Outstanding invoices: triage before you chase

Start with the list, not with the emails: sort by days overdue and amount, fix the invoices that were wrong, then contact the rest in order of money at stake.

Try it on your own invoice

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Triage

First: invoices that are wrong (wrong PO, wrong entity). Fixing them recovers money faster than any reminder.

Then: large and old — they deserve a call, not an email.

Last: small and old — an email, or a decision to write them off.

What to say to an old invoice

Do not pretend it is new. «Invoice 981 from March is still open» is honest and gets a response.

Offer a plan immediately: a two-instalment split converts more often than a demand.

Preventing the next backlog

Reminders on a schedule, not on memory.

One owner for late invoices, with a weekly fifteen-minute review.

When to stop chasing

When the cost of chasing exceeds the amount and there is no relationship to protect.

Write the decision down so it does not resurface every month.

Frequently asked

How old is too old to chase?

Legally it depends on your jurisdiction's limitation period; commercially, invoices older than a year rarely recover without escalation.

Should I stop supplying an overdue client?

It is often the most effective reminder, but decide it as policy, not in anger.