What should a payment reminder say?
A good first payment reminder is short and neutral: who it's for, what is owed, which invoice it relates to, when it was due, and an easy way for the customer to reply if they've already paid. This generator writes exactly that from four inputs, three of which are optional, and gives you plain text to paste into an email, a text message or a chat.
Generating a reminder
- Enter the Customer name, which is the only required field.
- Optionally fill in Amount, Due date and Invoice number.
- Click Generate, then Copy.
- Paste it into your email or messaging app, add your payment details, and send.
With every field filled in (customer Alice, amount $500, due date June 1, invoice 1042) the output is:
Hi Alice,
This is a friendly reminder that payment for invoice #1042 of $500 was due on June 1 and is still outstanding.
Please let us know if you have any questions, or if payment has already been sent.
Thank you!
How each field changes the sentence
Only the middle sentence varies. Leave a field blank and its phrase simply drops out:
| Field | When filled in | When blank |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice number | adds "for invoice #1042" | omitted |
| Amount | adds "of $500" | omitted |
| Due date | "was due on June 1" | "is now due" |
So with just a name, the message reads "This is a friendly reminder that payment is now due and is still outstanding." With a name, an amount of "EUR 1,250.00" and invoice "INV-2026-031", but no date, it becomes "...payment for invoice #INV-2026-031 of EUR 1,250.00 is now due and is still outstanding."
Two details to watch:
- The tool adds the
#before the invoice number, so type1042, not#1042, or you'll get##1042. - Text is used as typed, with surrounding spaces trimmed. Nothing is reformatted or checked, so a date like "06/01" will be read differently in the US and the UK. Writing the month as a word avoids that.
Before you send it
The generated text is deliberately generic. A reminder that actually gets paid usually adds:
- How to pay: bank details, a payment link or the accepted methods.
- A copy of the invoice, attached or linked, so the customer doesn't have to search for it.
- Your name and business name at the end, after "Thank you!".
- A specific next date if this is a second reminder: "Could you let me know by Friday when we can expect payment?"
If you don't yet have an invoice to refer to, the invoice generator creates a simple PDF from your line items. To send the reminder by WhatsApp with the text already filled in, paste it into the WhatsApp link generator as the pre-filled message.
A sensible reminder schedule
There's no universal rule, but many small businesses follow a pattern like this, increasing firmness each time:
| When | Tone | What to add |
|---|---|---|
| A few days before the due date | Friendly heads-up | The due date and payment details |
| On or just after the due date | Friendly (this tool's wording) | Invoice copy |
| 1 to 2 weeks overdue | Polite but direct | Ask for a payment date |
| 30+ days overdue | Formal | Any late-payment terms in your contract |
Only the second row matches this template as written; edit the others from it.
Late-payment rules vary
What you're allowed to charge for late payment depends on where you and your customer are and on your contract. In the UK, for example, the government's guide to late commercial payments explains that when no payment date was agreed, a business customer's payment is late 30 days after receiving the invoice or the goods or service, whichever is later, and sets out when interest and debt recovery costs can be claimed. Consumer debts and other countries follow different rules.
This tool doesn't calculate interest or fees and doesn't mention them in the message. If you add charges, base them on your agreed terms. The template and this guide are general information, not legal or financial advice.
Privacy
The message is built by a few lines of JavaScript in your browser. The customer's name, amount and invoice number aren't sent to our server or saved anywhere, and clearing the page removes them. For tracking what's still owed across many customers, a spreadsheet or accounting software is the right tool. To work out a due date from net-30 or net-60 terms, add the days to the invoice date with the date calculator.
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