Chasing payment is easier when you are not writing each message from scratch. Below is wording for each stage, from a gentle note before the due date to a final reminder. Change the details in square brackets, and adjust the tone to fit the customer.
A few rules that make reminders work
- Always include the essentials: invoice number, amount, due date, and how to pay. The customer should not need to look anything up.
- Attach the invoice again, every time. It may never have reached the right person.
- Stay polite, even when firm. You want to be paid and keep the customer.
- Ask a question that needs an answer, such as "when can we expect payment?". It is harder to ignore than a statement.
- Keep a record of what you sent and when, in case you need it later.
1. Before the due date: a friendly heads-up
Send this a few days before the invoice is due. It catches invoices that went to the wrong person while there is still time.
Subject: Invoice [number] due on [date]
Hi [name],
A quick note that invoice [number] for AED [amount] is due on [date]. I have attached it again for convenience.
If it needs to go to someone else for approval, please let me know who and I will send it to them directly.
Thank you,
[your name]
Hi [name], a quick heads-up that invoice [number] for AED [amount] is due on [date]. Happy to resend it or send it to your accounts team if that helps. Thanks!
2. On the due date: a simple reminder
Subject: Invoice [number] is due today
Hi [name],
Invoice [number] for AED [amount] is due today. Our bank details are on the invoice, which I have attached.
Could you let me know once payment has been arranged?
Thank you,
[your name]
Hi [name], invoice [number] for AED [amount] is due today. Could you let me know once it's been arranged? Thanks.
3. One week overdue: a firmer reminder
Subject: Overdue: invoice [number]
Hi [name],
Invoice [number] for AED [amount] was due on [date] and is now a week overdue. I have attached a copy.
Could you confirm when we can expect payment? If there is a problem with the invoice, please tell me and I will sort it out straight away.
Kind regards,
[your name]
Hi [name], invoice [number] for AED [amount] is now a week overdue. Could you tell me when payment will be made? If anything on the invoice needs fixing, just let me know.
4. Two weeks or more: call, then put it in writing
By this stage a phone call usually works better than another message. Ask directly when payment will be made, and agree a date. Then confirm it in writing:
Subject: Invoice [number]: confirming our call
Hi [name],
Thank you for speaking with me today. As agreed, payment of AED [amount] for invoice [number] will be made by [date].
I have attached the invoice again.
Kind regards,
[your name]
5. Final reminder
Use this when earlier reminders have had no reply. Be clear about what happens next, and only say what you will actually do.
Subject: Final reminder: invoice [number]
Hi [name],
Despite our earlier reminders, invoice [number] for AED [amount], due on [date], remains unpaid.
Please arrange payment by [date]. Until the account is up to date, we will need to pause further work and orders.
If you are having difficulty paying, please contact me so we can agree a plan.
Regards,
[your name]
If an invoice is still unpaid after a final reminder, get advice on your options before taking any further step.
If the customer is having trouble paying
Sometimes the answer is "we can't pay all of it right now". A payment plan is usually better than nothing: agree smaller amounts on fixed dates, confirm the plan in writing, and record each payment as it arrives.
How Purpl helps
- Purpl tells you when an invoice is overdue. It marks overdue invoices automatically and alerts you in the app, by email and by push notification, so nothing slips past.
- Chase from your Weekly Business Update. For each overdue invoice you can, in a tap:
- email the customer a reminder with the invoice attached,
- open a WhatsApp chat with them (paste one of the messages above), or
- call them.
- Record partial payments as they come in, so the balance you are chasing is always right.
- Ask Purpl AI "which invoices are overdue?" or "who owes me the most?" before you start chasing.
