Late Invoice Email Generator
The email nobody wants to write, written for you. Pick the stage, fill in four fields, copy it, send it.
How overdue is it?
Why three stages
Most freelancers send the first email four times. It feels safe, and it teaches the client that nothing changes when they ignore you. The escalation is the point: each stage removes an excuse and adds a consequence, and the final one names the consequence before it happens rather than after.
Two habits stop almost all of this happening in the first place: a 50% deposit before work starts, and terms stated in the agreement rather than introduced at invoice time. The free Starter Kit has both.
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Quick answers
How do I ask a client to pay an overdue invoice?
Short, specific, and without apology. State the invoice number, the amount, the date it was due, and ask for a payment date. Do not explain, do not soften it, and do not apologise for asking to be paid for work you delivered.
How long should I wait before chasing an invoice?
Send the first nudge the day after it falls due — it reads as admin, not conflict. Firm follow-up about a week later, and a final notice at roughly the month mark.
Should I charge a late fee?
Only if it is in the agreement the client signed, and then yes. A late fee nobody mentioned until the invoice was late is a threat; one that was in the terms from the start is a policy, and clients treat the two very differently.
When should I stop work over an unpaid invoice?
At the final-notice stage, and say so in writing before you do it. Pausing is far more effective than more emails, and it is much easier to justify when the client was told it was coming.