Free Payment Reminder Text and Email Generator

With the default inputs, the 7-days-overdue text reads: "Hi Dana, invoice #1042 for $640 was due Nov 15 and still shows open. Could you take care of it this week? - Sample Plumbing" That's 123 characters, one SMS. Add a payment link and every reminder includes it.

When should you send payment reminders?

Send a friendly reminder a few days before the due date, one on the due date, and then firmer reminders at 7, 15 and 30 days past due. That schedule catches customers who simply forgot before the invoice goes stale, and it gives you a clear record if you have to escalate later.

After 30 days, stop automated reminders and call. A phone call finds out whether there's a complaint about the work, a cash problem, or a wrong address, and each needs a different fix. How to collect unpaid invoices covers what to do next, from payment plans to small claims.

What should a payment reminder say?

• Who it's from. Business name first, so it isn't mistaken for a scam text.
• The invoice number, amount and due date. The customer shouldn't have to dig for the original invoice.
• How to pay. A payment link is the single biggest help. If you don't have one, say how you accept payment.
• A way to raise a problem. "If something doesn't look right, reply and we'll sort it out" brings disputes out early, while they're still small.
• Nothing else. No upsells, no review requests, no lecture about small businesses.

Here's the 30-days-overdue email the generator writes with the defaults: "Subject: Final reminder: invoice #1042 is 30 days past due Hi Dana, Invoice #1042 for $640 is now 30 days past due, and we haven't been able to reach you about it. Please pay within 7 days, or contact us to set up a payment plan. We'd like to settle this directly with you. If you have a question about the work or the amount, tell us and we'll look into it right away. Sample Plumbing"

How firm can a payment reminder be?

Firm means clear and specific: the amount, how late it is, and the date you need payment or a plan. It never means threats, insults or legal claims you aren't prepared to back up. The generator's templates leave out late fees, interest, collections agencies and court on purpose, because whether you can charge or threaten any of those depends on your contract and your state.

• Federal collection law mostly targets collectors, not you. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act defines a debt collector to exclude a creditor's own employees collecting in the creditor's name, but it does cover a business collecting its own debts under a different name that suggests a third party is involved. Don't send reminders as "Recovery Department" if that's really you.
• Your state may cover you anyway. California's Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, for example, defines a debt collector as anyone who regularly collects debts "on behalf of that person or others," which reaches businesses collecting their own consumer debts. Other states have their own rules.
• Use reasonable hours. Federal Regulation F treats contact before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time as inconvenient for debt collectors. It's a good limit for your own reminders too.
• Honor "stop texting me." The FCC says consumers can opt out of automated texts at any time and in any reasonable manner. Switch to email, mail or a phone call.

Can you charge a late fee?

Maybe, but the place to set it is your estimate or contract, before the work starts, not in a reminder after the fact. States limit late fees and interest differently, and some cap them for consumer accounts. If you want a late fee, write it into your terms, check your state's rules with an attorney and show it on every invoice. The contractor invoice template has a payment-terms section, and contractor deposit laws covers the related rules on upfront payments.

Payment reminders by trade

Common payment reminder mistakes

1. Waiting until it's 30 days late to say anything. The first reminder should go out before the due date.
2. No payment link. Every extra step (find the invoice, call the office, mail a check) delays payment.
3. Threatening what you won't do. An empty threat of court or collections costs you credibility and may break your state's rules.
4. Shaming the customer. Public posts, messages to their neighbors or calls to their employer can create real legal trouble and won't get you paid faster.
5. Reminding someone who already paid. Reconcile payments before you send. Syncing invoices and payments with your books prevents it.

Track how long invoices stay open with the DSO calculator, and read how to get paid faster for ways to shorten the wait before you ever need a reminder.