A reminder is easiest to act on when it names the invoice, the amount and the due date, lets the customer pay from the message itself, and says who to contact if something's wrong. Keep early reminders friendly and factual, and keep statutory interest and compensation for business customers once an invoice is overdue, since consumers aren't covered. The channel can matter as much as the wording, because a customer who leaves emails unread may answer a text or a WhatsApp message.
In this article
The short version
- Name the invoice, amount and due date, and include a way to pay.
- Send a friendly reminder a few days before the invoice is due.
- Mention statutory interest to business customers once the invoice is overdue.
- Leave statutory interest and compensation out of reminders to consumers.
- Text and WhatsApp can reach customers who leave emails unread.
What every reminder needs
Before you think about tone, check that the customer could pay from your reminder without opening anything else. Some late payments are simply invoices nobody has got round to paying, and every extra step you ask of the customer is a chance for it to wait another week.
- The invoice number and date, so their accounts team can find it.
- The amount due, in euro, and the date it was or will be due.
- A way to pay from the message, such as a payment link that takes card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or bank transfer.
- A named person and a phone number or email address for queries.
- For overdue business invoices later on, what happens next if it stays unpaid.
Attach or link the invoice itself, too. If the original went to someone who has since left, or into a shared inbox, a reminder without it can bounce around the customer's business before anyone can approve it.
How firm to be at each stage
At every stage you're trading off getting paid against keeping the relationship comfortable. ISME's survey of SME owners for Q1 2026 found 13% are afraid to charge for late payment in case they lose the customer, so it helps to decide your stages in advance and apply them to everyone, which makes each step feel less personal.
| Stage | Purpose | What to include |
|---|---|---|
| A few days before the due date | Catch the invoice before it's late | Amount, due date, payment link; no mention of late payment |
| On or just after the due date | Point out it's now due | Same details, a plain note that payment hasn't arrived, a query contact |
| About a week overdue | Ask for a date | A request to pay or reply with a payment date; for business customers, a line on statutory interest |
| Final reminder | Say what happens next | The amount including any interest and compensation, a deadline, and the next step |
I'd argue the pre-due reminder is the friendliest message in the sequence, since nothing has gone wrong yet and it may save you sending a firmer one later.
Whether you mention interest early is your call. Under S.I. 580 of 2012, interest on a late invoice to a business or public body runs from the day after the payment date without any reminder, at 10.4% a year from 1 July 2026 (the rate is reset every 1 January and 1 July). Fixed compensation is €40 on an invoice up to €1,000, €70 up to €10,000 and €100 above that. If you mention it in the third reminder rather than the first, you give a customer who simply forgot a chance to pay without feeling accused. None of this applies to consumers, so leave interest out of reminders to individuals entirely.
A reminder you can adapt
Here's a reminder for a business customer whose invoice is about a week overdue. Change the names, numbers and sign-off to suit you.
Subject: Invoice 1043, €860, due 14 October
Hi Siobhán,
Invoice 1043 for €860 was due on 14 October and we don't have a payment against it yet. You can pay by card or bank transfer using the link below.
If there's a problem with the invoice or the work, call me on the number below and we'll sort it out. Otherwise, could you reply with the date you expect to pay?
Overdue invoices between businesses carry statutory interest and fixed compensation under the late payment regulations. We'd much rather not add them, so a quick payment or a reply with a date would be great.
Thanks, Ciarán
You've named the invoice in the subject line, so it's easy to find. Your payment link comes before any warning, your customer knows how to raise a query, and the interest line is factual and comes last.
Channel, timing and automation
If your customers are businesses whose accounts teams work from an inbox, email suits them. SMS and WhatsApp can reach a sole trader or a consumer who reads their phone more than their email, and a short message with a payment link is easier to act on there than a long one. Keep texts to the invoice number, amount, due date and link.
If you write and send each of these by hand, that works for a few invoices a month and tends to slip as your numbers grow. Adfin's free Essential credit control sends unlimited reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp and keeps an aged debtors view, so each overdue account has an owner. Payment links go out on the same three channels and take SEPA direct debit, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or bank transfer. Enhanced credit control, at 0.3% per paid invoice and only when used, adds Adfin's collection agents, which adjust each follow-up within rules you approve, sends emails from your own address and adds statutory interest to overdue business invoices automatically, with grace periods and waivers for individual customers.
Common questions
What should a late payment reminder include? The invoice number and date, the amount due, the due date, a way to pay from the message and a contact for queries. For overdue business invoices, a final reminder can also say what happens next.
When should I send the first payment reminder? A few days before the due date is a good point for the first one, since it reaches customers before the invoice is late. Follow-ups on or after the due date can then be firmer.
Can I add late payment interest in a reminder to a consumer? Statutory late payment interest and compensation under S.I. 580 of 2012 apply to business and public body customers only, so leave them out of reminders to individuals.
Does late payment interest only start once I've sent a reminder? Interest on an overdue business invoice runs from the day after the payment date without a reminder. A reminder still helps the customer see the amount coming.
Should I send reminders by text or WhatsApp? Text and WhatsApp can reach customers who don't read email closely. Keep the message short and include a payment link.
What should a final reminder say before going legal? State the full amount, a deadline and the step you'll take next. Citizens Information describes a 7-day demand letter before proceedings as usual practice, though not always a legal requirement.
Sources
- Irish Statute Book - S.I. No. 580/2012, European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2012 (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2012/si/580/made/en/print
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment - Late Payment Interest Rate (accurate as of November 2026) https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/what-we-do/supports-for-smes/late-payments/late-payment-interest-rate-
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment - Compensation for Recovery Costs (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/Late-Payments/Compensation-for-Recovery-Costs-
- ISME - Prompt Payments Report Q1 2026 (accurate as of November 2026) https://isme.ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Q1-2026-Prompt-Payments.pdf
- Citizens Information - Court proceedings for recovering debts (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money-and-tax/personal-finance/debt/court-procedures/
