A Step By Step Guide To Writing An Effective Overdue Payment Letter With Examples
There are only a few things a business organisation fears more than not getting paid on time. Overdue payments are a pain to deal with, so much so that many eventually give up and don’t even bother to send an overdue payment letter after a certain point.
“87.5% of business owners spend less than 5 hours a week chasing down payments they’re owed, due mainly to the practicalities of running their businesses” – Timelio.
But with the right tools, you don’t have to spend hours and days sending the letter for reminder for payment. And all you have to do is to create a template for your overdue invoice letter because you can easily automate the rest of your mailing process.
But first, you need to learn how to write an effective missed payment letter template. So let’s start with that.
How To Write A Letter For Reminder For Payment
Writing an outstanding payment letter may sound a little challenging. You may have all sorts of questions, such as
What should be the tone of the letter?
Should I be more assertive?
What all information should I include in the letter?
And so on. Below we discuss how you can write a letter for reminder for payment. Follow these simple guidelines to write an effective payment reminder letter.
State The Purpose Of The Letter
The best way to begin the letter for payment reminder is with a standard greeting. But, make sure that you address the recipient by their Name. But chances are you already knew to do that. Once the greeting is over, you should state the purpose of your payment reminder letter. You can do this with a simple and swift sentence like
“We are writing this letter regarding the nonpayment of your last invoice.”
There are several benefits of getting straight to the point like this. For instance, it shows your strong intent. It gets the message across to the recipient without giving them a chance to ignore your overdue payment letter.
Doing so also shows the seriousness of the situation and that you mean business. Nonetheless, you should maintain a polite and professional tone throughout your message.
Provide Specifics Of The Invoice
Up next, what you need to do is detail the specifics of the invoice to the customer. There is a good chance that some of your customers deal with numerous invoices regularly. Providing the specifics of the invoice in your past due payment letter helps the customer identify which invoice you are talking about.
Here are some invoice specifics you can mention in your overdue payment letter to help the customers identify your business.
- Invoice reference number
- Payment due date
- Date of sending the invoice
Or you could always take the easy way and attach a copy of your invoice with your letter. If you are sending the letter via email, it is best to send a copy as a PDF file because they are easier to view. Furthermore, it allows the customer to match your payment reminder letter with the invoice.
The customer can check their invoice and confirm their delay in making the payment on time. And since you are re-emphasising factual information, the customer has no way of denying your claim.
Emphasise Your Availability To Answer Any Queries
Consider writing a short paragraph at the end of your letter for reminder for payment, letting the recipient know your willingness to answer any questions. It is possible that your customer is looking for some negotiation but is reluctant to ask for help.
In other words, it is for helping customers who are genuinely facing problems but has all the intention of making the payment. It is always better to have customers who respond to your overdue payment letter rather than those who conveniently ignore it.
On the other hand, it also hints that you will not drop the issue and will continue to seek your due payment. When drafting a strong letter for outstanding payment, it is essential to show the time and energy to settle your payment.
Briefly Bring Up Your Late Payment Policy
Generally, companies that receive credit payments have a late payment policy. And if you don’t already have one, it is best to create one for all purposes. It can come in handy when you write a reminder letter for payment for your organisation.
Hence, if you have a late payment policy, you must remind the customer about it on your payment reminder letter. It can help you speed up the invoice payment, even if it’s only for avoiding additional fines or extra charges.
As you can see, implementing a late payment policy for your business organisation is an excellent way to motivate on-time payments. In many cases, the sole reason for generating a response to an overdue payment letter is the overhanging consequence of the late payment fee.
Change Your Tone According To The Level Of Lateness
The tone of the payment reminder is often the point of discussion for many organisations. Companies often ponder over what tone of voice they should use on a payment reminder message. And most of them are reluctant to write up a strong letter for outstanding payment, especially when dealing with (potential) long-term clients.
The good news is that you don’t have to write a strongly worded letter unless it’s unavoidable. Maintaining a polite and professional tone when corresponding with a client is crucial. But that doesn’t mean your overdue payment letter can’t be strong and assertive.
Be as polite as you can when sending the clients the first payment reminder. But, don’t feel pressured to beat around the bush and remain straightforward throughout the letter. But if you send numerous payment reminder letters and still get no response. You should gradually pick up the pace and adopt a firmer tone, especially if the payments are late by two weeks or more.
Offer Online Payment Options
Although not extremely common, one of the reasons behind invoice payment delays is complex payment options. The last thing you want is to have payment delay issues because you couldn’t provide an easier and more convenient payment option.
And what’s a more easy or convenient way for your customers than online payment options? Providing an online payment option in your letter for reminder for payment is an effective way to speed up the payment process.
Suppose your customer missed an invoice payment by accident and is ready to pay the total amount as soon as they receive your letter. In that case, offering an online payment option in your reminder for overdue payments could be just what your customer needs.
You may include a QR Code in your payment due letter to make it even easier for the customer to make their payment.
Invoice Payment Reminder Template – Before Due Date
We are familiar with the old saying, “Prevention is better than cure.” Even though the phrase does not necessarily refer to on-time payments, the shoe fits here, and here is why. A late payment can mess up your entire workflow and may even lead to a finance shortage.
“It is estimated that 90% of small businesses are failing due to cash flow problems” – Timelio.
Most organisations send their original invoice one month before the due date. Ideally, all your customers would pay the invoice as soon as they receive it, and you will never need a payment reminder letter. But, that is far from the truth.
There are several reasons why a customer fails to make on-time payments. And believe it or not, one of the most common reasons behind late payments is by accident. Hence it is crucial to send a payment reminder letter before the due date.
Consider the following invoice payment reminder template to understand what your letter should include.
“[Name and address of the organisation you’re writing to]
[Your business’s address]
[Date]
Dear Sir/Madam,
Account No: [Your account number] Amount Due: [Enter amount]
Subject: How Is Everything? Your Payment is Due Soon.
Body:
Hi [Customer’s First Name],
We hope everything is good on your side and that you are satisfied with your [Product/Service Name].
At [Company Name], we believe in serving our customers to the best of our ability and ensuring you get the best experience.
We are writing to you as a gentle reminder that we haven’t yet received your payment for the month of [month]. But don’t worry, it is not due until [Due Date].
You can pay by the invoice by scanning the QR Code or by mailing us a cheque at [Company Address].
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us anytime if you have any questions or need any clarification on the invoice. You can either reply to this mail or give us a call at [Phone Number].
Warmest Regards,
[Your First Name]”
Invoice Payment Reminder Template - On The Due Date
The rule of thumb you must follow when writing a missed payment letter template is to ensure that the customer receives at least one reminder before the due date. You should also try and focus on the balance your customer owes you.
However, you must maintain a friendly tone throughout your invoice payment reminder template. Your customer may be going through a financial setback at the moment. Showing even a little empathy can go a long way in establishing long-term relationships with customers and creating brand advocates.
Look at the following invoice payment reminder template to understand how you can write a payment reminder for your business.
“[Name and address of the organisation you’re writing to]
[Your business’s address]
[Date]
Dear Sir/Madam,
Account No: [Your account number] Amount Due: [Enter amount]
Subject: Your Payment is Due Today
Body:
Hello [Customer’s First Name],
We want to inform you that today is the due date for [invoice number].
If you are facing some financial difficulties, we would be happy to work out financial assistance for your firm. Please respond to this mail or ring us at [Phone Number] so that we can work out an amicable payment solution for your business.
Warm Regards,
[Your First Name]”
Invoice Payment Reminder Template - Soon After The Due Date
Sometimes, it is possible that your client replies to all your letter for reminder for payment but still does not make the payment. In such cases, there is a good chance that your client wants to remain on your good side as a reliable customer.
Or in other cases, they genuinely believe they can make the payment on time but couldn’t due to unforeseen circumstances. Then there are also situations where the client does not respond no matter what you try or how many overdue payment letters you send.
The chances are that you already know these types of clients and noticed these patterns yourself, and the process has become mundane. Hence, we suggest that you combine a well-drafted missed payment letter template with an automated print-and-mail API solution like PostGrid. Here is what one of our clients has to say about our print and mail service.
“We were looking for a solution to outsource and automate our process of mailing welcome letters to our customers. We previously had two dedicated people printing the postage label, stamping it manually, stuffing the mail, and dropping it off at the postal office. PostGrid helped us eliminate the manual process with their automation and API solution, now sending all mails smoothly.”
– Director of IT and Operations
However, even with an advanced software solution, you still need an overdue invoice reminder template like the one below.
“[Name and address of the organisation you’re writing to]
[Your business’s address]
[Date]
Dear Sir/Madam,
Account No: [Your account number] Amount Overdue: [Enter amount]
Subject: Your Invoice #[Invoice Number] is Overdue
Body:
Hello [Customer’s First Name],
We hope you are doing well. This letter is to notify you that we are still waiting for you to settle your accounts for invoice number [Insert Invoice Number] dated [Insert due date].
Since the due date for your purchase has already passed, your account balance with us has now become overdue.
But no worries, you don’t have to pay any additional fee or fine as per the late payment policy you signed.
We have taken the liberty to attach your invoice with this mail in case you have lost it.
You can make your payment by scanning the QR Code, going to this link [Link], or mailing us a cheque at [Company Address].
In case you have any questions regarding the invoice or want to discuss other payment options, you can always reach out to use [Phone Number]
Warm Regards,
[Your First Name]”
Invoice Payment Reminder Template - One Months Overdue
After the initial barrage of letter for reminder for payment, it is better not to contact your customers for a while. This strategy is the better approach for interacting with delinquent accounts. And this applies not only to postal mail letters but to all forms of communication, including text and email messages.
If there is no response or invoice payment even after a month past the due date you may want to write a more assertive payment reminder letter. Here is a missed payment letter template to help you get started.
“[Name and address of the organisation you’re writing to]
[Your business’s address]
[Date]
Dear Sir/Madam,
Account No: [Your account number] Amount Overdue: [Enter amount]
Subject: Your Payment is 30 Days Overdue.
Body:
Hello [Customer’s First Name],
We have tried reaching out to you several times over the last 30 days to discuss the overdue payments for invoice # [Invoice Number].
We are again writing you this letter to let you know that your payment is now 30 days past due.
You can make your payment by scanning the QR Code, going to this link [Link], or mailing us a cheque at [Company Address].
If you have not yet received any of our previous mailers, please let us know. We would also prefer to get a response to this mail so that we know you have received it.
Regards,
[Your First Name]”
Invoice Payment Reminder Template - Last Effort Before Sending To Collections
After about two or three months of radio silence from the client, you can start getting serious about your payment reminder letter. At this point, you should consider involving the collection agency. Suppose a client refuses to pay even after three months, including the grace period of one month after sending the original invoice.
In that case, expecting the payment from them is a lost cause. But, before you give your account case to a collection agency, you should send one last mail to let them know what is going to happen to their account. The letter for reminder for payment should look something like the following.
“[Name and address of the organisation you’re writing to]
[Your business’s address]
[Date]
Dear Sir/Madam,
Account No: [Your account number] Amount Overdue: [Enter amount]
Subject: Your Payment is 30 Days Overdue.
Body:
[Customer’s First Name],
This letter is our final notice to inform you that your account with us will be reported as a delinquent account to the collection agency unless you make the payment within 15 days of receiving this notice.
We have tried several efforts to get in touch with you about your 90-day overdue invoice #[Invoice Number]. But we have not received any response from you yet.
We are duty-bound to inform you that you may incur additional interest charges on your account as per the agreement you signed with us.
In case you have any questions you can contact us at [Phone Number] between the hours of 8 am – 5 pm.
Regards,
[Your First Name]”
Conclusion
Above, we discussed how you could create an effective overdue payment letter and even saw some examples you could use for your business. One thing you can note about the payment reminders is that you must send them regularly.
And when you deal with numerous cases of overdue payments, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage your communications. However, with the help of PostGrid’s automated print and mail solution, you can easily send letters for reminder for payments to numerous clients.
Furthermore, PostGrid offers advanced features like scheduled and triggered mail, which lets you streamline your communications. You can go further by combining our print and mail solution with our address verification API to maximise the deliverability of overdue payment letters.
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The post How to Write Overdue Invoice Letter Templates appeared first on PostGrid.
source https://www.postgrid.com.au/tips-to-write-overdue-invoice-letter/
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