Free Chase Letter Pack: Polite and Firm Reminders

Before a formal letter before action, most UK businesses send two reminders: a polite first reminder on the day after the invoice's due date, and a firmer second reminder around 7 days overdue. Both templates are below, ready to copy. If neither works and the invoice is still unpaid around 30 days overdue, move to our letter before action template, the next and final step before court.

1. Polite first reminder (day after due date)

Send this as soon as an invoice becomes overdue, before assuming anything is wrong. Most late payments are oversight, not refusal.

PAYMENT REMINDER

[Your company name]
[Your address]
[Email]  [Phone]

[Date]

To: [Debtor name / company name]

Dear [name],

RE: Invoice [invoice number], amount due GBP [0.00]

This is a friendly reminder that invoice [number], dated
[invoice date] for GBP [0.00], became due for payment on
[due date].

If you have already sent payment, please disregard this
message, and thank you. If not, please arrange payment at
your earliest convenience.

Please pay to: [Bank name]  Sort code: [00-00-00]
Account: [00000000]  Reference: [invoice number]

If there is a query holding up payment, or the invoice has
gone astray, please let us know and we will sort it out
straight away.

Thank you for your business.

Kind regards,
[Name]
[Position], [Company name]

2. Firm second reminder (around 7 days overdue)

Send this if the first reminder gets no payment or response. It references the earlier reminder, sets a short deadline, and flags formal next steps without yet being one.

SECOND PAYMENT REMINDER

[Your company name]
[Your address]
[Email]  [Phone]

[Date]

To: [Debtor name / company name]

Dear [name],

RE: Overdue invoice [invoice number], amount due GBP [0.00]

Our records show invoice [number], dated [invoice date] for
GBP [0.00], is now [7] days overdue. We sent a reminder on
[date of first reminder] and have not yet received payment
or a response.

Please arrange payment within the next [7] days, by
[deadline date].

Please pay to: [Bank name]  Sort code: [00-00-00]
Account: [00000000]  Reference: [invoice number]

If there is a reason payment has not been made, please
contact us before the deadline so we can discuss it. If we
do not hear from you or receive payment, we will need to
consider formal next steps, including a letter before
action.

We would rather resolve this directly and look forward to
hearing from you.

Kind regards,
[Name]
[Position], [Company name]

When to stop reminding and escalate

If the firm reminder's deadline passes with no payment, no response, and no genuine dispute, the next step is a formal letter before action, typically once the invoice reaches around 30 days overdue. Sending a third or fourth soft reminder past that point usually just signals your deadlines are not real. Save the explicit threat of court proceedings and statutory interest for the letter before action itself.

Waiting on the cash instead of the chase

Chasing recovers one invoice, slowly, on the debtor's timetable. Invoice finance releases the cash tied up across your whole debtor ledger now, typically 70-90% of an invoice's value within a day or two, with the balance released when the customer eventually pays. Many facilities include a credit-control and collections service, so a provider does the reminding for you.

Companion templates

• Letter before action template: the formal final step before court, once reminders have failed.
• Invoice template: get the original invoice right so there is nothing to dispute later.