Payment reminder email templates for wholesale invoices
Five emails that take a trade invoice from a friendly heads-up to a final notice. Copy them, swap in your details and send them on a schedule.
In short
- Every reminder needs the invoice number, the amount, the due date and a way to pay, above the fold.
- Change the directness as the invoice ages, not the politeness.
- Name the consequence before it happens, then apply it.
- Send them on a schedule, by email and text, so nobody has to remember.
Before you copy them
Square brackets mark what to replace. If you use Terms Due, every one of these is a template with merge fields that fill themselves; edit the wording once and the schedule sends them. If you send by hand, put the dates in your calendar, because a reminder sent on the right day matters more than its wording.
Keep the subject line factual. 'Invoice 1047 due 12 September' is opened; 'Quick question' is not.
1. Heads-up, five days before the due date
Subject: Invoice [1047] for [$8,420.00] is due on [12 September]
Hi [Sam],
A quick note that invoice [1047] from your order on [13 August] is due on [12 September]. The amount outstanding is [$8,420.00].
You can pay by card here: [pay link]. If you pay by bank transfer, our details are on the invoice.
Thanks for your order, and let us know if anything about it needs sorting before then.
[Your name], [Store]
2. Due today
Subject: Invoice [1047] is due today
Hi [Sam],
Invoice [1047] for [$8,420.00] is due today, [12 September]. Pay in one tap here: [pay link].
If you have already paid, thank you and please ignore this. If you pay by transfer, a reply with the date you sent it helps us match it up.
[Your name], [Store]
3. Overdue notice, seven days late
Subject: Invoice [1047] is 7 days overdue
Hi [Sam],
Invoice [1047] for [$8,420.00] was due on [12 September] and is now 7 days overdue. A copy is attached.
Please pay here: [pay link], or let us know today if there is a problem with the order so we can put it right.
As set out in our trade terms, new orders on the account are paused if an invoice reaches 14 days overdue. We would rather not get there.
[Your name], [Store]
4. Account on hold, fourteen days late
Subject: Account on hold: invoice [1047] is 14 days overdue
Hi [Sam],
Invoice [1047] for [$8,420.00] is now 14 days overdue, so new orders on your account are paused until it is paid, as set out in our trade terms.
Pay here: [pay link]. The hold lifts automatically as soon as the payment is received, and your terms go back to normal.
If you need to agree a payment date, reply to this email or call [number] and we will sort it out.
[Your name], [Store]
5. Final notice, thirty days late
Subject: Final notice: invoice [1047], [$8,420.00] outstanding
Hi [Sam],
Despite our reminders on [dates], invoice [1047] for [$8,420.00] remains unpaid 30 days after its due date of [12 September]. Your account is on hold.
Please pay in full by [date, 7 days away] here: [pay link]. [UK only: Statutory interest and compensation now apply under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and are shown on your statement.]
If payment is not received by that date we will consider further steps to recover the debt. We would much prefer to resolve this directly, so please call [number] if there is anything we should know.
[Your name], [Store]
Which email, which channel, which day
| Stage | Day | Text | Attach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heads-up | -5 | Yes | No | Nothing |
| Due today | 0 | Yes | Yes | Nothing |
| Overdue notice | 7 | Yes | Yes | Invoice PDF |
| On hold | 14 | Yes | Yes | Statement |
| Final notice | 30 | Yes | Yes, and a call | Statement with interest |
Text versions of each stage are in our chasing guide.
What to change, and what to leave
Change
- Your name, store, number and pay link.
- The hold point, if yours is not 14 days.
- The interest clause, which only applies to UK business buyers.
- The sign-off, to match how you normally write.
Leave
- The invoice number, amount and date in the first line.
- The pay link in every email.
- The warning before the hold, and the hold when you said.
- The invitation to reply if something is wrong.
Sending them automatically
In Terms Due these five emails are the default schedule. Each has a matching text, merge fields for every bracket above, your logo and a footer for your bank details, and a live preview against a real invoice. The sequence stops the moment the invoice is paid. See payment reminders.
Questions
Should reminder emails come from a person or the business?
From the business with a person's name at the bottom. Buyers reply to people, and the schedule should not depend on one inbox.
How formal should they be?
As formal as your normal emails to that buyer. The sequence works because of timing and consequences, not because it sounds like a solicitor.
Should I attach the invoice every time?
From the overdue notice onwards. Before that the link is enough; after that, the buyer should never be able to say they did not have it.
What if the buyer replies with a question?
Answer it and pause the sequence for that invoice until it is resolved. A dispute chased as a debt costs you the account.
Can I send these to buyers outside the UK?
Yes. Leave out the statutory interest line and use your own late fee clause if your terms have one.
Related
Chasing unpaid invoices
A practical process for chasing unpaid B2B invoices: timing, tone, channels, when to stop supplying, and reminder wording you can copy.
Read moreEmail and text reminders
Send automatic email and text reminders for Shopify B2B invoices before and after the due date, with a one-tap pay link and firmer wording as invoices age.
Read moreWhen a customer will not pay
The steps after the final notice: stopping supply, payment plans, letters before action, collection agencies, small claims and knowing when to write a debt off.
Read moreStop chasing wholesale invoices by hand
Install Terms Due, set a credit limit for each buyer and let the app hold, remind and collect.
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