Getting paid
What email should I send when a client's invoice is overdue?
Short answer
Send a short, friendly email the day after the due date: the invoice number, the amount, the date it was due, and a link to pay. Follow up a few days later, then a week later, each one shorter and plainer. Assume it was missed, not refused, and make paying take one click.
Free for 1 client, 3 active projects. No card to start. Updated by PaloWorks.
What to look for
The facts in the first line
A client should not have to open an attachment to learn what is owed.
In PaloWorks
Reminder emails carry the invoice number, the amount and when it is or was due in the subject.
A link that pays
"Here are my bank details" adds a step; a Pay button removes one.
In PaloWorks
Once you connect Stripe, every invoice link has a Pay button for card, plus bank debit for USD, EUR and GBP.
Follow-ups you do not have to remember
Chasing by hand is the job freelancers put off longest.
In PaloWorks
Reminders are on by default on every plan: three days before the due date, on the day, then three and seven days after. You can change the schedule or pause it per invoice.
A late fee, if you use one
A fee in the terms gives a reason to pay on time; one invented later starts an argument.
In PaloWorks
Late fees are off until you set them: a rate, a flat fee, grace days and a cap. Each invoice keeps the terms it was sent with.
How it works in PaloWorks
Step 1
Send the invoice with a due date
From a link with a Pay button, so the reminder has something to point to.
Step 2
Let reminders run
The default schedule sends before, on and after the due date, at most once a day.
Step 3
Send a personal note if needed
Use the reminder script, or on Pro and Studio, where the client allows AI, ask for a draft to edit and send.
Step 4
Send a statement
For a client with several invoices, a statement link shows every invoice and the running balance.
When PaloWorks is the wrong pick
- If the client disputes the work itself, a reminder will not settle it. Talk to them and point to the approved scope first.
- If you only invoice by PDF from accounting software, its own reminders may be enough.
Comparing tools? Read PaloWorks compared, including what the others are better at.
Questions people ask
- What should the first overdue email say?
- For example: "Hi Sam, a quick note that invoice 1042 was due on 3 October. You can pay it here: [link]. If it is already on its way, thank you, and ignore this."
- How firm should the later follow-ups be?
- Shorter and plainer, not angrier. By the third, state the amount, the days overdue, any late fee in your terms, and ask when you can expect payment.
- Should I charge a late fee?
- Only if it is in the terms the client saw before the invoice. The late fee calculator shows what a rate adds up to.
- Can PaloWorks send the reminders for me?
- Yes, on every plan. They are on by default, you can change the schedule, and you can pause them per invoice. If the client tells you from the invoice that they have already paid, reminders wait while you check.