Invoice not paid? How to send a payment reminder

Sooner or later it happens to every business: the payment term passes and the money is not there. Usually nothing is wrong and the invoice has simply been overlooked. A polite reminder at the right moment gets you paid quickly in the vast majority of cases.

When do you send a reminder?

Send the first reminder shortly after the due date has passed, for example after three to five days. Waiting does not help: the older the invoice, the harder it gets to collect. If no payment term was agreed, a statutory term of 30 days applies.

What goes in the first reminder?

Keep it friendly and businesslike. Assume the client forgot:

• The invoice number, the invoice date and the outstanding amount.
• The original due date.
• A new payment term, for example within 7 or 14 days.
• Your IBAN and the payment reference, so paying is as easy as possible.
• The invoice itself as an attachment, so nobody has to go looking.

A line like “it has probably escaped your attention” keeps the relationship intact and works better than going straight to threats.

Second reminder and formal notice

If payment still does not arrive, send a second, more urgent reminder after a week or two. If that does not help either, a formal notice (aanmaning) follows: it names a final payment date and announces that you will charge collection costs and statutory interest after it.

For private customers you are obliged to send a free formal notice with a term of at least 14 days (the so-called 14-day letter) before you may charge collection costs. That obligation does not apply to business clients.

Collection costs and interest

If the client still does not pay after the formal notice, you may charge statutory collection costs. These are laid down in law as a percentage of the outstanding amount, with a minimum of 40 euro. On top of that you may charge statutory interest from the due date. If you cannot work it out together, you can bring in a collection agency or go to the subdistrict court.

Prevention is better

• Send your invoice straight after delivery and put the due date on it clearly. See also Invoicing as a freelancer.
• Use a sequential invoice number and a recognisable payment reference.
• Remind consistently: businesses that always send a reminder after a few days get paid structurally faster.

With factuurmaken you see per invoice whether it was sent, viewed and paid, and you can have payment reminders sent automatically with your own text and schedule. That way you no longer have to chase them yourself.