An invoice is late. You know you should do something, and that is exactly the moment people do nothing for three weeks — because the next step isn't obvious.
Here it is, as a sequence.
Day 0: check your own side first
Before writing to anyone, confirm three things:
- The invoice actually arrived. A tracking log showing zero opens means the problem is delivery, not payment
- The details are right. Wrong entity name, missing PO number, wrong bank details — any of these makes the invoice unpayable no matter how many reminders you send
- The due date matches the terms. If the contract says 30 days from delivery, and you're counting from the invoice date, you may not be late yet
Roughly one in five "late payments" is an invoice problem, not a client problem.
Day 3–7: the delivery check
Not a reminder. A question:
Hi Anna — invoice 2026-114 (£4,000) is due 11 November. Just confirming it's with the right team and doesn't need a PO number from us.
This asks nothing embarrassing and surfaces the common blockers early.
Day 14: the first real reminder
Factual, with the date and the number:
Invoice 2026-114 (£4,000) was due on 11 November — 3 days overdue. Could you confirm the payment date? If it's already scheduled, one line back and I'll stop chasing.
Day 30: escalation with a consequence
Now the terms matter. If your contract has an interest clause, state it — as a fact, not a threat:
The invoice is now 19 days overdue. Our terms include interest on late payment; I'd rather resolve this without applying it. Could you confirm a payment date this week?
Day 45: final notice
A deadline, in writing, addressed also to the person above your contact:
This is a final notice for invoice 2026-114, now 34 days overdue. If payment is not received by 20 December, the account passes to collection. If there is a genuine problem, tell me today.
Day 60+: decide, don't drift
Three options, and you pick one deliberately:
- Collection agency — 15–25% of the recovered amount, 4–12 weeks
- Small claims court — court fee plus your time, workable for undisputed amounts
- Write-off — if the amount is below your threshold or the client is insolvent
What you should not do is keep sending reminders at day 90. Recovery rates fall sharply after that point, and the emails cost you attention without moving money. When to switch from chasing to collection.
The three documents that decide everything
Whatever route you take, you need these in one folder:
- The contract (or the accepted quote / engagement letter) with payment terms
- Proof of delivery — signed timesheet, accepted deliverable, the "looks good" email
- The invoice with its issue date, plus evidence it was sent
Missing any of them turns a certain claim into an argument.
Two things that make the whole sequence unnecessary
Shorter terms with a consequence. Net 14 with a late fee in the contract changes behaviour more than any reminder.
A reminder schedule you don't have to think about. Day 3, 14, 30, 45 — decided once, sent automatically from your own address. The reason invoices sit unpaid is rarely the client's refusal; it's that the fifth email never gets written.
That is the part we automate in DueBuddy: invoice becomes data, schedule runs, emails leave on time. Five invoices free.