Free templates · Payment reminder emails
Payment reminder letters, signed and dated.
When emails go unanswered, a letter is harder to ignore. Three to print, save as a PDF or open in Word: a first reminder, a firmer second letter and a final demand before legal action, each with the dates, addresses and invoice details a formal letter needs.
Fill in your invoice once Every letter below fills in, ready to print, save as a PDF or open in Word. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Three payment reminder letter templates
Each letter is dated today and gives a date to pay by: seven days for a reminder, fourteen for a final demand. Use the remaining balance after any partial payment, and keep a copy of what you send. The next step you name is yours to choose: change that bracket in your copy or in Word before the letter goes.
1. First payment reminder letter
When to use it: The invoice is overdue and your emails have had no answer, or your client's accounts team works from paper. Keep it factual: the invoice may simply have been missed.
[your name]
[your business and address][letter date]
[name]
[client's business and address]Re: Invoice [number], [amount and currency] overdue
Dear [name],
My records show that invoice [number], dated [invoice date], for [project or service] has not been paid. The balance of [amount and currency] was due on [due date] and is now [days overdue] overdue.
If you have already paid, thank you; please send me the payment date and reference so I can match it. If not, please pay by [pay-by date] using these details:
[payment details]
If anything on the invoice needs correcting, or you need another copy, please contact me and I will sort it out.
Sincerely,
[your name]
2. Second reminder: a strong letter for an outstanding payment
When to use it: About two weeks after the first letter, with no payment or reply. Firm and factual: a date to pay by, and the step you will take if it passes.
[your name]
[your business and address][letter date]
[name]
[client's business and address]Re: Second reminder: invoice [number], [amount and currency] outstanding
Dear [name],
I wrote to you about invoice [number] for [project or service], which was due on [due date]. It is now [days overdue] overdue, and I have had neither payment nor a reply.
The outstanding balance is [amount and currency]. Please pay it in full by [pay-by date] using these details, or contact me before then to agree a date:
[payment details]
If the invoice has not been paid for a reason, such as a dispute or a problem paying, please tell me so we can resolve it. If I hear nothing by [pay-by date], I will [next step, for example pause further work or send a final demand].
Sincerely,
[your name]
3. Final demand: a letter before action
When to use it: Your reminders have gone unanswered and you are ready to take the next step, such as a small claims court claim or a collection agency. Name only a step you will take. In the UK, if your client is an individual or a sole trader, read the note on the Pre-Action Protocol first.
[your name]
[your business and address][letter date]
[name]
[client's business and address]Re: Final demand for payment: invoice [number], [amount and currency]
Dear [name],
Despite my earlier reminders, invoice [number], dated [invoice date] and due on [due date], remains unpaid. The amount outstanding is [amount and currency].
This is my final request for payment before I take further action. Please pay the full balance by [final date] using these details:
[payment details]
If I have not received payment or heard from you by [final date], I intend to [start a claim in small claims court, or pass the debt to a collection agency] to recover what is owed. I would prefer to settle this directly with you.
If you dispute any part of the invoice, please write to me by [final date] and explain why.
Sincerely,
[your name]
Add interest or a late fee only if your contract or the law gives it to you, on its own line with its amount, not folded into the balance.
A letter before action in the UK
This is general information, not legal advice; your contract comes first.
Between businesses, the final demand above can serve as your letter before action. If you claim statutory interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, add it on its own line: interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, and fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the invoice, unless your contract sets its own rate. The late fee calculator works out both.
If your client is an individual or a sole trader, a court claim must first follow the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims. Its letter of claim encloses an information sheet, a reply form and a financial statement, and gives your client 30 days to reply. Write that letter from the protocol itself: the final demand above is not enough on its own.
What a demand letter must never say
- Someone else's name. Sign as yourself or your business, never as a collection agency or legal department you don't have. In the US, a creditor collecting a consumer debt under a name that suggests someone else is collecting is treated as a debt collector under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
- A step you won't take. An empty threat weakens every letter after it.
- Anything meant to alarm or humiliate. In the UK, demands sent so often or in such a way that they cause alarm, distress or humiliation, or that pretend to official authority or threaten criminal proceedings, are an offense under section 40 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970.
In the US, some states make clients pay freelancers within 30 days and owe more when they don't: the freelance payment laws guide covers each law in force.
A letter or an email?
Start with email: it is faster, and most invoices are paid after a reminder or two. The six payment reminder emails run from a heads-up before the due date to a final notice, and fill in the same way. Send a letter when emails go unanswered, when your contract says notices go by post, when your client's accounts team pays from paper, or before you take legal action.
Most invoices never need a letter: BillGrid sends the email reminders on schedule and stops the day an invoice is paid.
Common questions
How do I write a strong letter for an outstanding payment?
Strong means specific, not angry: the invoice number and date, the balance, the due date, how many days it is overdue, a date to pay by, how to pay, and the step you will take if that date passes. The second letter above has all of it. Leave out threats you won't carry out.
Should I send it by post or by email?
Check your contract first: many say how notices must be sent. Otherwise, both: post it with proof of posting, and email the same letter as a PDF so it arrives today. Keep a copy of each.
How long should I give my client to pay?
These letters give seven days for a reminder and fourteen for a final demand; choose what is reasonable for your client and your agreement. In the UK, a letter of claim to an individual or a sole trader must give 30 days.
Can I add a late fee or interest?
Only one your contract or the law entitles you to, shown separately from the balance. The late fee calculator shows what common terms come to.