Checking payment before sending an invoice reminder

Start with the specific invoice you intend to chase

Open the current invoice record and note its number, customer, amount, currency and remaining balance. Check for previously recorded payments or adjustments. Use the latest record, rather than an old reminder containing the original total.

Then look at the payment records you normally use for your business. Check the relevant date range and payment route. If someone else maintains the accounts, ask them to confirm the match instead of changing a balance from memory.

This is an owner-run check. It does not assume your reminder service has bank access or automatically reconciles payments. PayerPing’s service model keeps payer payments with the business, with owners responsible for recording payment status on manual and CSV invoices.

Compare references, amounts and allocation details

• Does the received payment show the expected invoice reference?
• Does its amount and currency match the outstanding balance?
• Does the payer identity fit the customer’s known payment route?
• Does remittance information identify the invoice or invoices covered?
• Has this payment already been recorded against another item?

A single transfer may cover several invoices, while a partial payment may cover only part of one. If two invoices have the same value, a matching amount alone does not tell you which one was paid.

Keep the received-funds check separate from the allocation check. Remittance advice can help explain the intended allocation, but you still need to establish that the payment reached the business through the expected route.

Pause the ordinary chase while a match is uncertain

If a transfer looks relevant but its reference is unclear, record the question and investigate it. Avoid marking the invoice paid simply to clear the list. Equally, do not send a confident “we have not received payment” message when you may already hold an unmatched payment.

Ask the customer for the invoice references, amount, payment date and remittance detail needed to find the payment. Use your normal business channel and request only the information needed for the match; a complete customer bank statement is unnecessary for an ordinary reference query.

Set a review date and pause routine reminders for the affected invoice while you check. If other invoices for that customer are clearly unpaid, keep their records separate so the uncertain transfer does not create an unsupported blanket status.

Fictional example: one £400 transfer covers two invoices

Alex sees a £400 transfer with the customer’s name but no invoice number. The customer has INV-901 for £250 and INV-902 for £150. The amounts add to £400, but Alex does not assume that is the intended allocation.

Alex asks for the relevant remittance detail. Accounts confirms that the transfer covers those two invoice numbers. Alex checks the received transfer against that information, records the allocation through the normal bookkeeping process and updates both invoice statuses.

Fictional allocation check: transfer P-44
Received amount: £400 GBP; checked 12 November
Customer remittance: INV-901 £250 + INV-902 £150
Already allocated elsewhere: no, checked in existing records
Allocation recorded: £250 to INV-901; £150 to INV-902
Unallocated remainder: £400 − £250 − £150 = £0
Invoice balances after match: both £0
Decision: record both paid; stop their future reminders

If the customer instead says the transfer covers another project, Alex investigates that answer before changing either invoice. The matching total was a clue, not a conclusion. Recording the confirmed allocation also prevents the same £400 from being counted again in the next review.

Update the record before deciding on the next message

Once payment is confirmed and matched, promptly update the invoice record and review future reminders. If only part of the balance was paid, establish the remaining amount through your normal records before contacting the customer again.

For an uncertain match, leave the allocation lines incomplete and name the missing evidence. If only INV-901 is identified in the remittance, the other £150 cannot be assumed to settle INV-902. Review that amount separately, keeping the received transfer and invoice decisions linked in your records.