Free template · chasing unpaid invoices

Final notice on an unpaid invoice: what to write

Thirty days past due, two unanswered reminders. You are now deciding between escalating and writing it off.

The email

Subject: Invoice #[NUMBER] — final notice before escalation

[NAME],

Invoice #[NUMBER] for [AMOUNT], due [DATE], is now 30 days past due.
I've sent two reminders and had no reply to either.

This is the last email I'll send before escalating. If the balance
isn't paid by [DEADLINE], I'll [ESCALATION], and all work on
[PROJECT] stays paused until it clears.

I would much rather not do that. Two ways to avoid it:

1. Pay here: [LINK]
2. Reply today with a date you can commit to, and I'll hold.

[YOU]

Replace everything in [BRACKETS] before you send it. A stray [NAME] is the most expensive typo in freelancing.

Why it works

It states a consequence and a date, which is the first thing in the whole sequence that changes their cost of ignoring you. It stays factual, so it is safe to forward to their finance team or attach to a claim later. And it still offers a payment plan, because a client who commits to a date is worth more than a client you take to court.

What most people send instead

Sending a fourth version of the same reminder, or sending nothing and quietly resenting it. Both teach the client that your due dates are decorative, and the next invoice goes the same way.