When to send a payment reminder: the 5-step follow-up schedule
“Is it too soon to ask?” is the question that turns a two-day delay into a two-month one. The fix is to decide the timing once, in advance, and follow it for every invoice. Here's a schedule that works.
The schedule
| Step | When | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Heads-up | 3 days before due | Gets the invoice into this week's payment run |
| 2. Check-in | 1 day after due | Catches lost invoices and missing approvals early |
| 3. Reminder | 7 days after | Asks for a confirmed payment date |
| 4. Firm reminder | 14 days after | Sets a deadline and flushes out any dispute |
| 5. Final notice | 30 days after | Last chance before fees, paused work or collection |
The wording for each step is in payment reminder email templates.
Why these days
Before the due date: −3 days
Many companies pay suppliers in a weekly or fortnightly payment run. A note three days ahead puts your invoice into the right batch. It also reads as service rather than chasing, so it's the easiest email to send.
The day after: +1
If something went wrong — the invoice went to an old address or is waiting for a purchase order — you find out now, while the fix is quick. Waiting two weeks to ask means two weeks lost before the problem is even noticed.
One week: +7
A week is long enough that the delay is real and short enough that the work is still fresh. This is the step where you ask for a specific payment date.
Two weeks: +14
At this point, silence is a pattern. The tone gets firm and you name a deadline. If there's a dispute about the work, this email brings it into the open.
One month: +30
The final notice. You state what happens next — statutory interest and compensation in the UK and EU (see late payment interest), pausing work, or formal recovery — with a clear date.
Adjusting for your payment terms
Always count from the due date, not the invoice date. The steps stay the same; only the calendar moves.
| Terms | Due | Heads-up | Reminders (days after invoice) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Due on receipt | Day 0 | — (skip) | 1, 7, 14, 30 |
| Net 14 | Day 14 | Day 11 | 15, 21, 28, 44 |
| Net 30 | Day 30 | Day 27 | 31, 37, 44, 60 |
| Net 60 | Day 60 | Day 57 | 61, 67, 74, 90 |
With large clients on long terms, also check whether they need a purchase order number or a supplier registration before the invoice can be paid. That's the most common hidden cause of late payment.
Small timing details that help
- Send on weekday mornings in the client's time zone. Tuesday to Thursday works best.
- Avoid Friday afternoons and month-end, when finance teams are busy closing the books.
- Reply in the same email thread so the history travels with every reminder.
- Put every step in your calendar the moment you send the invoice. Then chasing isn't something you have to remember.
Let the schedule run itself. Add an invoice to DueKindly and it plans all five steps, shows who to nudge today, and can add every step to Google, Apple or Outlook calendar. Free for up to 3 invoices.
Plan my remindersCommon timing mistakes
- Waiting to be “polite”. The longer the first reminder waits, the less likely the invoice is paid at all.
- Chasing every day. It reads as panic and gets filtered. Once a week is enough.
- Escalating too early. A threat at day 3 damages the relationship for an invoice that was probably just stuck.
- Never escalating. Friendly reminder number six won't work if number three didn't. Move to the next step.
Not sure what to say? Read how to politely ask a client for payment.
FAQ
How long should I wait before chasing an unpaid invoice?
Don't wait: send a friendly heads-up 3 days before the due date, then a check-in the day after it passes. Waiting two or three weeks to send the first reminder is the most common reason invoices end up months late.
How often should I send payment reminders?
Roughly weekly in the first two weeks after the due date, then at day 30. That's four overdue reminders in a month: persistent without being pushy.
What time of day is best to send a payment reminder?
A weekday morning in the client's time zone, ideally Tuesday to Thursday. Avoid Friday afternoons and the last days of the month, when accounts teams are closing the books.
My terms are net 30. When is the first reminder?
Count from the due date, not the invoice date: a heads-up 3 days before day 30, then reminders at days 31, 37, 44 and 60 after the invoice date.
When should I stop sending reminders and escalate?
After the final notice at about 30 days overdue. If the deadline in the final notice passes with no payment or reply, move to a formal letter before action, a collection agency or a small claim.
General guidance, not legal advice. Your contract's payment terms take priority over these defaults.