Invoice reminder email templates
Five templates, from a friendly first nudge to a firm final notice. Copy the one that fits, fill in the brackets, and send it from your own email or QuickBooks. Free to use, no signup required. They're also on GitHub as plain-text files, public domain.
1. A few days before it's due (friendly)
Subject: Invoice #[number] due [date]
Hi [customer name],
Just a quick note that invoice #[number] for [amount] is due on [date]. Let me know if you have any questions about it.
Thanks, [your name]
2. The day it's due
Subject: Invoice #[number] is due today
Hi [customer name],
Invoice #[number] for [amount] is due today. If you've already sent payment, thank you, and please disregard this note. Otherwise, here's the invoice again: [link].
[your name]
3. A week overdue (friendly, assumes it was missed)
Subject: Invoice #[number], now overdue
Hi [customer name],
Invoice #[number] for [amount] was due on [date] and I don't see a payment yet. These things slip through, so just flagging it in case it got missed. Here's the invoice: [link].
Let me know if there's a problem with it, or if you need more time.
[your name]
4. Two to three weeks overdue (more direct)
Subject: Payment needed: invoice #[number], [days] days overdue
Hi [customer name],
Invoice #[number] for [amount] is now [days] days past its due date of [date]. Could you let me know when payment will go out? Happy to answer any questions or work out a payment plan if that would help.
[your name]
5. 30+ days overdue (final notice)
Subject: Final notice: invoice #[number], [days] days overdue
Hi [customer name],
Invoice #[number] for [amount] is now [days] days overdue, and I haven't heard back on my last two notes. I need to resolve this by [date, e.g. one week out], or I'll need to [pause further work / refer this to collections / another consequence you're prepared to follow through on].
I'd rather sort this out directly, so please reach out if there's an issue I don't know about.
[your name]
Tips that make these work better
- Send the first one before the due date, not after. A reminder that arrives on time reads as routine, not as a complaint.
- Always restate the amount and invoice number. Don't make them dig through email to find it.
- Only escalate the tone once, not every email. Jumping straight to "final notice" on the first follow-up tends to backfire.
- Decide your real deadline before you send #5, and only send it if you're prepared to follow through. An empty threat is worse than none.
The part that's hard to automate: knowing when to send
Templates solve what to say. The harder problem is remembering which invoice needs which one, and on which day. That's what CashWatchdog does: every morning it checks your QuickBooks Online company and emails you the invoices that just went past due, so you catch the moment for template #3 without going looking for it.