The schedule
| When | What it is | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days before due | A heads up | Neutral. Not a chase at all. |
| Due date | A statement of fact | Neutral. |
| 3 days after | The nudge | Friendly, assumes an oversight. |
| 14 days after | The direct ask | Plain. Asks for a payment date. |
| 30 days after | The consequence | Firm. Names the late fee. |
The wording for the last three is on the overdue invoice page. The two that come first are below, and they are the ones almost nobody sends.
Three days before the due date
Subject: Invoice 1043 due Friday
Hi Dana,
Quick heads up that invoice 1043 for $2,400 is due on Friday 1 August. Pay link is here if it is useful: [link]
Ron
On the due date
Subject: Invoice 1043 is due today
Hi Dana,
Invoice 1043 for $2,400 is due today. Pay link: [link]
Thanks,Ron
Why the pre-due reminder matters most
An invoice that is not yet late has no emotional weight. Nobody has done anything wrong, so there is nothing to be defensive about, and the email is easy to send and easy to act on.
It also catches the two failures that cause most late payments, at the point where they are still free to fix: the invoice went to the wrong person, or it never arrived at all. Finding that out three days early costs one email. Finding it out on day 30 costs a month.
Set the terms so the schedule can exist
A reminder schedule needs a due date to hang off. "Due on receipt" gives you nothing to remind against, because there is no day on which the invoice becomes late.
- Put a real date on every invoice, not a phrase.
- Use the same terms with the same client every time so the date is predictable to both of you.
- If the client runs a monthly payment cycle, ask when it is and set your due date just before it. Shorter terms do not mean faster money if your invoice misses the run by a day.
Doing it by hand
Five reminders per invoice, across every open invoice, is a real amount of administration and it is the first thing to slip when you are busy. Doing it by hand works if you keep a calendar reminder on each due date and accept that you will miss some.
The free plan makes and hosts the invoice with a pay link on it, which is the part that gets it paid. Make one.
The part Pro does for you
Pro runs the schedule above automatically: reminder sequences before and after the due date, on the timings you choose, stopping the moment the invoice is paid. It also gives you read receipts, so you know whether a silent invoice was opened or never arrived.
Pro is $9 a month. See what is in it.