Customer Won't Pay Your Invoice? What to Send, and When

If a customer won't pay your invoice, the fastest way to get your money is a set routine of short reminders: one the day after the due date, then at 7, 14 and 28 days overdue. Most customers pay before the last one. If they don't, a phone call usually explains why and what to do next.

This guide is for Australian tradies who chase their own invoices, from sole traders to small crews, on domestic and commercial work. It gives you the schedule, the exact texts to send, what to do when the reminders don't work, and the mistakes that can turn an unpaid invoice into a complaint against you.

Late payment is normal. According to Xero Small Business Insights, Australian small businesses were paid an average of 6.0 days late in the June 2026 quarter, and invoices took 22.9 days to be paid. Reminding a customer the day after the due date isn't rude. It's what businesses that get paid on time do.

This is general information, not legal advice.

What should you do when a customer won't pay your invoice?

1. Check that the invoice is correct and went to the person who has to pay it.
2. Send a short reminder the day after the due date, with the amount and a payment link.
3. Send another at 7 days overdue, then 14, then a final reminder at 28.
4. Stop the reminders as soon as they pay.
5. If the final reminder doesn't work, call them, find out why, and agree a date or a payment plan in writing.

Keep everything in writing, keep it polite, and don't start any more work for that customer until they've paid.

Why isn't your customer paying?

The fix depends on the reason. Most of the time it's the first one.

How do you chase an unpaid invoice? The 1-7-14-28 rule

The 1-7-14-28 rule is a fixed schedule of four payment reminders, sent 1, 7, 14 and 28 days after the invoice's due date. Each one is short, includes the amount and a pay link, and gets a little firmer. The reminders stop as soon as the invoice is paid.

The days count from the due date, not from when you sent the invoice. On 14-day terms, an invoice sent on 2 November is due on 16 November, so the reminders go out on 17 November, 23 November, 30 November and 14 December.

Why these days? Day 1 catches the customers who simply forgot, while the job is still fresh. Day 7 catches the ones who meant to pay and didn't get to it. By day 14, a clearer ask is fair. Day 28 is the last automated message, and it tells you something: a customer who hasn't paid after four reminders needs a phone call, not a fifth text.

It works the same way as the 2-7-14 rule for quote follow-ups: set the dates once and let the schedule decide when to chase, so you never have to wonder whether it's too soon.

It also keeps you well inside the rules on contact. The ACCC and ASIC debt collection guideline covers businesses chasing their own debts as well as debt collectors, and suggests no more than three phone calls a week or ten a month. Four messages in four weeks is nowhere near that.

What should you say? Overdue invoice reminder templates

These are the four overdue invoice reminders, ready to copy. Swap in your own details. The names, amounts and dates are examples. Each one fits in a single text message when you use a short pay link.

Reminder 1: 1 day overdue

Most late payers just forgot. Keep it light: the amount and a pay link, nothing else.

Reminder 2: 7 days overdue

A week in, be clear about how overdue it is. Same amount, same link.

Reminder 3: 14 days overdue

Still short and polite. Just a clearer ask to pay now.

Reminder 4: 28 days overdue

Notice what it doesn't say. There's no "or else" and no "before further action". Only say what you'll actually do. A threat you don't follow through on weakens every message after it, and a misleading one can break consumer law.

No pay link? Use this line instead

If your invoices don't have an online pay link, swap the link part for: "Please get in touch to arrange payment." Make sure your bank details are on the invoice itself.

Sending by email instead?

Use the same wording, put your business name and the invoice number in the subject, and attach the invoice. For example: "Final reminder: invoice INV-0008 from Coastline Plumbing". Email has one advantage: the customer can reply to ask a question.

What makes a payment reminder work?

Five rules sit behind every reminder above.

• Short enough to read in five seconds. One text message. No essays, no explanations.
• Amount and pay link, every time. Make paying the easiest thing to do.
• Sent at a sensible time. Around 9am works well. Never late at night.
• Stopped the moment they pay. Nobody should be chased for a bill they've already paid.
• No threats you won't follow through on. Your reputation is worth more than one invoice.

What if they still haven't paid after the final reminder?

Pick up the phone. Four reminders without a reply usually means something is wrong, and a call finds out what. Ask how the job went before you mention the money.

• If they're happy with the job: agree a payment date, then confirm it by text or email the same day.
• If money is tight: offer to split it, such as half now and the rest in two weeks, and confirm the amounts and dates in writing.
• If they raise a problem: treat it as genuine until you know otherwise (see the next section).
• If they won't talk to you: keep your records together and get advice on your options. business.gov.au has a guide to resolving business disputes, and your state's small business commissioner can help.

What if the customer says the work isn't right?

A complaint that turns up with the invoice can still be genuine.

• Get it in writing. Ask the customer to list exactly what's wrong.
• Go and look. If there's a real issue, fix it quickly. That removes their reason not to pay.
• Split the amount. Ask them to pay the part they don't dispute now, and deal with the rest separately.
• Pull your records. Find the quote, photos and messages showing what was agreed. Extra work is where this usually goes wrong, so get extra work agreed as a written variation before you do it.
• Get help if you're stuck. The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman's dispute support tool finds low-cost mediation near you.

What mistakes should you avoid when a customer won't pay?

• Waiting months to chase. The longer an invoice sits, the less urgent it feels to the customer.
• Threatening action you won't take. It weakens every message after it, and misleading threats can break consumer law.
• Chasing too often. A daily reminder feels like harassment; keep it reasonable.
• Going public or going around them. Don't name the customer on social media or contact their employer, family or neighbours. That risks defamation and privacy complaints.
• Holding back a compliance certificate. In NSW, electricians must submit the certificate of compliance for electrical work within seven days of testing, and fines apply. Other states have their own deadlines. Withholding it gives the customer a complaint against you.
• Doing more work first. Don't start the next job for a customer who owes you money.
• Losing the paper trail. Anything agreed on the phone should be confirmed by text or email the same day.

How do you stop customers paying late next time?

• Put payment terms on the quote, not just the invoice, so the customer agrees to them before you start. A quote that's been followed up properly is also a quote the customer has actually read.
• Invoice the day the job's done. The longer you wait, the longer they do. Our guide to the best invoice apps for tradies compares the options.
• Put a pay link on every invoice. Tap, pay, done, with no bank details to copy.
• Bill in stages on longer jobs, so you're never owed the whole job at once.
• Send reminders without having to remember. Day 1 and day 7 are the ones that slip when you're busy.
• Know how long you're the bank. The cash gap calculator shows how many days you fund each job before the money arrives.

How does Korda Pro fit in?

Everything in this guide is the same four messages, sent on the right days, every time. That's the part that slips when you're flat out on the tools.

• Korda Pro's payment follow-ups send the four reminders in this guide by text and email, 1, 7, 14 and 28 days after the due date in Xero, at around 9am.
• Reminders stop as soon as the invoice is paid. If it's part paid, the next reminder shows the amount still owing.
• Emails go from your own email account, so any reply comes straight to you.
• You can pause or stop reminders for any customer or invoice by asking Korda Pro on WhatsApp.
• Your Morning Brief lists every overdue invoice, and Korda Pro tells you on WhatsApp when an invoice reaches its final reminder, so you know when to make the call.

Korda Pro sends reminders. It doesn't send letters of demand or chase debts for you. If it gets that far, that part is still your call.

If you'd rather keep it simple, Xero's built-in invoice reminders cover the basics, and job management apps such as ServiceM8, Tradify and Fergus include reminders too.

Customer won't pay FAQs

The bottom line

Getting paid shouldn't depend on remembering to chase. Use the 1-7-14-28 rule, keep every reminder short with the amount and a pay link, and stop the moment they pay. Most customers pay before the final reminder. The ones who don't need a phone call, not a threat.