60 and 90 days past due. The four stages on this page follow that same ladder. Reminders stop the moment a payment covers the invoice.

Payment reminders are on by default. You see the first message in Settings → Automations, and you can turn them off there any time, or ask Bevr to. Read how the reminders work, or see what Bevr costs.