How to follow up on an unpaid invoice

Most unpaid invoices are not refusals. They are documents that fell out of a process — the wrong address, a missing purchase order number, an approver on leave. Chasing works best when it assumes that, and escalates only when the assumption stops holding.

A schedule that works

  1. On the due date

    One line, friendly, with the invoice attached again. Most payments arrive within days of this message, because it lands while the invoice is still findable.

  2. Seven days late

    Ask a question rather than making a demand: has the invoice been approved, and is anything missing from it? A question gets a reply; a demand gets silence.

  3. Fourteen days late

    Address it to accounts payable directly and copy your contact. State the invoice number, the amount, the original due date and the payment details in the message itself.

  4. Thirty days late

    A formal notice: the amount, the age, the late fee if you have one, and what happens next. Keep it factual. This is the message that gets read by someone senior.

What to write

  • The invoice number and amount, in the first sentence
  • The date it was issued and the date it was due
  • How to pay, repeated in full — never "as per the invoice"
  • One clear question or one clear next step, not both

When chasing stops working

If four messages have gone unanswered, the problem is not the reminders. At that point the options are pausing work, a formal demand letter, a collections agency or small claims — and which is worth it depends almost entirely on the size of the invoice against the cost of pursuing it.

Re-send an invoice

Common questions

How soon is too soon to chase?
The due date is not too soon, as long as the tone is a reminder rather than a complaint. Chasing before the due date reads as a misunderstanding of your own terms.
Should I stop work over an unpaid invoice?
If your terms say so, yes, and say it before you do it. Stopping without notice hands the client a grievance that displaces the conversation about payment.
Is it worth going to small claims?
It depends on the amount against a day of your time and a filing fee, and on whether the client has money to collect from. For small balances the honest answer is often to write it off and change who you work with.

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