Automatic payment reminder emails for every invoice

What a payment reminder does, and why it works

Most late invoices are not refused. They are forgotten, buried under other email, or waiting for someone in accounts to approve them. A reminder puts your invoice back at the top of the inbox at the moment it matters, without you having to remember who owes what.

Late payment is a common problem for small firms. Research published by the UK Office of the Small Business Commissioner says businesses are owed an estimated 26 billion pounds in late payments at any given time, and that 22% of surveyed businesses spent staff time chasing late payments, on average 86 hours per affected business per year. Those hours are exactly what an automatic reminder gives back.

Prima Invoice keeps the idea simple. You send an invoice from your account with a due date. Reminders are scheduled from that date. If the client pays and you record the payment, the remaining reminders are cancelled. If nothing happens, the client receives a friendly nudge, then a clear one, then a firm one, and you never have to write the same chasing email twice.

The default reminder schedule

Every invoice you send from a Pro account can carry up to three reminders. The schedule follows the invoice due date, so an invoice on Net 30 terms and an invoice due on receipt both get reminders at sensible moments.

Each reminder is a separate email to the client address on the invoice. Prima Invoice never sends more than three reminders for one invoice, so a client is never flooded. If an invoice is due on receipt, the before-due reminder is simply skipped because its date is already in the past.

Reminders are sent by the same worker that sends recurring invoices. It runs every fifteen minutes, so a reminder goes out shortly after its scheduled time rather than at an exact minute.

Reminders stop on their own

The worst reminder is the one that arrives after the client has already paid. Prima Invoice checks the status of the invoice before every reminder, and it sends nothing when the invoice is no longer open.

• Paid: when the payments you record add up to the invoice total, the invoice becomes Paid and the remaining reminders are cancelled.
• Void: if you cancel an invoice by marking it Void, no reminder is sent for it again.
• Partially paid: a partial payment keeps the reminders active, and the reminder shows the amount still due rather than the original total.
• Revised invoices: if you edit an invoice after sending it, the revision keeps the same number and reminders follow the latest version.

Payments are recorded by you, with a date, a method and an amount. Prima Invoice does not see your bank account or your Stripe or PayPal balance, so it cannot mark an invoice paid by itself. Recording a payment takes a few seconds from the invoice page, and it is the step that tells the reminders to stand down.

Write the reminder in your own words

Prima Invoice ships with sensible default text for each reminder, and you can edit it. Many freelancers keep the first message warm and personal, because the client is usually a person they work with every week. The last message can be shorter and more formal.

Whatever you write, every reminder ends with the line Sent on behalf of [your business name] via Prima Invoice, plus a link the recipient can use to report abuse. That footer tells the client who is really asking for the money, and it protects both of you from someone misusing the service.

Sample payment reminder emails you can copy

You can use these three examples as they are, inside Prima Invoice or in your own email client. Replace the words in square brackets with your details. They are written to be polite at every stage, because a client who feels respected tends to pay faster than one who feels accused.

A few habits make any reminder more effective. Put the invoice number and amount in the subject line, so the email is easy to find later. Link to the invoice instead of asking the client to dig out an old attachment. Offer a way to pay in the email itself, such as your own Stripe or PayPal payment link. And always leave room for a reply: a question about a purchase order number is far easier to fix than silence.

Match the tone to the client

One reminder text rarely suits everybody. The right wording depends on who receives it and how the relationship works, so it is worth adjusting the defaults once for the kind of clients you usually bill.

• A brand new client: keep the first message especially courteous. They may not know your terms yet, so restate the due date, the total and how to pay, and thank them for the project.
• A long-standing client: short and familiar works best. Mention the invoice number and amount, link to it, and leave it there. People who pay you every month usually just need a nudge.
• A large company with an accounts payable team: the person who hired you is often not the person who pays. Ask whether the invoice has reached accounts, whether a purchase order number is missing, and who you should contact about payment runs.
• A government body or institution: these buyers often follow strict approval steps and fixed payment cycles. Check that the invoice carries every reference they asked for, because a missing reference is the most common reason a public sector invoice stalls.
• A client abroad: write plainly, avoid idioms, and state the currency next to every amount. Remember that their working week, holidays and office hours may differ from yours.

Before you send: an invoice that is easy to pay

A reminder can only do so much if the invoice itself is unclear. Before the first email goes out, make sure the document answers every question an accountant on the other side might ask. Clients delay invoices they cannot process, not only invoices they cannot afford.

• The legal or trading name and address of both businesses, spelled exactly as the client expects.
• A unique invoice number. Prima Invoice accounts assign numbers automatically when an invoice is finalised, so they never repeat or skip.
• An issue date, a due date and the payment terms written in words, such as Net 30.
• A purchase order or reference number when the client gave you one.
• Clear line items with quantities, unit prices and the tax label and rate you charge, entered by you.
• How to pay: bank details, or your own Stripe or PayPal payment link so the client can pay online in a minute.
• A contact person for questions, with an email address that is actually read.

When the reminders are not enough

Most invoices are settled after the first or second reminder. When a client stays silent after all three, it is time for a personal approach rather than another automatic email. Pick up the phone or send a message to the person you worked with, ask whether something is wrong with the work or the paperwork, and agree a date.

If a payment plan helps the client, record each instalment as a partial payment. The invoice shows Partially paid with the remaining balance, which keeps both sides honest about what is still open. For persistent non-payment, many freelancers pause further work until the account is settled, and some send a formal letter or seek advice about the options in their country. Prima Invoice does not provide legal or collection services, so check local rules or talk to an adviser before taking that route.

Common reminder mistakes to avoid

• Sounding angry in the first message. An irritated tone rarely speeds anything up, and it can sour a relationship that pays you every month. Save firmness for the final note.
• Sending reminders to a generic mailbox nobody checks. Ask early who handles supplier invoices, and put that address on the invoice.
• Forgetting to record a payment. If money arrived but the invoice still looks open, the next reminder will annoy a client who did nothing wrong. Recording payments promptly prevents this.
• Changing the amount without saying so. If you correct an invoice after sending it, tell the client what changed. Prima Invoice keeps the same number for the revision, and the online page always shows the newest version.
• Hiding the payment details. Every reminder should make paying effortless: a visible total, a due date, and a working link or bank details.
• Waiting too long. A gentle message before the deadline feels like service. The same message three weeks after it feels like a complaint.

Reminders for different kinds of work

Designers, writers, developers and consultants usually bill after a milestone or at month end, and their clients often pay by bank transfer. For them, the before-due reminder is the most valuable one, because it catches an invoice that is sitting unapproved in someone's queue. Ready-made layouts for this kind of work include the graphic design invoice template and the IT services invoice template.

Builders, landscapers, cleaners and other trades often deal with homeowners who pay by card or transfer once the job is finished. A payment link in the reminder matters most here: a homeowner who can pay from a phone in a minute rarely needs a second message. The cleaning invoice template and the construction invoice template are set up for this kind of job.

Photographers, tutors, coaches and studios with regular customers can combine reminders with recurring invoices, so a monthly bill and its follow-ups happen without any manual step. Event planners, caterers and wedding vendors often take a deposit upfront and collect the balance shortly before the celebration; recording the deposit as a partial payment means each reminder quotes only the outstanding remainder. Agencies that bill retainers benefit from the same pairing, plus a clear status for every invoice so the team knows which accounts are behind. Photographers can start from the photography invoice template.

Reminders by WhatsApp, text message or phone

Prima Invoice sends reminders by email only. Some clients answer a chat message much faster than an email, especially small businesses run from a phone. Every invoice you send from your account has its own private online page, so you can copy that link and paste it into a chat with a short, friendly line. The client opens the same invoice, with the same payment link, on any device.

Whatever the channel, keep a written trail. A short email after a phone call, confirming the date the client promised, avoids misunderstandings later and gives you something to point to if the date slips.

How to send a payment reminder without software

You do not need an account to chase an invoice. If you created the invoice with the free invoice generator, keep a simple list of what you sent and when it is due, and set a calendar alert three days before each due date. On the day, reply to your original invoice email so the client sees the whole thread, paste one of the sample reminders above, and attach the PDF again.

This works well for a handful of clients. It starts to break when you send many invoices a month, because the list goes out of date the moment a payment arrives and nobody updates it. That is the point where automatic reminders save real time, and where a status for each invoice stops you from chasing a client who has already paid.

What the law says about late payment

Rules on late payment differ by country, and Prima Invoice does not calculate interest or fees for you. It helps to know the basics where you trade, so you can put clear payment terms on the invoice from the start. Always check the rules that apply to you.

In the United Kingdom, GOV.UK explains that if you do not agree a payment date, the law says a payment is late 30 days after the customer gets the invoice or you deliver the goods or service, whichever is later. For business to business debts, statutory interest is 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, and you cannot claim it if your contract sets a different rate. You can also claim a fixed sum for the cost of recovering a late commercial payment: 40 pounds for debts up to 999.99 pounds, 70 pounds up to 9,999.99 pounds, and 100 pounds for 10,000 pounds or more.

In the European Union, the current Late Payment Directive (2011/7/EU) sets a default period for business to business payment of 30 calendar days after the debtor receives the invoice when the contract does not set one, and it entitles the creditor to a fixed sum of at least 40 euros as compensation for recovery costs. GOV.UK also notes that if you decide to add interest, you should send a new invoice for it.

A reminder is not a legal demand. It is the polite step that comes long before any of these rules matter, and in most cases it is the only step you will ever need.

How reminder emails are sent

Reminder emails go out from the Prima Invoice sending address with your business name as the sender name, written as [your business] via Prima Invoice. The reply-to address is your own email, so when a client answers a reminder, the reply lands in your inbox and the conversation stays between you and your client.

Prima Invoice has a daily sending limit while it runs on a small shared email plan. Sending is shared during Early Access: each account sends up to 5 emails per day, covering invoices, reminders and recurring invoices together, and part of the daily limit is kept for payment reminders only. When a limit is reached, emails are queued, never dropped, and go out the next day, starting with the invoices that are closest to their due date.

If an email cannot be delivered, for example because the client address has a typo, the invoice shows Delivery failed so you can correct the address and send it again.

No hidden tracking in reminder emails

Prima Invoice does not put tracking pixels in reminder emails. Many corporate mail systems run security gateways that open links and images automatically, which makes pixel-based read receipts unreliable and a little intrusive. Instead, an invoice is marked Viewed only when its online page actually loads in a browser, and visits by you, by link scanners or by simple robots are ignored.

The reminder itself carries only what the client needs: your business name, the invoice number, the amount still due, the due date, your message and the link. Nothing about your other clients, prices or documents is ever included.

How other invoicing tools handle reminders

Automatic reminders are a common paid feature, and it is worth comparing before you choose a tool. Based on their pricing pages checked on 25 October 2026: Wave lists Automate late payment reminders in its Pro plan, scheduled 3, 7 and 14 days after the due date. Invoice Ninja lists Auto Late-Payment Reminder Emails under Ninja Pro. Invoice Simple lists Due date reminders from its Plus plan. Zoho Invoice is a fair exception: its free plan includes Automate payment reminders, within a limit of 500 invoices per year.

Prima Invoice keeps reminders in the Pro plan, next to recurring invoices and status tracking, because they all depend on the same thing: an invoice that is saved in your account and sent by email. During Early Access, Pro features are free for signed-in users. See pricing for the planned price.

Turn on reminders in a few minutes

Sign in with your email address (there is no password to remember), fill in your business profile, add the client, and send the invoice from your account with a due date. Reminders are scheduled automatically. From the invoice page you can see which reminders are planned, change their text, or record a payment that stops them.

Not ready for an account yet? Make the invoice with the free invoice generator, download the PDF, and use the sample emails on this page whenever a payment runs late.