Payment Reminder Email Template: Overdue Invoice

A payment reminder email asks a client to pay an overdue invoice without damaging the relationship. The invoice number, amount and due date go in the subject and first line so it can be matched in seconds; it says how to pay and invites the client to raise any problem with the invoice. The tone climbs with each reminder: friendly at first, firm by the final notice, which says what happens next and by when.

Get these right before you write

1Put the invoice number and amount in the subject line; accounts teams search by them.

2Attach the invoice again; “I can’t find it” is the most common delay.

3Assume good faith in the first reminder; many late payments are a lost email.

4In a final notice, state the consequence and the date, then do what you said.

Structure

The document opens with these headings and blanks.

Payment reminder

Subject: [Reminder: invoice [number], [amount], due [date]]

Hi [name],

[Invoice number, amount, due date; now [n] days overdue.]

[How to pay: bank details or payment link.]

[If something is wrong with the invoice, tell me and I will fix it.]

[Close; for a final notice, what happens next and by when.]

[Name, business, contact]

A complete example

Written by the AI from this brief, exactly as the workbench would write yours:

A second, polite but firm payment reminder from freelance illustrator Mateo Silva to the marketing manager of a publishing house for invoice 2027-014, 1,850 euros, issued 1 February and due 3 March, now 14 days overdue, for the illustrations of a children’s book cover; the first reminder on 6 March got no answer; payment by bank transfer to the account on the invoice; asks to be told if the invoice needs to go to someone else.

Second Payment Reminder – Invoice 2027-014

To: Marketing Manager, [publishing house name] From: Mateo Silva, Illustrator Date: 17 March 2027 Subject: Second reminder – Invoice 2027-014 (€1,850) now 14 days overdue

Invoice details

Item	Detail
Invoice number	2027-014
Amount due	€1,850.00
Issue date	1 February 2027
Due date	3 March 2027
Days overdue	14
Work covered	Illustrations for the children's book cover, [book title]

Message

Dear [name],

I am writing about invoice 2027-014 for €1,850, issued on 1 February and due on 3 March, which is now 14 days overdue. I sent a first reminder on 6 March but have not yet received a reply or payment.

I would be grateful if you could arrange payment within the next [figure needed] days by bank transfer to the account stated on the invoice. Please use the invoice number as the payment reference.

If the invoice has already been paid, please accept my apologies and let me know the payment date so I can check on my side.

If there is a problem

If anything about the invoice is unclear, if it needs to be reissued or amended, or if it should go to someone else – such as your accounts department or a colleague handling supplier payments – please tell me and I will send it on right away. A short reply would be a great help in getting this settled.

Closing

I enjoyed working on the cover and would like to keep our collaboration on a good footing, so I hope we can resolve this quickly.

Thank you for your attention.

Kind regards,

Mateo Silva Freelance Illustrator [email] [phone]

Names, figures and dates in the example are made up for illustration.

How it works

1Open the template: a document with the skeleton and the brief appears.

2Add one line about your case to the brief, or attach your notes as sources, and press First draft.

3Edit directly, or ask the AI to tighten, expand or translate any passage; every AI change is reviewed before it lands.

Questions

Can I use the example as it is?

The example shows the shape and tone; its names and figures are made up. Open the template and give the AI your own facts, and it writes yours in the same shape.

Does it work in English and Chinese?

Yes. The document is written in the language of your brief, and any passage can be translated afterwards.

Is it free?

Writing is billed by the tokens used, usually a few credits per draft; the template, the skeleton and the editor cost nothing.