Payment run dates: what to ask before following up

Separate receipt, approval and payment

An invoice arriving in the accounts mailbox, passing an internal approval and being included in a payment batch are different events. Ask which one the customer is confirming. “We have it” may answer the receipt question without answering whether payment has been authorised.

Use their terminology, then clarify it in your own notes. If “processed” is ambiguous, ask whether that means approved, scheduled for a run or actually paid. Avoid translating a vague reply into a definite payment status.

This guide concerns communication with accounts. It does not determine statutory deadlines or change your agreed due date. If there is disagreement about payment terms, address that separately rather than treating an internal run date as a new agreement.

Ask about the cut-off as well as the run date

• Has the invoice reached the correct accounts destination?
• Does anyone still need to approve the work or reference?
• What must be complete for the invoice to enter the proposed run?
• Is there an approval or submission cut-off?
• When does accounts expect the payment to reach your business?

Ask the questions relevant to the current blocker, rather than sending all five every time. If approval is outstanding, find out who owns it and whether they need information from you. If everything is approved, ask for the expected payment date.

Record who answered and when. A note that merely says “next run” becomes unclear as soon as another week starts. Write the actual date and the condition accounts attached to it.

Plan the next contact around the information received

If you need to supply a reference before a cut-off, your next action is supplying and checking that reference. If the customer confirms a specific expected payment date, set a review for that date and check your payment records before writing again.

A scheduled reminder deserves a review when new information arrives. You can pause routine follow-up while checking a confirmed processing plan, without marking the invoice paid. Keep the original balance and due date visible while you monitor the promise.

Do not turn a run date into a guarantee. Accounts may be describing an intention or a conditional stage. Your note should retain that distinction so a later message can ask about what actually happened.

Fictional example: a reference needed before Monday

Nadia follows up INV-845 for £560. Accounts says its proposed payment run is Thursday 26 November, subject to approval by 3 pm on Monday 23 November. The internal approver is waiting for the project reference.

Nadia confirms the reference and submits it on Friday 20 November. Her record preserves the conditional stages instead of labelling the invoice “paying Thursday”:

INV-845: £560 remaining; checked 20 November
Missing item: project reference; supplied 20 November
Approval cut-off reported by accounts: 23 November, 15:00
Proposed run: 26 November, conditional on approval
Expected arrival of funds: not yet confirmed
Next action: confirm inclusion with accounts after approval
Review: 24 November; owner Nadia

If accounts confirms approval but not inclusion, Nadia asks, “Has INV-845 been included in the 26 November run, and when do you expect funds to reach us?” She records the answer separately and checks received payments at that time. If no payment matches, her next question refers to the confirmed run and the recorded invoice.

If the expected date passes, ask what changed

Check payments and the latest replies first. If the invoice remains unpaid, quote the earlier expected date calmly and ask whether it entered the run or needs further action. Request a specific update you can record.

If several run dates pass without clarity, the owner should review the account and conversation personally. Sending more of the same message cannot establish why approval or payment is stalled. Keep the follow-up grounded in checked records and clearly dated answers.