Templates

Payment reminder SMS and text message templates

A text lands differently to an email: it gets read within minutes, and it is harder to leave sitting in an inbox. For sole traders, tradespeople and clients you already message, a short payment reminder by SMS or WhatsApp is often the fastest way to get an overdue invoice moving. Here are five templates, friendly to firm - copy one, swap the details in brackets, and send.

When a text is the right channel

Text a reminder when you already message that client about the work, when the client is an individual or small trader rather than an accounts department, or when emails are going unread. For companies with an accounts payable team, stick to email reminders - a text to one person there rarely reaches whoever pays. And whatever the channel, keep the paper trail: if a chase escalates, follow up anything agreed by text with an email or a chasing letter confirming it.

1. The friendly nudge (due date)

Hi [first name], just a reminder that invoice [number] for [amount] is due today. If it's already sorted, ignore this - thanks! [your name]

2. A few days late

Hi [first name], following up on invoice [number] for [amount], due [date]. Could you let me know when it'll be paid? Any issues, just message me. Thanks, [your name]

3. A week or more overdue

Hi [first name], invoice [number] for [amount] is now [X] days overdue. Please could you confirm a payment date today? Thanks, [your name]

4. Firm (two weeks or more)

Hi [first name], invoice [number] for [amount] remains unpaid, [X] days past the due date. Please arrange payment or reply with a payment date. [your name]

5. Final notice

Hi [first name], final reminder: invoice [number] for [amount] is [X] days overdue. If it isn't paid by [date] I'll have to escalate, which I'd rather avoid. Please get in touch today. [your name]

Tips for payment reminder texts

Always include the invoice number and amount. A text with no reference is easy to dismiss; one with the exact details is easy to act on.
One text per step, not a barrage. Space reminders the same way you would emails - the due date, then roughly 3, 7, 14 and 30 days. Repeated texts in a day reads as harassment and undoes the goodwill.
Send at a sensible hour. Mid-morning on a weekday. A payment reminder at 9pm on a Sunday sours the relationship over an invoice that would have been paid anyway.
WhatsApp counts too. Same wording, same rules. The read receipts are useful - but resist commenting on them.
Keep the paper trail. Texts are informal by nature, so mirror the important ones by email. If it ever escalates to a letter before action, a tidy chase history is what counts.

If the invoice is between businesses, you may also be entitled to statutory interest and compensation once it is overdue - work out the figures with the late payment interest calculator, and see how to chase an unpaid invoice for the full approach.

Reminders that send themselves

Badger chases your overdue invoices by email for you - polite at first, firmer over time, with every reminder logged - and stops the moment you are paid. Your first chase is free.

Start chasing free