Overdue invoice chaser
Writes the chase sequence for money you are owed, polite at first, firm later, and tells you when to stop asking and act.
Updated September 16, 2026 · Finance · In the $149 pack
What you get
A staged chase sequence per overdue account, with escalation points and a final-notice letter.
What you need to hand
- Your aged-debtor report: customer, invoice number, amount, due date, days overdue
- Your payment terms and any account-specific terms or credit limit
- What has already been sent or said, and any promises made
- The purchase order, delivery note or POD reference against each invoice
- Whether you want to keep trading with the account
How you might ask
Three overdue on the ledger: Harding Industrial Supply $18,400 at 47 days who keep saying it is in the next payment run, Vale Fabrication $4,860 at 21 days with no reply, and $2,310 at 96 days from a customer whose credit I have already stopped. Terms are net-30. Write the chases.
Worked example: Chase the unpaid balance, not the full invoice
An authored, fictional illustration so you can see the shape of the result. Not a customer outcome.
Input
Completed synthetic order N-2041. Invoice INV-2041 totals $52,000: $48,000 against PO HF-8817 plus the separately approved $4,000 guard-rail change order. The ledger shows a $14,400 deposit and a further $20,000 receipt, neither duplicated. Invoice dated 16 October 2026, net-30, due 15 November 2026; review date 19 November 2026. The supplied correspondence shows no dispute, no short-pay note and no newer payment promise; the owner must check for anything missing.
Illustrative result
- Recorded balance: $52,000 − $14,400 − $20,000 = $17,600, four calendar days past the supplied net-30 due date.
- Draft: ‘Our records show $17,600 outstanding on INV-2041, which was due 15 November on net-30 terms. Thank you for the $14,400 deposit and the $20,000 payment. Could you confirm when the balance will be released? If it is already on a check run, please send the remittance reference so we can reconcile it.’
Checks before using
- Confirm the current ledger and any deduction or dispute before sending; selected emails are not a full inbox or AR review.
- Do not add unsupported late-payment interest, fees, credit-hold threats or different remittance details.
- Check whether the buyer's accounts payable needs a signed delivery receipt or the change order attached before they will pay.
- The reminder does not itself collect money or prove the buyer received it.
Get the full instructions
This is step "How do I chase this invoice?" in the "From enquiry to paid invoice" pack: six connected skills that carry an order from enquiry to paid invoice, each with a worked example. One payment of $149 USD, delivered as a ZIP you keep. Works with your own ChatGPT account.