Payment reminder emails, from friendly to final.
A lot of late invoices are forgotten, not disputed. Start soft, get firmer on a schedule, and keep every message short enough to read on a phone in a parking lot. Click any text to make it yours.
1. Friendly reminder, a few days past due
For the customer who probably just forgot. No blame, and the pay link where they can't miss it.
Subject: Quick reminder: invoice [Invoice number] for [Job name]
Hi [Customer first name],
Hope the [new roof / furnace / patio] is treating you well. Just a quick note that invoice [Invoice number] for [Amount] was due on [Due date]. If it slipped through the cracks, no problem at all.
You can pay by card here: [Pay link]
If you've already sent it, thank you, and please ignore this. If anything on the invoice looks off, reply here or call me at [Phone] and we'll sort it out.
Thanks, [Your name] [Company]
Click any text to change it. Fill in the parts in [brackets] before you send.
2. Firm reminder, about two weeks past due
Still polite, but it names the dates and asks for payment by a specific day. Call them the same afternoon you send it.
Subject: Invoice [Invoice number] is now [Number] days past due
Hi [Customer first name],
I'm following up on invoice [Invoice number] for [Amount], which was due on [Due date] and is now [Number] days past due. I sent a reminder on [Date of first reminder] and haven't seen a payment yet.
Please pay the balance by [Pay-by date, about a week out] using this link: [Pay link]
If paying it all at once is a problem, reply and tell me what works. We can split it into two payments, with the dates in writing.
And if something about the work isn't right, I want to hear it now. Call me at [Phone] and I'll come take a look.
Thanks, [Your name] [Company]
Click any text to change it. Fill in the parts in [brackets] before you send.
3. Final notice
After two emails and a phone call went nowhere. Calm, dated, and one clear next step.
Subject: Final notice: invoice [Invoice number], [Amount] past due
Hi [Customer first name],
This is my final reminder about invoice [Invoice number] for [Amount], due on [Due date]. It's now [Number] days past due, and I've reached out on [Date] and [Date] without hearing back.
Please pay in full by [Final date] here: [Pay link]
If I don't hear from you by then, I will [the next step you will actually take, as your contract and your state allow].
I'd much rather settle this with a five-minute phone call. I'm at [Phone] most days after [Time].
[Your name] [Company]
A starting point, not legal advice. Collection rules vary by state, so check yours, and only name a next step you will really take. If your signed terms include a late fee, use the past-due final notice template instead.
When to send each one
| When | Tone | Do this too | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly | 3 to 5 days after the due date | Assume they forgot | Nothing else yet. Give it a few days. |
| Firm | About 2 weeks past due | Name the dates, set a pay-by date | Call the same day. An email plus a call beats two emails. |
| Final | 3 to 4 weeks past due, after a call | Calm, one next step | Keep copies of the invoice and every email. |
Redline's overdue alerts count from the day you sent the invoice, not from the due date. Match these emails to your own terms (Redline invoices default to due in 14 days).
What to change before you send
- Call the job what the customer calls it: "the back patio", not "Job 2291"
- Put the pay link on its own line so it's one tap on a phone
- In the firm email, list the real dates you reached out. "Several times" reads like a bluff
- Offer a split payment only if you'd accept one, and put both dates in writing
- If the job had a callback or a complaint, cut the "hope it's treating you well" line and offer to come look instead
The friendly one, drafted from one line
Subject: Quick reminder: invoice for the gutter replacement
Hi Dan, just a quick note that the $1,840 invoice for the gutter replacement was due on the 1st. If it slipped through the cracks, no problem at all. You can pay by card here: [pay link].
Thanks, Mike
Copy the pay link from the invoice in Money into the email with Edit, then tap Approve & send to email it from your Gmail. Want a reminder Thursday to call him if it's still open?
Redline drafts and waits. Nothing reaches a customer until you approve it, and it never texts.
Who hears what, and when
On Solo and up, every invoice you send with chasing on is watched. At day 3, 7 and 14 after you sent it, Redline flags it as overdue in Money and pushes you a note on the iPhone app saying who to call. Those alerts go to you, the owner. Your customer gets nothing from them. The flags stop the moment the invoice is paid on its pay link or you void it.
Your customer only hears from you when you decide. Ask for a reminder, read the draft, change what you want, and approve it. It goes out from your own Gmail address, so any reply lands in your inbox, and a copy is logged on the customer's file. Redline doesn't text and never sends a reminder on its own. More on overdue invoice alerts and email from your Gmail.
Questions contractors ask
Can Redline send these reminders automatically?
No. Redline tells you an invoice is late and drafts a reminder when you ask for one. Every email waits for your approval, and nothing goes to a customer on a schedule.
Will the draft include the pay link?
Not by itself. If you sent the invoice from Redline, copy its card pay link from Money and paste it into the draft with Edit before you approve it. If you invoice somewhere else, replace [Pay link] with your own payment instructions.
Which plan do I need?
Drafting emails and sending them from your Gmail works on Free. Invoices, card pay links and the day 3, 7 and 14 alerts are on Solo, $29 a month with a 7-day free trial on the web. See pricing.
Know who's late before they're very late.
Solo flags unpaid invoices at day 3, 7 and 14 and drafts the reminder when you ask. Start free.
Keep reading
- Past-due final notice emailThe last email before you escalate, with a late fee placeholder.
- Overdue invoice alertsUnpaid invoices flagged at day 3, 7 and 14, with a push telling you who to call.
- Invoicing and card paymentsInvoice from the job in two taps or one message. Customers pay by card.
- Email from your GmailEmails drafted by chat and sent from your own Gmail. Send-only, never reads your inbox.