How to chase unpaid invoices politely: a practical workflow

Start with the facts, not an assumption

Before contacting the customer, check the amount still outstanding, agreed due date and payment records. Review your inbox for a recent reply, remittance advice or query. A reminder based on an old spreadsheet can contradict a conversation you had yesterday.

• Does the invoice identify the work and the customer clearly?
• Was it sent to the right accounts contact or agreed address?
• Is a required purchase order or customer reference missing?
• Has a part-payment, credit or correction changed the balance?

Correct an administrative error before chasing. Keep the corrected version and explain what changed so both sides are discussing the same invoice.

Find the person who can move payment forward

Your project contact may approve the work while an accounts team processes the payment. Ask who handles the invoice and what they need from you. Use an existing agreed contact route and confirm an updated address before sending financial details. If the invoice must be uploaded to a portal, complete that step and record the submission date. Repeatedly emailing someone who cannot authorise or process payment leaves the underlying obstacle unchanged.

Make one clear request in a short message

Include the invoice number, remaining amount and due date. Say “our records show” if there may be an unmatched payment. Then ask for an expected payment date, rather than a vague update. Mention an attached copy and invite the customer to identify any query preventing payment.

A simple “Please could you confirm when payment is expected?” is courteous and direct. Avoid an unnecessary apology, accusations about intent or urgent language that does not match the situation. Put the request near the start, where the recipient can find it quickly.

Replace a vague chase with an answerable question

• Instead of “Just checking in”: “Please could you confirm the expected payment date for invoice D-104?”
• Instead of “You still haven’t paid”: “Our records show £600 outstanding. If payment has been sent, please confirm its date and reference so I can check the match.”
• Instead of “Please sort this urgently”: “Does accounts need the purchase order reference or another copy of the invoice before it can be processed?”

These are alternative requests for different situations. Choose the one that fits what you know; putting all three into every message makes the answer harder to give.

Record a next action for every response

Keep a simple note alongside the invoice: last contact date, recipient, reply, promised payment date and next review date. A small-business owner can do this in the system already used to manage invoices; a separate complex process is unnecessary.

If payment is promised for Friday, record Friday and wait for that point before your next check. If the customer needs a copy, send it and ask whether anything else is missing. If there is no reply, follow up after a considered interval and try an established phone contact when another email would add little. Record that call too.

Treat a dispute differently from silence

No response means you do not yet know why the invoice is unpaid. A dispute means the customer has raised an issue with the work, amount or invoice. Continuing routine payment requests after a dispute can ignore the question you need to resolve.

Pause routine reminders, acknowledge the specific concern and identify what you will check. Gather the agreed scope, invoice and relevant correspondence, then respond personally. Keep an accurate record of any correction or agreement. If there is a separate undisputed balance, discuss it explicitly rather than assuming the customer has accepted your interpretation. Do not turn a standard reminder template into an improvised legal letter.

A worked example: an unpaid design invoice

Suppose a fictional designer issued invoice D-104 for £600, due on 14 October. On 16 October, the designer checks payment records and the inbox, then sends a short reminder asking for a payment date. The client replies that accounts needs its purchase order reference on the invoice.

The designer confirms the reference, sends the corrected invoice and records the client's expected payment date of 23 October. Routine follow-ups pause until then. On 26 October, a payment check shows the balance still outstanding, so the designer writes:

Hi Alex,

You confirmed invoice D-104 was expected to be paid on 23 October. We haven't yet matched the £600 payment.

Could you confirm whether it was sent and share the payment reference, or let me know the revised payment date?

Thanks,
Sam

If payment is then confirmed, the invoice is marked paid and reminders stop. If the client instead questions the design work, the next action becomes resolving that concern, not sending a stronger version of the same chase.

Set a review point for stalled invoices

A sequence should have an end. After unanswered follow-ups, review the facts, contact route and commercial relationship personally. Decide the next step deliberately and seek appropriate professional advice if the matter needs formal action. Clear records and a consistent review date make that decision easier; sending indefinitely does not replace it.