In this article
Six templates, in the order you'd send them. Each one states the fact, asks one specific question and gives your customer a way to pay. Copy them, put your own details in, and set the schedule when the invoice goes out instead of deciding to chase later.
The short version
- Lead with the invoice number, amount and due date. Then one question. Then the link.
- Don't apologise for asking, and don't re-explain the work.
- Change medium as you escalate instead of resending the same email.
- Put the payment link in the message every time, not just in the first one.
- Keep the tone identical throughout. The facts escalate, the language doesn't.
How to use these
Replace anything in square brackets with your own details. Keep the subject lines as they are, because the amount and the due date survive being skimmed on a phone.
Send the first one before your invoice is due. That one message tends to prevent more delay than any reminder sent after it, because it catches the invoice that went to the wrong person while there's still time.
Before the due date
Subject: Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] due [30 September]
Hi [name],
Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] is due on [30 September]. I wanted to check it's reached the right person and is approved for payment.
If it's easier, you can pay it here: [payment link]
Thanks, [your name]
Why it works: it isn't a chase, so it costs you nothing in goodwill, and it surfaces routing and approval problems before they become lateness.
Day one overdue
Subject: Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] now due
Hi [name],
Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] was due yesterday, [30 September]. Is there anything holding it up?
You can pay it here: [payment link]
Thanks, [your name]
Why it works: "Is there anything holding it up?" assumes an obstacle instead of bad faith, and it's answerable. "Please let us know" isn't.
A week overdue
Subject: Invoice [1042] for [£1,200], [8] days overdue
Hi [name],
Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] is now [8] days overdue. Could you confirm when it'll be paid, or let me know if something needs sorting out at my end?
Payment link: [payment link]
Thanks, [your name]
Why it works: asking for a date is harder to sidestep than a general enquiry, and it still leaves room for a genuine problem with your invoice.
Three weeks overdue
Subject: Invoice [1042] for [£1,200], [21] days overdue
Hi [name],
Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] is now [21] days overdue and I haven't been able to get a payment date. I'll give you a call [tomorrow] to sort it out.
If it's simpler, you can settle it here: [payment link]
Thanks, [your name]
Why it works: announcing a change of medium is the actual escalation, and it gives them the chance to avoid your call by paying.
Formal notice
Subject: Invoice [1042], [£1,200]: formal notice
Hi [name],
Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] was due on [30 September] and remains unpaid [30] days later, despite [three] reminders.
Please arrange payment by [date]. If it isn't settled by then I'll add statutory interest and the fixed compensation I'm entitled to claim on a commercial debt, and consider recovery action.
Payment link: [payment link]
Regards, [your name]
Why it works: it states one consequence, with one date, and no adjectives. Only send it if you'll act on it, because an unmet deadline makes every future date negotiable.
On the entitlement: statutory interest on a business debt runs at base rate plus 8%, currently 11.75%, and fixed compensation is £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the debt. The right applies whether or not your contract mentions it. If you do add interest, the government guidance is to send a new invoice for it.
Instalment offer
Subject: Invoice [1042]: a payment plan
Hi [name],
I appreciate [£1,200] in one go may not be workable right now. Would [three] monthly payments of [£400] be easier, collected automatically so neither of us has to think about it?
If that works, reply and I'll set it up.
Thanks, [your name]
Why it works: a structured plan usually recovers more than escalation does, and it keeps you a client who may be fine next quarter. Collect the instalments automatically and they don't turn into next month's chase.
What makes a reminder work
All six have the same skeleton, and each part of it does a job.
Lead with the facts. The invoice number, the amount and the due date go in your first line. Then ask one specific question, for a date or a confirmation, and not for a general update. Then give a payment route in the message itself, because pointing back at the original email means your customer has to go and find the original email.
Leave the apology out. "Sorry to chase" invites the reply that it's fine to be late. Leave the re-explanation of the work out too, since if it's disputed that's a different conversation, and if it isn't, justifying it suggests it needs justifying. And keep your tone the same all the way through. Compare the six above: the facts and the medium escalate, the register doesn't.
The one thing these templates can't tell you is the best day or time to send them. There's no reliable evidence for a general answer, and we can't publish one either. What your client has replied to before, and how quickly they paid afterwards, is a better guide than any published best time. Consistency is the part you control from the start.
Where templates stop being enough
A template set like the one above is the right starting point, and it has a built-in ceiling. Six templates cover six situations, so the seventh gets whichever one is closest, and that's how you end up sending a reminder that's slightly wrong: the tone of a first chase on an invoice that's been queried twice, or a formal notice to a client who paid every invoice on time for three years.
The next step up is templates that adapt instead of repeat. Working from rules you set, an agent picks the message for the situation, varies it by what that client has responded to before, and sends it from your own email domain. Your templates become the input and not the output.
Two things are worth keeping in your own hands. The wording of anything that mentions legal steps, because a formal notice is a commitment, and any message to a client you'd rather not lose. Set those to route past you before they send.
Common questions
What should a payment reminder email say? The invoice number, the amount and the due date in the first line, one specific question, and a payment link. Keep it under six lines.
What's a polite way to ask for payment? State the fact and ask whether anything is holding it up. Politeness comes from being brief and specific, not from apologising for asking.
How many reminders should I send before escalating? Two written reminders and a call is a reasonable point to move to a formal notice, usually around a month past due. Change the medium each time instead of resending.
Should I mention interest in a payment reminder? Keep it for the formal notice. Stating the entitlement plainly at that point carries more weight than adding small sums early on.
What should I put in the subject line? The invoice number, the amount and the due date. It's the part most likely to be read on a phone.
Should I send reminders manually or automatically? Automatically, on a schedule set when the invoice goes out. The most common failure is a schedule that depends on someone remembering in a busy week.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Claim debt recovery costs on a late commercial payment (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.
