Guide
Your invoice is overdue. What do you actually do next?
Start with the agreement, a valid invoice and current payment records. Then choose the next message that fits the facts; there is no universal Day 1/7/14/30 timetable.
By DUE · Last reviewed · Updated
The short answer
When a brand has not paid, first confirm the work reached the agreed billing trigger, Finance received and accepted a valid invoice, and the agreed due date has actually passed. Check your own payment records, then send a polite, specific reminder. Escalate only step by step, and seek advice before any formal recovery.
Check before calling it overdue
- Read the agreement: was the billing trigger reached, and when does the payment clock start? Net 30 needs a starting event; invoice date, receipt of a valid invoice, approval or month-end apply only if agreed.
- Check invoice validity: correct legal entity, fee and currency, invoice details, PO/reference and supporting deliverables.
- Confirm submission to the correct Finance/AP email or portal, and whether AP received and accepted it. A rejected invoice or administrative blocker needs resolution before a payment chase.
- Calculate the actual due date from the agreed terms, and check recent bank/payment records and any partial payment. A promised payment date is a follow-up commitment, not payment received.
Choose the next message
First resolve receipt and administrative blockers, then move from a polite reminder to a clearer follow-up if necessary. Leave reasonable time for a reply and adapt the sequence to the agreement and circumstances. Copy the wording and replace every bracketed field.
Check Finance/AP receipt and acceptance
Resolve an administrative blocker first
Check Finance/AP receipt and acceptance message
Subject: Invoice [number] — receipt check Hi [name], Could you confirm Finance received and accepted invoice [number] for [amount and currency], submitted to [email/portal] on [date]? Please let me know if the billing entity, PO/reference or supporting details need correcting. Thanks, [your name]
Polite first reminder
After confirming the invoice is actually overdue
Polite first reminder message
Subject: Invoice [number] — payment check Hi [name], Invoice [number] for [amount and currency] was accepted by Finance on [date] and is due under our agreed terms on [due date]. I have checked recent receipts and cannot yet see payment. Could you confirm its status or let me know if anything is blocking it? Thanks, [your name]
Clear follow-up
Record a promised date, then verify receipt
Clear follow-up message
Subject: Follow-up on invoice [number] Hi [name], Following my note on [date], invoice [number] still appears outstanding in my payment records. Could you confirm any remaining blocker and a proposed payment date? I will check for receipt on [follow-up date]. Thanks, [your name]
Final request before considering formal options
Use only when earlier reminders and the agreement warrant it
Final request before considering formal options message
Subject: Invoice [number] — request to resolve outstanding balance Hi [name], Invoice [number] for [amount and currency] remains outstanding after my reminders on [dates]. The agreed due date was [date]. Please arrange payment or tell me in writing by [reasonable date] if there is a specific dispute or administrative blocker. I would prefer to resolve this directly. If we cannot, I will consider appropriate next steps under our agreement and seek advice relevant to my jurisdiction. Regards, [your name]
DUE can prepare an editable draft after you confirm the invoice is still unpaid. You review it and send it yourself from your own email; nothing is sent automatically. Its bank CSV is a manual import, not connected to your bank, so check recent payment records yourself before following up.
Only then consider formal recovery
If reminders and a direct attempt to resolve a genuine overdue balance fail, review the agreement and seek advice for your jurisdiction before a letter of demand, debt recovery or legal action. Australian readers can use the official unpaid invoice guidance and letter of demand guidance as starting points. Neither makes formal action automatic or substitutes for professional advice.
Common questions
- When should I send a payment reminder?
- After checking the agreement, the real due date, invoice receipt and recent payment records. No fixed reminder cadence suits every agreement.
- What if Finance has not accepted my invoice?
- Ask what is missing, such as a PO, correct entity or portal submission, then fix it and confirm acceptance before asserting a due date.
- Does DUE send payment reminders automatically?
- No. DUE flags invoices after their recorded due date. You confirm payment is still missing; DUE prepares a personalised draft for you to edit and send from your own email. Nothing is sent automatically.
- Is a promised payment date proof of payment?
- No. Record the promise as a follow-up commitment and check actual payment records before marking the invoice paid.
Keep reading
- Browse all practical guides
- After the post goes live
- Net 30 from what?
- Check what is ready to invoice
- See a collab move from brief to paid
- Creator invoicing: from brief to paid
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