In this article
Lead with the fact, ask one specific question, and agree next steps with a specific date. "The invoice was due on the 30th, is there anything holding it up?" gets further than either an apology or a threat, because it's answerable.
Most of the difficulty in these conversations comes from having left them too long, so the useful work happens earlier than the call.
The short version
- State the fact, ask one question, agree a date.
- Don't apologise for asking. You're not asking for a favour.
- A promise without a date and a mechanism is the same conversation next month.
- Work out early whether the issue is that customer can't pay, or has chosen not to, because the two merit different responses.
- 22% of businesses spend significant staff time chasing, averaging 86 hours a year each.
The short answer
The way to approach chasing emails is to be specific, be brief, and get a date. The tone that works is the one you'd use to query a delivery: factual, unbothered, and expecting an answer.
Before you pick up the phone
Check the invoice was actually seen and approved. A surprising share of overdue invoices aren't being refused at all, they're sitting with someone who isn't able to authorise them, so what you've got is a routing problem and not a difficult conversation.
Know your own numbers before you dial. The invoice number, the amount, the due date, how many days overdue you are and what you've already sent. Looking any of it up mid-call hands over the initiative.
Decide the outcome before you call. Do you need payment today, a commitment to a specific date, or an instalment arrangement? A call without a target will likely end in an "I'll look into it".
Know where you stand on interest. On business debts you're entitled to statutory interest at base rate plus 8%, currently 11.75%, plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the debt. You don't have to use it, but knowing it's there changes how the conversation feels.
Copy suggestions by situation
| Situation | What to say | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| First follow-up after the due date | "Invoice 1042 was due on the 30th. Is there anything holding it up?" | Assumes an obstacle rather than bad faith, and it's answerable |
| They say it's with finance | "Who should I speak to there, and when does their next payment run go out?" | Turns a deflection into two facts |
| They say they never received it | "I'll resend it now with a payment link. Can you confirm it's arrived in the next ten minutes?" | Removes the excuse immediately and sets a short clock |
| They promise vaguely | "That's helpful. Shall I put it down for the 15th, and I'll send a link so it's one click?" | Converts a promise into a date and a mechanism |
| They dispute part of it | "Let's split it. Can you pay the undisputed part now while we sort the rest?" | Stops one query holding the whole invoice |
| They can't pay | "Would three monthly instalments collected automatically work better?" | Collects more than escalation does, and keeps the client |
| They keep missing dates | "We're going to need this on direct debit going forward. Can I send the mandate?" | Fixes the cause instead of repeating the call |
| It's gone far enough | "I'd rather not, but if it isn't settled by the 30th I'll have to move to a formal notice." | Says the consequence once, with a date, and means it |
How to preserve the relationship
The thing that damages relationships isn't being asked for money. It's being asked inconsistently, in a tone that escalates unpredictably.
Keep the tone flat and let the facts do the escalating. Same voice at day 3 and day 60. What changes is the medium and the specificity, not the adjectives.
Be predictable. A client who knows a reminder arrives the day after the due date, every time, stops taking it personally. Irregular chasing arrives as an accusation because it arrives as a surprise.
Try not to make the person you're speaking to the problem. It's rarely their decision, and often not even their department.
And where the relationship really is the difficulty, take the conversation out of the relationship altogether. A direct debit mandate agreed at the start means the money moves without anyone having to ask, which is why practices capture one when the engagement letter is signed.
Phrases to avoid
A handful of phrases are worth dropping from your chasing messages, mostly because they either apologise for the invoice or invite the reply you didn't want:
- "Sorry to chase." You're not sorry and it isn't a chase, it's an invoice.
- "Just following up." It says nothing on its own, so give your client the fact and the question instead.
- "As per my previous email." It reads as an accusation and invites a defensive reply.
- "When can we expect payment?" Too open. "Can you confirm it'll go in the run on the 15th?" gets you a yes or a no.
- Any threat you aren't prepared to act on. If one of your deadlines passes and nothing happens, every future date you give is likely to be treated as negotiable.
- An explanation of the work. If your client disputes the work that's a different conversation, and if they don't, re-justifying it suggests you think it needs justifying.
When the message shouldn't be yours to write
Everything above assumes you're the one saying it, and for the difficult conversations that's how it ought to be. A client in genuine difficulty, a negotiation over an instalment plan, a relationship you want to protect: those need a person, and your wording matters.
Most of your chasing isn't that. Most of it is a sequence of routine messages that have to go out consistently, in a channel your client actually reads, at a moment they can act on. You're scheduling more than you're writing, and it's the part most of us are worst at, because it competes with everything else in the week. Businesses affected by late payment spend an average of 86 hours a year on it.
Which is where handing the routine part to an agent comes in. You set the rules of engagement: which channels it can use, how persistent you'll let it be, what it can do without asking you, and where you want to see something before it goes out. It then picks the next action for each of your customers and learns what tends to work for that customer in particular. Messages go from your own email domain, in templates that adapt to the situation instead of repeating the same paragraph with a new date.
The per-customer part is where the argument for automation usually gets overstated, so here it is precisely. There's no evidenced best day or hour to send a reminder, and anyone who tells you Tuesday at 10am is guessing. So what does hold up? Your clients differ, some answer the phone and ignore email, some go quiet every December, and a system that learns each client's pattern is doing something a general rule can't.
Then there's timing. You chase during working hours, because that's when you're at work. An agent has no such constraint, so a message can land at the point a particular client tends to deal with their admin, whether or not anyone's in your office.
What none of this replaces is your judgement. The decision about a client who has stopped paying, the call where somebody explains they're in trouble, the choice to escalate or wait: those stay with you. Give the agent your routine chasing and keep the conversation human, which is roughly the opposite of how most businesses do it today.
Common questions
How do I ask a client for payment without being rude? State the invoice number, the amount and the due date, then ask one specific question such as whether anything is holding it up. Factual and brief reads as professional. You'll make it awkward by apologising for asking.
What do I say when a client keeps promising to pay? Convert the promise into a date and a mechanism: agree a specific day and send a payment link, or move them to direct debit. A promise with neither is the same conversation next month.
Should I mention interest when chasing? You don't have to, and early on it usually costs more goodwill than it gains. Keep it for a formal notice, where stating the entitlement plainly carries more weight.
Should I write chasing messages myself or automate them? Both, on different jobs. The routine sequence is a consistency problem, so it suits an agent that works to rules you set and learns each client's pattern. The difficult conversations, and the decision to escalate, are better kept with a person.
What if the client says they can't afford to pay? Offer an instalment arrangement collected automatically. A structured plan usually recovers more than escalation and keeps a client who may be fine next quarter.
Is it better to call or email about an overdue invoice? Email creates the record, a call gets the answer. Change medium rather than sending the same email a third time. There's no reliable evidence that one channel is better in general, so use both for what each does well.
How long should I leave it before calling? Once a couple of written reminders have gone unanswered, usually two to three weeks past due. Waiting longer makes the call harder, not easier.
Sources
- GOV.UK — claim debt recovery costs on a late commercial payment (accurate as of August 2026)
- Small Business Commissioner — late payments research (accurate as of August 2026)
This article explains how credit control works and is not legal advice. The statutory interest rate moves with the Bank of England base rate, so check the current position before relying on a figure. Last updated August 2026.
