Getting paid on time, without becoming a debt collector
Most late payments aren’t malice, they’re a forgotten email. Agree the terms up front, invoice on a fixed day and follow up early — with three reminder emails to copy.
Most late payments aren’t a client deciding not to pay. They’re an invoice in the wrong inbox, a manager on holiday, a finance team that pays on the 15th and never told you. That’s the good news: most of it is fixed by a routine, not a confrontation.
A late payment usually starts before the invoice — with terms nobody agreed on. Settle these when you agree the project, in writing:
- Payment terms — how many days the client has to pay. 14 or 30 are common; whichever it is, put it on every invoice.
- Who pays — the name and email of whoever handles invoices. Your contact is rarely the person who presses pay.
- What the invoice needs — a purchase order number, a VAT number, a particular address. A missing PO number can hold a payment for a month.
- A deposit from new clients — on a fixed price, a part up front before the work starts; a third is common. It sets the tone, and it tells you early whether payments will be a problem.
In the EU, a business that pays another business late owes statutory interest and at least 40 € per invoice for the cost of chasing it — Your Europe has the rates for each country. You rarely need to charge it. Having it in your terms is usually enough.
Pick a day — the first working day of the month works — and invoice everything that’s ready. Clients get used to it, and finished work stops waiting for a free afternoon.
For a client with a lot of work, invoice once an amount builds up instead of waiting for the month to end. On a fixed price, invoice each instalment on its billing date; on a retainer, every period, as agreed.
Three states are enough for every invoice: not paid, invoiced and paid. Late isn’t a fourth — it’s an invoice still unpaid after its payment terms, counted from the day you sent it.
That day is the one that matters. Look at what’s open once a week, and you’ll hear about a late payment the day after it happens — not when you need the money. Monotime counts the terms from the day you mark something invoiced, per client if they pay on different terms, and shows how many days late each payment is.
A short note the day after the due date gets paid far more often than a long one a month later. Keep each one short, attach the invoice every time, and keep the tone flat: you’re not upset, you’re organised.
Subject: Invoice [number] — due yesterday
Hi [name],
A quick note that invoice [number] for [amount] was due yesterday. I’ve attached it again in case it got lost on the way. Could you let me know when it’s scheduled?
Thanks,
[your name]
Subject: Invoice [number] — a week late
Hi [name],
Following up on invoice [number] for [amount], due on [date]. I haven’t seen the payment come in yet — is anything holding it up on your side? If it needs a purchase order or a different address, I’ll send a new one today.
Thanks,
[your name]
Subject: Invoice [number] — 30 days late
Hi [name],
Invoice [number] for [amount] is now 30 days past its due date. Could you confirm by [date] when it will be paid? Until then I’ll put new work on [project] on hold.
Under our terms, a late payment carries statutory interest and a recovery fee. I’d rather not add them, so I hope we can settle it this week.
Thanks,
[your name]
Most invoices never need the second email. The few that need the third are the ones worth knowing about early — which is what the routine is for.