Below are six reminder emails in the order you'd send them, from a check before the due date to a formal notice and an offer of a payment plan. Each one gives the invoice number, amount and due date, asks one specific question and includes a payment link. Replace the details in square brackets and keep the tone the same from the first email to the last.
In this article
The short version
- Six templates, from a check before the due date to a formal notice and a payment plan offer.
- Each gives the invoice number, amount and due date, one question and a payment link.
- Put the amount and due date in the subject line.
- Statutory interest and compensation in the formal notice apply to business customers only.
- Only send a deadline you're prepared to act on.
How to use these templates
Replace anything in square brackets with your own details. Keep the amount and due date in the subject line, because that's the part your customer reads on a phone. Put a payment link in every email, not just the first, so nobody has to dig out the original invoice to pay.
Decide when each one goes out at the moment you send the invoice. A typical schedule is a few days before the due date, the day after, a week later, three weeks later and a month later.
The interest and compensation in the formal notice apply to business customers only. If you invoice individuals, only mention late charges your contract clearly allows.
Before and just after the due date
Subject: Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] due [30 September]
Hi [name],
Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] is due on [30 September]. Could you confirm it's reached the right person and is approved for payment?
You can pay it here: [payment link]
Thanks,[your name]
This isn't a chase, so it's unlikely to cost you any goodwill, and it catches an invoice that's gone to the wrong person while there's still time to fix it.
Subject: Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] now due
Hi [name],
Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] was due yesterday, [30 September]. Is anything holding it up?
You can pay it here: [payment link]
Thanks,[your name]
The question assumes a hold-up, not bad faith, and it's easy to answer. An invoice a day or two late is often an admin slip, so the tone stays light.
When the invoice is weeks overdue
Subject: Invoice [1042] for [£1,200], [8] days overdue
Hi [name],
Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] is now [8] days overdue. Could you let me know the date it'll be paid, or tell me if something needs sorting out at my end?
Payment link: [payment link]
Thanks,[your name]
Asking for a date is harder to sidestep than asking for an update, and it still leaves room for a genuine problem with your invoice.
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 yet had a payment date. I'll call you on [day] to sort it out, unless it's paid before then.
Payment link: [payment link]
Thanks,[your name]
Saying you'll call is the escalation here, and it gives your customer a reason to pay first.
Subject: Invoice [1042] for [£1,200]: formal notice
Dear [name],
Invoice [1042] for [£1,200] was due on [30 September] and is still unpaid after [three] reminders.
Please pay by [date]. If it isn't paid by then, I'll claim statutory interest and fixed compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and consider recovery action.
Payment link: [payment link]
Regards,[your name]
Only send this if you're prepared to follow through, because a deadline that passes without consequence makes every later one easier to ignore. Statutory interest is 8% above the Bank of England base rate, currently 11.75% a year, and the fixed compensation is £40, £70 or £100 per invoice depending on its size. GOV.UK's guidance is to send a new invoice if you decide to add interest.
Payment plans and automatic reminders
Subject: Invoice [1042]: a payment plan
Hi [name],
I understand [£1,200] in one go may not be workable right now. Would [three] monthly payments of [£400] help? They'd be collected automatically, so neither of us has to remember.
If that works, reply and I'll set it up.
Thanks,[your name]
A plan can recover more than escalating would, and you keep a customer who may be fine next quarter. If the instalments are collected automatically, you won't be chasing each one as it falls due.
Templates are a good start, but six emails won't fit every situation. A customer who's paid on time for three years and slips once doesn't need the same message as one who's queried the invoice twice. Adfin can send reminders like these automatically, at the points you choose and through the channels your customers read, with the payment link included each time. Its Customer Agents adapt the wording and timing for each customer within rules you approve, and can offer an instalment plan when a customer is struggling.
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. A few short lines is enough.
What's a polite way to ask for payment? State the facts and ask whether anything is holding it up. Being brief and specific reads as polite, and apologising for asking doesn't help.
How many reminders should I send before a formal notice? In the schedule above, three reminders after the due date and a phone call come first, so the formal notice goes out once the invoice is about a month late.
Should I mention interest in a payment reminder? It's usually kept 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, or the days overdue. It's the part most likely to be read on a phone.
Should I send reminders by hand or automatically? Automatically, on a schedule set when the invoice goes out, so the reminders don't depend on someone remembering in a busy week. Keep the phone calls and the formal notice for a person.
Sources
- GOV.UK - Late commercial payments: charging interest and debt recovery (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.gov.uk/late-commercial-payments-interest-debt-recovery/charging-interest-commercial-debt
- GOV.UK - Claim debt recovery costs on late payments (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.gov.uk/late-commercial-payments-interest-debt-recovery/claim-debt-recovery-costs
- Bank of England - The interest rate (Bank Rate) (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/the-interest-rate-bank-rate
- Adfin - Credit control (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.adfin.com/credit-control
