Reminders
6 min read
How to word a payment reminder email
Reminder emails you can copy, from the heads-up before the due date to the final notice, with notes on tone, timing and subject lines.
Ruth Okafor
Keep the first reminder short
Most late invoices are late because they got buried, not because the client refuses to pay. The first reminder only has to put the invoice back on top of the pile: the invoice number, the amount, the due date and a link to pay. Three or four sentences is enough.
Hi Dana, a quick heads-up that invoice 1042 for $4,800.00 is due on Thursday, October 22. You can pay by card or bank transfer from the link below, and the PDF is attached for your records.
Put the invoice number in the subject line
Accounts teams search their inbox by invoice number. A subject like “Invoice 1042 is due on Thursday” gets found. “Quick question” doesn’t. Keep the same number in every reminder so the emails thread together in the client’s inbox.
Change the tone slowly
Across Dunwell accounts, the second late reminder (7 days after the due date) brings in more payments than any other step. It’s still polite, but it adds something new: the invoice PDF attached again and, if you offer one, a way to split the payment. Save firmer wording and any late fee for the final reminder at 14 days.
End the final reminder with a question
A final reminder that ends with a question gets more replies than one that ends with a demand. “If you need more time, reply and let me know when to expect it” gives the client an easy way to answer. In Dunwell, a reply also pauses the schedule, so nobody gets another nudge in the middle of a conversation.
Send from your own address
Reminders from a no-reply address get ignored and sometimes filtered as spam. Sending from your own Gmail or Outlook address means replies land with you, and your client sees a name they already know.
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