Payment reminder email
Two payment reminder emails for B2B invoices: one before the due date, and one just after. Each names the invoice, the amount, and a single way to pay.
A payment reminder email tells a customer an invoice is coming due, or has just passed its due date. It names the invoice number, the amount, and the date, and it gives one way to pay. Use the first template before the due date. Use the second a day or two after, if you have heard nothing.
These are emails, not letters. A formal letter is a different document: see the payment reminder letter. For the note that asks for payment on a named invoice, see the invoice collection email.
Rex sends reminders like these inside collections, and does not send the next one when the customer has paid, disputed, or named a date. The copies below are for a team writing the email itself.
Before the due date
Send this three to five days before the invoice is due. Assume they intend to pay.
Subject: Reminder: invoice [Invoice number] is due [Due date]
Hi [Customer name],
A reminder that invoice [Invoice number] for [Amount] is due on [Due date].
You can pay it here: [Payment link]
If anything on the invoice looks wrong, reply and we will fix it before the due date. If you have already scheduled payment, thank you, no need to reply.
Thanks,
[Your name]
[Company name]
Just past due
Send this one to three days after the due date, and only if the before-due note got no payment and no reply.
Subject: Payment reminder: invoice [Invoice number], [Amount]
Hi [Customer name],
Invoice [Invoice number] for [Amount] was due on [Due date] and is still open.
Please pay it here: [Payment link]
If it is already on a payment run, tell us the date. If a line is wrong, reply with the invoice number and what to correct.
Thanks,
[Your name]
[Company name]
Do not send this a second time unchanged. At about 15 days past due, switch to the past due invoice emails. The full set of stages is in collection email templates.
When a reminder is the wrong tool
A reminder is enough when the customer forgot. It is the wrong tool when they reply with a dispute, a short pay, or a promise, and the next message carries on as if they had not. It is also the wrong tool at 60 days, when the tone should have changed weeks earlier.
Collections is the operation that makes that call per account. A template cannot see that the cash already landed or that the customer asked for a copy of the purchase order.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a payment reminder email?
- A payment reminder email tells a customer an invoice is coming due or has just passed its due date. It names the invoice number, the amount, and the date, and gives one way to pay. It is a courtesy, not a demand. A demand comes later, after earlier reminders go unanswered.
- When should you send a payment reminder email?
- Send the before-due reminder a few days before the due date. Send the just-past-due reminder one to three days after the due date if nothing has arrived and the customer has not replied. Switch to a firmer past-due email once the invoice is around 15 days late.
- How is a payment reminder email different from a collection email?
- A payment reminder assumes the customer will pay and may have missed the date. A collection email is the follow-up once the invoice is overdue and a reminder was not enough. The facts in both are the same: invoice, amount, date, and a way to pay. The tone is what changes.