3 templates for chasing an invoice, by how overdue it is
A collection letter is not there to prove a point, it is there to get paid. It changes with how long the invoice has been overdue and with what should happen next. Here are 3 templates ready to copy, when to use each one, and the list of what should never be written.
Choose the channel before the words
The usual mistake is to start with the text. The text matters least: what decides the outcome is who it goes to, at what moment and by which route. Three rules that save time:
- Early and gentle beats late and hard. An invoice chased on day 5 gets paid because an oversight was corrected. The same invoice on day 90 gets paid through pressure, and pressure has a price.
- Escalate the channel, not the tone. The ladder is email, then direct message, then registered letter. A furious email is not a step up, it is a mistake.
- Write to whoever pays. The commercial contact almost never signs the transfer. Finding the name of the person who does is worth more than three reminders.
Template 1. Friendly email, days 1 to 15
For the short delay. It assumes an oversight in good faith, because most of the time that is what it is, and it puts every detail in front of the reader so that paying is easier than replying.
Subject: Invoice [NUMBER] due on [DATE] — [YOUR COMPANY]
Hi [NAME],
I am writing about invoice [NUMBER], for [AMOUNT], which fell due on [DUE DATE]. We have no record of payment as of today.
It has most likely been mislaid. Here are the details in case they help:
Invoice [NUMBER] · Issued [DATE] · Amount [AMOUNT] · Due [DATE] · Account [IBAN]
The invoice is attached again as a PDF.If it has already been paid, send me the date and amount of the transfer and I will reconcile it at this end. And if something on the invoice does not add up, I would rather hear it today than in a month.
Best regards,
[YOUR NAME] · [ROLE] · [DIRECT LINE]
Why it works: it offers a way out at no reputational cost, attaches the invoice to remove the most common excuse, and asks for a specific date instead of a vague promise.
Template 2. Direct message, days 15 to 30
For when the email got no reply. It works because it is read immediately, and it only works if it is short. A long message on a phone gets postponed exactly like an email.
Hi [NAME], this is [YOUR NAME] from [YOUR COMPANY]. I wrote on [DATE] about invoice [NUMBER], for [AMOUNT], due on [DATE]. Could you confirm whether it has a payment date? A specific day is all I need. Thank you.
Why it works: one question, answerable in ten seconds, asking for a date rather than a payment. The date is the commitment that can be recalled later.
Two warnings. Use this channel only if it was already in use for work: opening it to chase money reads as an intrusion. And record the answer somewhere durable: a payment promise that exists only in a phone does not exist.
Template 3. Registered letter, past 30 days
The registered letter with acknowledgement and certified content is the only one of the three that proves content, date and delivery. That is its entire reason to exist: it convinces nobody who was not going to pay, but it leaves a record. Send it with both, or what was sent is not a registered letter.
[YOUR COMPANY], tax number [ID], registered at [ADDRESS], addresses [DEBTOR COMPANY], tax number [ID], registered at [ADDRESS].
That invoice [NUMBER], dated [DATE], in the amount of [AMOUNT], due on [DUE DATE], corresponding to [DESCRIPTION], delivered and approved without incident, remains unpaid as of today.
That payment of that amount in full is hereby required within [TERM] calendar days from receipt of this communication, by transfer to account [IBAN].
That, under Law 3/2004 on combating late payment, the debt accrues late payment interest from the day after the due date, together with the recovery cost compensation set out in its article 8.
That, should the stated period pass without payment being received, the claim will proceed by the appropriate route.
In [PLACE], on [DATE]. [NAME AND ROLE].
Why it works: it fixes the debt, the deadline and the consequences without adjectives, and it leaves proof that it was communicated. It is also the document that will be asked for if matters continue.
What should never be written
- Threats that will not be carried out. Announcing legal action nobody intends to take removes the only step still available.
- Hinting at a listing in a default register without meeting the requirements data protection rules set for it. Using it as a generic threat is a problem of its own.
- Debt details visible to third parties. No copying in half the org chart, no messages in group chats. The debt is the customer's data.
- An amount different from the invoice, without explaining where it comes from. Adding interest without breaking it down turns a conversation about payment into a conversation about arithmetic.
- A personal tone. "You are leaving me stranded" invites an emotional reply. The debt is between two companies.
- Absolutes that cannot be sustained. "We will not supply again" said on day 31 and contradicted on day 35 costs the next claim.
Before sending any of the three
Thirty seconds of checking that avoid most of the embarrassment: that the invoice is not already paid and unreconciled, that the amount and number are right, that there is no open dispute nobody closed, and that the recipient is the person who pays.
A claim sent by mistake to a customer who already paid does not just need an apology: it removes authority from the next three.
Frequently asked questions
How is a debt collection letter written?
With the invoice number, issue date, amount, due date, payment account and a specific deadline to respond. No adjectives. The claim that works is the one that can be acted on without replying.
Is a registered letter required before going to court?
It is not a general requirement, but it proves that payment was demanded, with a date and a content, and that is what will be asked for. An email with no acknowledgement does not prove the same.
Can interest be claimed in the first reminder?
It can, because it accrues by law from the day after the due date. It usually works better to mention it and not calculate it until the second or third contact, keeping one more step in reserve.
How many times should one chase before escalating?
Once per channel, with a specific date each time. Three identical email reminders teach the customer that reminders carry no consequence.
What if the customer asks for a payment plan?
Have it requested in writing, with a schedule, amounts and an immediate first instalment. A plan with no first instalment is a postponement of the problem.
Is it acceptable to chase by messaging app?
As a reminder, yes, if that channel was already used for work. As a formal claim, no: it does not reliably prove delivery or content, and that is precisely the job of the registered letter.
What comes next
If letters are being written, the problem already happened. What prevents most of it comes earlier: the 7 signs a customer is about to stop paying and DSO, to know what every day costs. And when figures go into the claim, the statutory late payment rate is the one that governs.
The three templates work for one invoice. For three hundred, they have to come out on their own, with their own data, at the right moment. Book a demo and see it.