A reminder sequence: before, on and after the due date

There's no official number of reminders. What you can do is pick a pattern, write each step once, and keep the tone steady. An AI tool is handy for drafting the steps. The timing is your call.

The idea in four steps

The days below are examples to adjust, not rules. Your payment terms, customer and industry come first.

• A little before the due date. A heads-up, not a chase. "Invoice [number] is due on [date]. Here's the payment link." Some customers just forget, and this catches them. Skip it for customers who always pay early.
• On the due date. One line. Thank them in advance and repeat how to pay.
• A few days after. Friendly but clear that it's now overdue. Ask them to pay or tell you if something's wrong. This is the usual "first reminder"; see Writing a friendly first reminder with AI.
• Further after. Firmer, still polite. State the amount, the original due date and what happens next only if you've already agreed it in your terms. Consider a phone call at this stage.

How the tone can change

• Early: assume it's an oversight. Warm and short.
• Middle: neutral and factual. No guilt, no sarcasm.
• Late: direct and calm. Say what you need and by when.
• Never: threats you can't or won't carry out. Ask the AI tool to flag any threatening line, then take it out yourself.

What the invoicing tools say about timing

Software that sends reminders usually lets you set the timing. Xero's Australian page describes reminders going out around the due date, with timing you can set to suit your business.¹ Zoho describes following up on due payments as awkward and time consuming, and says its invoice product sends payment reminders.² Pages and prices change, so the tool comparison gives dates for what was checked.

Where the due date comes from

• Your agreement. The due date is whatever you and the customer agreed, on the invoice or in your terms.
• If nothing was agreed. Rules differ by country. In the UK, GOV.UK explains that a payment with no agreed date counts as late once a set period has passed since the invoice arrived or the work was delivered.³
• Agreed dates have limits there too. GOV.UK says a date you agree must usually be within 30 days for public authorities or 60 days for business transactions.³ Those figures apply to the UK only. Check your own country's official source.

Where AI fits, and where a person steps in

• AI: drafts each step in the same voice, so the sequence reads as one person writing.
• Person: checks the invoice status first. A reminder sent after the customer has paid is embarrassing.
• Person: decides when a customer moves from reminders to a call, and handles anything sensitive. The checks before sending are listed on their own page.
• Person: takes advice before late fees, interest or debt collection. This site gives no legal or tax advice.