How to follow up on an unpaid invoice (with message templates)

Chasing money you have earned is uncomfortable, so many business owners put it off — and the longer an invoice goes unpaid, the less likely it is to be paid at all. The fix is not to become more aggressive. It is to become more predictable: a routine you follow every time, so the follow-up is never personal.

First, rule out the invoice itself

Before you chase anyone, check that the invoice was easy to pay. Did it have a specific due date, the right client email and clear payment details? Did the client actually open it? If you sent it as a link that records views, you already know. Surprisingly many “late” invoices were never seen.

A follow-up schedule that works

Message templates

Copy these, change the details, and keep them short. Always include the invoice number, amount, due date and how to pay.

Before the due date

Hi Sam — a quick reminder that invoice INV-042 for $1,240.00 is due this Friday, October 3. You can view and pay it here: [link]. Thanks again for having us out.

The day after it is missed

Hi Sam — invoice INV-042 for $1,240.00 was due yesterday. It may have slipped through; here is the link again: [link]. Let me know if you have any questions about it.

One to two weeks late

Hi Sam — I’m following up on invoice INV-042 for $1,240.00, which is now 10 days past its October 3 due date. I’ve attached a copy. Could you let me know when I can expect payment? E-transfer to [email protected] works best.

Final notice

Hi Sam — invoice INV-042 for $1,240.00 is now 45 days overdue despite previous reminders on October 4, October 13 and a call on November 2. Please pay by November 24. If I don’t receive payment or hear from you by then, I will pursue other options to recover the amount.

Make the call

If emails go unanswered for a month, pick up the phone. Ask an open question — “Is there anything holding this up?” — and listen. Often there is a fixable reason: a disputed line, a cash-flow crunch, an invoice sent to the wrong person. Offer a concrete next step, such as a payment plan in two instalments, and confirm it in writing afterwards.

If it still is not paid

• Stop further work for the client until the account is current.
• Send a formal final notice with a firm deadline, and keep copies of every message.
• Consider a collections agency, which typically takes a percentage of what it recovers.
• Small claims court handles modest amounts without a lawyer in most provinces and states.
• For construction work, a lien may be available — but lien deadlines are strict and short, so check them as soon as a large invoice goes late.

This is general information, not legal advice. Collection rules, interest and lien deadlines vary by jurisdiction.

Prevent the next one

• Agree payment terms in the estimate, not after the work.
• Take a deposit on larger jobs.
• Invoice the day the job is finished, with a real due date.
• Make paying easy: payment details on the invoice, and a link that opens on any phone.
• Record partial payments so the remaining balance is always clear to both of you.