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Example · Polite payment reminder

Second reminder for an unpaid invoice

A friendly second reminder that gives the invoice number, amount and due date, mentions the first reminder, makes paying easy and asks for a date.

87 words 7 paragraphs 1 min read

Who wrote it

Karim Aoun, an illustrator in Beirut, delivered a book cover on 1 October. The invoice was due on 15 October, and a first reminder brought no reply.

The writer and every detail about them are fictional.

What went into the template
Client
Daniel Weber, Nordlicht Books
Invoice
Invoice #027, €640, due 15 October
The work it covers
Cover illustration for The Salt Road, delivered on 1 October
Which reminder is it?
Second reminder
Anything to add
First reminder sent on 22 October; payment by bank transfer or PayPal, details on page 2 of the invoice; their book launch is coming up

The writer’s facts, as typed into the template’s form. The example uses nothing else.

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The example

Polite payment reminder: Invoice reminder

Numbered notes in the margin explain each choice.

Subject: Second reminder: invoice #027 (€640), due 15 October1

Subject line

Note 1: The subject alone tells the reader what this is, which matters when it is forwarded to accounts.

Hi Daniel,

Greeting

I hope the launch plans for The Salt Road are going well.2

A friendly line

Note 2: A personal line about their project keeps the relationship warm, even in a reminder.

I’m following up on invoice #027 for the cover illustration, €640, which was due on 15 October. I sent a first reminder on 22 October3 and haven’t seen the payment yet.

The facts

Note 3: Stating the earlier reminder as a fact, without complaint, makes the follow-up firmer.

I’ve attached the invoice again. You can pay by bank transfer or PayPal; the details are on page 24.

Make paying easy

Note 4: Removing every small obstacle to paying is the fastest way to get paid.

Could you let me know when you expect to make the payment5?

Ask for a date

Note 5: Asking for a date turns silence into a commitment.

Thanks,
Karim

Structure

How it is built

Each part in order, with its share of the words.

  1. Subject line 9 words
  2. Greeting 2 words
  3. A friendly line 12 words
  4. The facts 31 words
  5. Make paying easy 19 words
  6. Ask for a date 12 words

Checklist

Before you send

Go through your own draft line by line.

Before and after

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Lines like these turn up in many drafts by Arabic speakers. Each fix keeps the meaning and changes only the English.

Before

You didn’t pay me yet!! This is not professional.

After

I’m following up on invoice #027 for the cover illustration, €640, which was due on 15 October.

Anger may feel justified, but it delays payment. Facts, calmly stated, work better.
Before

If you don’t pay this week, I will add a late fee.

After

Could you let me know when you expect to make the payment?

Never invent a fee that is not in your agreement. Ask for a date; mention real terms only if you have them.
Before

Kindly arrange the payment at the earliest.

After

Could you let me know when you expect to make the payment?

An old formula with no date. A direct question gets a direct answer.

Questions people ask

When should I send payment reminders?

A friendly first reminder a few days after the due date, a second about a week later, and a final one a week or two after that, each a little firmer and always polite.

What do I do after the final reminder?

Call if you can, and check the platform’s or your contract’s dispute process. Keep every message polite and factual; it is your record.

Should I stop working until the client pays?

If more work is planned, it is reasonable to say that the next phase will start once this invoice is paid. Say it calmly, as a fact, not as a threat.

Every writer in this library is fictional, and so is every detail about them. Universities and companies appear only as places someone applies to; the professors, papers and facts mentioned around them are invented for teaching. Use the examples to learn the moves, never as text to copy: committees notice, and your own facts are stronger.