A payment reminder email is a short message that tells a customer an invoice is due or overdue and makes it easy to pay. The ones that work have the same parts: the invoice number and amount in the subject line, the due date, the invoice attached again, your bank details or a payment link, and a tone that gets firmer with each step. Below are six reminder emails to copy, from a friendly heads-up 3 days before the due date to a final notice at 30 days, with SMS versions and a sending schedule.
Want the whole process, not just the wording? These templates are the email side of our guide to chasing overdue invoices in Australia, which covers phone calls, payment plans and escalation.
When to send each payment reminder
Spacing matters as much as wording. Too early feels pushy, too late suggests you don't mind waiting. This schedule works for most small businesses on 7- to 30-day terms:
| When | Reminder | Tone | Also do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days before due | 1. Courtesy heads-up | Helpful | Only for new or slow-paying customers |
| Due date | 2. Due today | Friendly | |
| 7 days overdue | 3. First overdue reminder | Polite, direct | |
| 14 days overdue | 4. Second overdue reminder | Firm | Phone call the same day |
| 21 days overdue | 5. After a broken promise (if needed) | Firm, specific | Offer a payment plan |
| 30 days overdue | 6. Final notice | Formal | Pause further work |
After the final notice, the next step is a formal letter of demand, not another email.
Subject lines that get opened
Put the invoice number in every subject line. Accounts payable teams search their inbox by invoice number, and a subject like "Quick reminder" gets lost.
- Invoice INV-0142 for $1,320.00 – due Friday 13 November
- Invoice INV-0142 – due today
- Invoice INV-0142 for $1,320.00 – now 7 days overdue
- Second reminder: INV-0142 is 14 days overdue
- Final notice: INV-0142 – payment needed by 21 December
1. Courtesy reminder (3 days before due)
Use this for a new customer, a large invoice, or anyone who has paid late before. It isn't a chase. It gives the customer a chance to raise a problem while there's still time to fix it.
Subject: Invoice INV-0142 for $1,320.00 – due Friday 13 November
Hi Sam,
Just a heads-up that invoice INV-0142 for $1,320.00 (bathroom exhaust fan installation, 28 October) is due this Friday, 13 November. I've attached a copy so it's handy.
You can pay by bank transfer to BSB 000-000, account 12345678, using INV-0142 as the reference.
If anything on the invoice doesn't look right, let me know before Friday and I'll sort it out.
Thanks,
Jess
Brightside Electrical · 0400 000 000
2. Due-date reminder
Subject: Invoice INV-0142 – due today
Hi Sam,
A quick reminder that invoice INV-0142 for $1,320.00 is due today. A copy is attached.
Bank details: BSB 000-000, account 12345678, reference INV-0142.
If you've already paid, thank you, and please ignore this email.
Cheers,
Jess
3. First overdue reminder (7 days)
Assume it was missed, not ignored. Most late payments at this stage are an invoice that went to the wrong person or got buried, and a friendly tone gets them paid fastest.
Subject: Invoice INV-0142 for $1,320.00 – now 7 days overdue
Hi Sam,
I haven't received payment for invoice INV-0142 ($1,320.00), which was due on 13 November. It may have slipped through, so I've attached it again.
Could you let me know when I can expect payment? If the invoice needs to go to someone else in your team, just send me their email and I'll forward it.
Bank details: BSB 000-000, account 12345678, reference INV-0142.
Thanks,
Jess
4. Second overdue reminder (14 days)
Now ask a direct question and ask for a date. Call on the same day: a phone call at 14 days usually does more than a third email.
Subject: Second reminder: INV-0142 is 14 days overdue
Hi Sam,
Invoice INV-0142 for $1,320.00 is now 14 days overdue, and I haven't heard back about my last email.
Please pay by Friday 4 December, or reply to let me know if there's a problem with the invoice or the work. I'm happy to talk it through. I'll also try to give you a call today.
[Only if your terms include it:] As set out in our terms, a late fee of [$X / X% per month] applies to invoices more than 30 days overdue.
Bank details: BSB 000-000, account 12345678, reference INV-0142. Invoice attached.
Regards,
Jess
Only mention a late fee if it was in the terms your customer accepted before the work started. You can't add one in a reminder. Our guide to charging late fees in Australia explains what's enforceable.
5. After a broken payment promise
If the customer said "I'll pay Friday" and didn't, quote their own words back to them and name the date. It's the most effective email in the sequence because it's about their commitment, not your invoice.
Subject: INV-0142 – payment not received as arranged
Hi Sam,
When we spoke on Monday 30 November you said INV-0142 ($1,320.00) would be paid by Friday 4 December. I haven't received it yet.
Can you please make the payment by Wednesday 9 December? If paying the full amount at once is difficult, let me know and we can agree a short payment plan in writing.
Regards,
Jess
6. Final notice (30 days)
Formal, short, and specific about what happens next. Don't threaten anything you won't do.
Subject: Final notice: INV-0142 – payment needed by 21 December
Dear Sam,
Invoice INV-0142 for $1,320.00, issued 30 October and due 13 November, remains unpaid despite reminders on 20 and 27 November and my phone call on 30 November.
Please pay the full amount by [date, 7 days from today]. If payment isn't received by then, I'll send a formal letter of demand and may lodge a claim with [NCAT / VCAT / QCAT / your state's tribunal or small claims court] to recover the debt and costs.
If you dispute the invoice, please tell me in writing before that date.
Bank details: BSB 000-000, account 12345678, reference INV-0142. Invoice attached.
Yours sincerely,
Jess Tran
Brightside Electrical · ABN 12 345 678 901
Keep a copy of every reminder. If you end up in a tribunal, a dated trail of polite reminders is the best evidence that the debt was known and not disputed.
SMS payment reminders
For tradies and service businesses working with households, a text often gets paid faster than an email. Keep it to one or two lines and include the reference.
- Due date: "Hi Sam, Jess from Brightside Electrical. Invoice INV-0142 ($1,320) is due today. BSB 000-000 Acc 12345678, ref INV-0142. Thanks!"
- 7 days overdue: "Hi Sam, just checking INV-0142 for $1,320 from 28 Oct didn't get missed – it was due 13 Nov. Happy to resend it if needed. Jess"
- 14 days overdue: "Hi Sam, INV-0142 ($1,320) is now 2 weeks overdue. Can you pay by Fri 4 Dec or give me a call? Jess, Brightside Electrical"
What makes a reminder email work
- One invoice, one email. Several invoices in one email get paid partially. Use a statement of account for the full balance.
- Attach the invoice every time. "Can you resend that?" is the most common delay tactic.
- Repeat the payment details in the body, not just on the invoice. Our guide to putting bank details on an invoice has wording you can reuse.
- Send it to whoever pays, which is often accounts payable rather than the person who booked the work.
- Give a specific date from the second overdue email onwards. "As soon as possible" has no deadline.
- Never change bank details in a reminder. Invoice scams often look like a "please note our new account" email. If your details really change, call your customers to tell them.
Contact limits when chasing individuals
If your customer is an individual rather than a business, the ACCC and ASIC debt collection guideline applies to how you follow up. It recommends contacting them no more than 3 times a week or 10 times a month, and only between 7:30am and 9pm on weekdays or 9am and 9pm on weekends. Harassment, coercion and misleading threats are against the law whoever the customer is. The schedule above stays well inside those limits.
Automate the reminders
Writing these by hand works for a few invoices a month. Beyond that, reminders get sent late or not at all, usually to the customers who most need them. Most invoicing apps send them automatically: InvoiceSonic, for example, sends a reminder at 7, 14 and 30 days after each due date and stops as soon as the invoice is marked paid. You still make the phone call; the emails just happen.
The best reminder is the one you never need. Clear payment terms, a due date on the invoice, and sending the invoice the day the job is finished prevent most late payments. Our guide to how to send an invoice covers that first email.
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. For guidance specific to your business, see business.gov.au and the ATO, or speak to your accountant.
Frequently asked questions
How do you politely remind someone to pay an invoice?
Keep it short, assume it was missed rather than ignored, and make paying easy. Name the invoice number, amount and due date, attach the invoice again, and include your bank details or a payment link. For example: 'Just a reminder that invoice INV-0142 for $1,320.00 was due on 13 November. I've attached it again in case it went astray.'
When should I send a payment reminder?
A good default is a heads-up 3 days before the due date, a reminder on the due date, then follow-ups at 7, 14 and 30 days overdue. Pick up the phone at around 14 days if emails haven't worked.
What should the subject line of a payment reminder say?
Put the invoice number, amount and status in the subject, such as 'Invoice INV-0142 for $1,320.00 – now 7 days overdue'. Accounts teams search their inbox by invoice number, so it should always be there.
Can I add a late fee to a payment reminder?
Only if late fees were in the terms the customer agreed to before the work started, such as on your quote or invoice. You can't add a new fee in a reminder. If your terms allow it, mention the amount and when it applies.
How many payment reminders should I send before taking action?
Usually four or five over about 30 days: before due, on the due date, then at 7, 14 and 30 days overdue, with a phone call along the way. After a final notice with a firm date, move to a letter of demand.
Are there rules on how often I can contact a customer about a debt?
For debts owed by individual consumers, the ACCC and ASIC debt collection guideline says to contact them no more than 3 times a week or 10 times a month, and only at reasonable hours (7:30am to 9pm on weekdays, 9am to 9pm on weekends). Harassment and coercion are against the law whether the customer is a person or a business.
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