The hardest part of getting paid is not the writing — it’s the order and the spacing. Send three reminders in the same week and you sound like you’re panicking. Wait 60 days between reminders and the invoice is already statistically dead. There’s a narrow correct window for each step, and the templates below stay inside it.
This is the actual cadence I run, with the language I send. None of it is original; it’s stitched together from what works in B2B small-business collections, where the typical client is not a bad actor — they’re a small business owner who forgot, or whose accounts payable clerk left, or who paid the wrong amount and didn’t tell anyone.
The cadence (default schedule)
Assume an invoice with Net 30 terms. Issue date = day 0; due date = day 30.
| Day | Action | Channel | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Polite reminder | Neutral, “just confirming you received the invoice” | |
| 37 | Follow-up | Slightly firmer, references the original reminder | |
| 50 | Phone or DM | Voice or Slack | Personal, “is everything OK on your end” |
| 60 | Final notice | Email + letter | Formal, mentions late fees and consequence |
| 75 | Demand letter | Registered letter | Legal language, 7-day deadline |
| 90 | Escalation | Collections / factoring / lawyer | Out of your hands |
The 30-37-50-60-75-90 spacing isn’t sacred — adjust by a few days based on your industry. But the shape matters: never send two reminders in the same week, and never let more than 14 days pass between them past day 30.
The templates
Day 30 — Polite reminder
Subject: Invoice 1042 — quick confirmation
Hi {first_name},
Just a quick note — I wanted to confirm that invoice 1042 (sent {issue_date},
due {due_date}) arrived OK on your end. If everything's in order, no need
to reply — payment should land in the next few days based on your typical
turnaround.
If you'd like me to resend the invoice or update any details (PO number,
billing email, anything), happy to do that.
Best,
{your_name}What this does: gives the client a graceful out — they can claim the invoice never arrived, you resend, the clock resets. ~30% of “unpaid” invoices at day 30 are genuine lost emails. This template catches most of them without forcing the client to admit anything.
Day 37 — Follow-up
Subject: Re: Invoice 1042 — quick confirmation
Hi {first_name},
Following up on the note I sent last week. Invoice 1042 was due on
{due_date} and I haven't seen the payment land yet.
Could you confirm where it stands on your end? If there's a problem with
the invoice itself or the payment process, let me know and I can resolve
it today.
Best,
{your_name}Same email thread as the day-30 message. Don’t start a new thread — context matters. If they’ve been ignoring you, the threaded reply pings whatever notification rule they have set up.
Day 50 — Phone or DM
A phone call or Slack DM. Not email. The reason: at day 50, the client knows the invoice is unpaid. Another email is more noise. A 60-second voice or video message is impossible to ignore and impossible to passive-aggressively delete from the inbox.
Script:
“Hey {first_name}, it’s {your_name}. I’m trying to close out my March receivables and noticed invoice 1042 is still showing unpaid on my end. I sent a couple of email reminders but I figured a quick call might be faster — could you let me know where it’s stuck? Happy to talk for two minutes if you want to call me back. Thanks.”
This works because (a) you sound human, (b) you’ve referenced a concrete business reason (“close out my March receivables”) that isn’t accusatory, and (c) you’ve offered to talk live, which is what’s usually missing.
Day 60 — Final notice
Subject: Invoice 1042 — final notice
Hi {first_name},
Invoice 1042 is now 30 days past due. I've sent two email reminders
and tried to reach you by phone without success.
Per our agreement, this invoice now accrues a {late_fee_pct}% monthly
late fee, retroactive to the due date of {due_date}. Updated total:
${amount_with_fees}.
If payment is not received by {day_75_date}, I'll be forced to send a
formal demand letter (registered mail) and refer the balance to
collections or factoring at day 90.
Please call me at {phone} if there's anything we should discuss.
Best,
{your_name}This is where you change tone. Polite is gone. The numbers and the consequence are explicit. Send it as both email and registered letter (or PDF attachment to a registered email service like FedEx eSign).
Day 75 — Demand letter
A proper demand letter on letterhead, sent by registered mail with return receipt. This is legal documentation if you end up in small claims court. Templates are easy to find; the key elements are:
- Original invoice reference and amount
- Specific dates of each prior reminder
- New total including late fees
- 7-day deadline for payment
- Specific consequence if missed (collections, lawsuit, both)
- Your signature
Some jurisdictions require a demand letter before you can sue in small claims court — check your local rules.
Day 90 — Escalation
At day 90, your statistical recovery rate is below 30%. From this point on, the question is no longer “how do I get paid?” but “how do I cap my losses?”
Three options:
- Sell the debt to a collection agency — they pay you 15-30% of the invoice value upfront and chase the rest themselves. Fast, but you take a big haircut.
- Refer to invoice factoring — a factor buys the invoice at 70-95% of face value, depending on the client’s credit. For B2B with creditworthy clients, this is often the best option.
- Hire a lawyer for small claims — works for invoices under your jurisdiction’s small claims cap (typically $5k-15k). Costs $50-300 in filing fees. Most defendants don’t show up; you win by default.
I usually recommend option 2 if the invoice is over $2k and the client is a real business; option 1 if the invoice is under $2k or the client looks shaky; option 3 if you’re angry and want satisfaction more than speed.
Things that make it worse
- Sending three reminders in 48 hours. Reads as panic, gives the client license to ignore.
- Personal language (“I really need this for rent”). True, but it shifts power to the client. They start thinking “I should pay them less because they’re desperate.”
- Threats you won’t follow through on. “I’ll sue you tomorrow” — they know you won’t. Use specific deadlines and specific actions you’ll actually take.
- Calling them late at night. Don’t.
- Public shaming on social media. Don’t ever. Even if you win, you lose every future client who Googles you.
When to skip ahead
If the client has gone silent — no email response, no phone return, no Slack reply for 14+ days — you can compress the timeline by 2-3 weeks. Day 30, day 45, day 60 → demand letter. Silence means they’re avoiding you on purpose, and the cadence is designed for clients who are just slow, not clients who are dodging.
Tools
- checkunpaidinvoices.com — drop a bank CSV and invoice CSV, get your unpaid list with aging buckets in 30 seconds. Free tier handles up to 50 invoices.
- Chaser, Late.app, Upflow — full dunning automation. Send the templates above on autopilot. Worth it at 100+ invoices a month.
- Fundbox, Bibby, Resolve — invoice factoring. Sell unpaid invoices for instant cash at 70-95% of face value.
Before you dun, double-check the deposit isn’t already in your bank. Run the two CSVs through the reconciliation tool — 30 seconds, no signup. Beats apologising for a chase email after a paid invoice.
FAQ
Should I charge a late fee? If your invoice/contract specifies one, yes — and make it stick. If it doesn’t, you can mention it at day 60 (“per industry standard, invoices over 30 days past due accrue X%”) but you have less ground to stand on legally.
Can I block a client from receiving new work? Yes — and you should, after day 60. Don’t deliver new work to a client who hasn’t paid the previous invoice. This is the single strongest leverage you have.
Does small claims actually work? For B2B between $500 and your jurisdiction’s cap, yes. Most defendants don’t appear; you win by default. Even when they appear, judges are generally pro-creditor when you have documentation.
What about reporting to credit bureaus? Possible for B2B (Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business) but expensive and slow. Worth it only for invoices over $5k.