Have you ever collaborated with an indolent or forgetful client who didn’t pay his bill on time and you had to ask him or her for money? How was your experience? Severely bitter. Asking for money is embarrassing. Isn’t it?
Our social and civil values and beliefs lead us to consider it’s not a good manner to ask for what we own. We should not ask for something that is rightfully ours. We think we are nagging and greedy. It’s uncomfortable and embarrassing. Sometimes many of us are afraid of damaging client relationships and losing them.
Unfortunately, as freelance agency owners, we face this predicament more often than we’d like. Everyone who has freelanced long enough has at least one story about a client who disputed charges, was late on a payment, forgot payment, said already paid, or just outright refused to pay. A survey of the Freelancer’s Union shows that 71% of freelancers faced trouble getting paid.
And even though we’ve accomplished the work and met every requirement and updated all the reviews of our client, we’re still hesitant about asking for payment. We may imagine that asking for money denotes that we don’t trust our clients.
Maybe they’ll think we’re suspecting their character. Let all these things happen. Don’t worry. After all, we never asked them to pay if they paid on time or we already knew they were going to pay, right?
3 Tips to Write an Overdue Payment Reminder Letter
Send reminders before the due date passed
You can send a soft reminder before one week or three days from the due date of your invoice. A reminder in advance would be helpful for your client not to forget your invoice in his busyness.
This is not always necessary. For instance, if you know that your client is a sincere and prompt payer, you don’t need to send a reminder. But if you are seriously concerned about the invoice being paid on time, a reminder would be effective to keep things on track.
Be highly careful that you are not using any words that anyhow disgrace your clients. Because the due date of your invoice hasn’t passed yet. The tone must be polite and friendly.
This email is a reminder in advance only to make your client keep it his or her mind and take a preparation if needed to pay on time. Your clients are less likely to procrastinate on you if they know that you’re watching your invoices carefully. You can try this sample email.
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To: yourclient@
Subject: Following up on invoice invoice number
Hi client’s name
Hope you are doing great. It was a nice experience to collaborate with you.
This is just a quick reminder that invoice invoice number will be coming due on due date. It may help you remember the invoice in your busy days.
If you get a moment please take the opportunity to look over the invoice. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Thanks again for all your assistance. Please feel free to reach out to us for further help.
Kind Regards,
Your name
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I hope it alone will work enough and your client will remember to pay on time. Unfortunately, if your client is super busy or forgetful, you can send another quick reminder at the 5th working hour on the due date.
You can customize the first reminder mail. First, replace the due date with today. Don’t forget to add if you already paid, please disregard this message and we thank you. It’s a great pleasure collaborating with you. The tone should be as polite and friendly as in the first reminder.
Send reminders After the due date passed
Unfortunately, if the due date of your invoice passes and your client doesn’t pay or hasn’t informed you when he or she is going to make the payment, you should send an overdue payment reminder with friendly but strict words.
At the beginning of the reminder, you should ask if everything including health is ok. Then remind your client about the overdue invoice and inflect a firm expectation of payment. You can try this sample overdue letter.
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Subject: Invoice invoice invoice number is unpaid
Hi client’s name,
How are you? Is everything going well?
Our record indicates that invoice invoice number was due one week ago. It is still unpaid. The outstanding amount is……. It would be greatly appreciated if you could make this payment at your earliest convenience.
If there’s anything we can do to facilitate payment, please let us know. Please let us know if you need another copy of the invoice or have any questions.
Kind regards,
Your name
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This letter is a request for your payment, not harassment at all. You are ready to assist your client to facilitate the payment. However, your tone should be more direct and let your client understand how serious you are about your profession and payment. Keep things professional but firm, and always offer to help your client however you can.
What can you do if nothing works
I hope these reminders will lessen your overdue rates by up to 0%. After all these attempts are in vain, no way without going to the court or a collection agency. Legal notice can spur your client to pay your overdue. It rarely happens. Sometimes we have some obstacles and we have to overcome them and move forward.
In these cases of billing and accounting, A good CRM like Propovoice can save you from such harassment. It works like your sales and accounting assistant. It allows you to create a professional invoice in a few clicks. It automates sending reminders as per your setting and you get paid on time without hassles
