Chase an unpaid invoice in steps: a friendly reminder before it’s due, a nudge on the due date, firmer emails each week after, then a final notice or demand letter around day 50. In the UK and Ireland, late business invoices also earn statutory interest and a fixed fee. Small claims court comes last.
This is Babara’s practical suggestion, not the law. It assumes a business client and no agreed payment date, with day 1 being the day your client received the invoice. If your contract sets a due date, count from that instead.
Write down the day your client received the invoice. With no agreed payment date, every deadline below counts from it.
A two-line note that the invoice is due next week, with the payment link. It has no legal effect; it just stops invoices getting lost.
Write a friendly reminderKeep it light. Most clients who miss a due date simply forgot.
For business-to-business invoices in the UK and Ireland, the law adds interest and a fixed compensation fee from now, without you sending anything first. It doesn’t apply to invoices for consumers.
Name the invoice, the amount and a date to pay by. In the UK or Ireland you can show the interest so far: daily interest is the debt times the rate, divided by 365.
Overdue invoice email templatesSay clearly what you’ll do if it stays unpaid. If you decide to add interest and compensation, GOV.UK suggests sending a new invoice for them that refers to the original one.
One last letter with a firm deadline. What it must include depends on who your client is.
If the deadline passes with no payment and no reply, you can claim. Bring the invoice, every reminder and your final letter.
Example: a £2,400 invoice (including VAT) received on 1 September 2026 with no agreed terms is due on 30 September. Interest runs from 1 October at 11.75%, about 77p a day. By 29 November, 60 days late, that’s about £46.36 plus the £70 fixed sum. The full rules are in our guide to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act.
Pick how late it is and how you want to sound. Copy it into any email, or let Babara send it for you.
Your email appears here
Pick how late the invoice is and the tone you want. Babara writes a short, human reminder you can paste into any email.
Small claims courts are built for people without lawyers. Send a final letter first, and keep copies of everything.
In the US, send a demand letter before you file; it often gets you paid without court.
Replace everything in [brackets]. Need more? See our overdue invoice emails and how to write a final payment reminder.
Subject: Invoice #[number] is now overdue
Hi [Name], A quick note that invoice #[number] for [amount] was due on [due date] and I haven’t seen the payment yet. Could you pay it by [date]? Here’s the link: [payment link]. If something is holding it up, a missing PO number or a question about the work, just reply and I’ll sort it out. Thanks, [You]
Subject: Final notice: invoice #[number], payment needed by [deadline]
Dear [Name], Invoice #[number] for [amount], due on [due date], is still unpaid. I wrote about it on [date 1], [date 2] and [date 3]. [UK or Ireland, business clients only:] The amount now owed also includes statutory interest of [rate]% a year from [first late day] and fixed compensation of [£40 / £70 / £100 or €40 / €70 / €100]. Please pay [total] by [deadline]: [payment link or bank details]. If I haven’t received payment or a written reply by then, I will start a claim to recover the debt without further notice. If you dispute the invoice or need time to pay, please contact me before that date. Yours sincerely, [You]
Wondering how common this is? See our late payment statistics.
Before you start
Invoice and reminder templates for designers, photographers, developers, copywriters and content writers, videographers and video producers, contractors and consultants.
Consider the awkward part handled
Babara sends each reminder at the right moment, pauses when your client replies, and stops the moment they pay.
Start freeYour clients won’t know what hit them. (A very polite email.) Free for your first 3 invoices.