How to chase an unpaid freelance invoice: reminders, pause work and next steps

A clear invoice with a due date is the start. This page is about what to do when the due date passes: a reminder schedule you can follow, wording that moves from polite to firm, when to pause further work, how to offer a payment plan, and when late fees or a court claim might come next — with links to the official pages we checked.

Checked against official UK and Canadian pages on 2026-10-14. Reminder days and email wording are our own suggestions (general practice), not a legal timeline. Not written by a lawyer.

The short answer

• Chase on a schedule, not only when you remember. A short note before the due date, one on the day, then firm follow-ups, beats a long silence and a sudden angry email.
• Stay factual. Restate the invoice number, amount, due date and how to pay. Ask what is blocking payment. Keep every email and reply.
• Pause new work only if your agreement allows it (or you agree it in writing now). Say so clearly when you do.
• Late fees and interest only when your agreement or the law allows them. For Canada see getting paid on time; for UK business clients see the UK late payment interest calculator.
• Court claims are a last step after reminders. England and Wales have an official money-claim process; Ontario and Alberta publish small-claims limits. US and other countries: we haven't checked for this page.

1. Before you chase

Most "unpaid" invoices are blocked by something fixable. Check these before the first firm reminder:

• Was the invoice clear? Number, due date, amount, how to pay, and the client's legal name. Our how to write a freelance invoice guide has the checklist and a first reminder; this page goes deeper on the chase after that.
• Did it reach the right person? Billing contact, accounts payable, or a portal — not only the person you do the work with.
• Is a purchase order (PO) or supplier form missing? Many firms cannot pay without one.
• Were the payment terms agreed? GOV.UK: "You can set your own payment terms, such as discounts for early payment and payment upfront." If you didn't agree a date: "Unless you agree a payment date, the customer must pay you within 30 days of getting your invoice or the goods or service." (GOV.UK: Payment obligations). Put the due date itself on every invoice — see invoice payment terms explained.
• Part paid already? Send a receipt for what came in (our receipt generator) and chase only the balance.

2. A reminder schedule

These timings are ours (general practice), not a rule from any official page. Adapt them to the client's size and how you usually work together. The point is to decide the next step in advance so an overdue invoice doesn't sit for months.

Suggested days from our schedule: about 3 days before due; on the due date; about 7, 14 and 30 days after due. Not a legal deadline.

• One channel at a time is enough for the early notes (email is usual). If emails go unanswered, a short phone call or a message to a second contact often unlocks payment faster than a longer email.
• Keep a log of each reminder (date, who you wrote to, what they said). Dates matter if you later need a court claim.
• Don't stack angry messages. If you already sent a firm note this week, wait for your next scheduled step.

3. Wording to copy

Plain text with [placeholders]. Change anything in square brackets. Delete lines that don't apply. These are fuller chase emails than the two short reminders on the write-an-invoice page — use that page when you're sending the invoice; use these when you're following up unpaid ones.

A few days before the due date

Subject: Reminder: invoice [invoice number] due [due date]

Hi [first name],

A quick reminder that invoice [invoice number] for [total and currency] is due on [due date]. I've attached it again in case it's easier to have it to hand.

You can pay by [payment method and details]. Please include the invoice number as the payment reference.

If anything on the invoice needs changing, or your team needs a purchase order number or a supplier form from me first, just reply and I'll sort it.

Thanks,
[your name]

On the due date

Subject: Invoice [invoice number] is due today

Hi [first name],

Invoice [invoice number] for [total and currency] is due today ([due date]). I've attached a copy.

If payment is already on the way, thank you — you can ignore this. If something is blocking it on your side (a PO, a portal, a different billing contact), tell me what you need and I'll send it today.

Pay by [payment method and details], reference [invoice number].

Thanks,
[your name]

About a week overdue (firm)

Subject: Overdue: invoice [invoice number] — [total and currency]

Hi [first name],

Invoice [invoice number] for [total and currency] was due on [due date] and I haven't yet recorded a payment.

Please confirm by [date a few days from now]:
- when you expect to pay, or
- what you still need from me so it can be paid.

I've attached the invoice again. Pay by [payment method and details], reference [invoice number].

[Only if your agreement or the law allows it: As set out in our agreement / under [applicable late-payment rules], [your late-payment terms] apply to overdue amounts.]

If you've already paid, please send the payment confirmation and I'll update my records.

Thanks,
[your name]

Final notice

Subject: Final notice: invoice [invoice number], [total and currency], now [days overdue] days overdue

Hi [first name],

This is a final notice about invoice [invoice number] for [total and currency], due on [due date]. I wrote on [dates of earlier reminders] and have not received payment or a firm payment date.

Please pay in full by [deadline date], or reply by then with a written payment plan I can accept.

If I haven't received payment or heard from you by then, I will [pause any further work / start the next step to recover the amount, such as a court claim for money where that applies].

Pay by [payment method and details], reference [invoice number].

[your name]

Only mention late fees, interest or court steps you're actually entitled to take. For Canada-specific wording and interest, see getting paid on time in Canada; for UK business-to-business interest, the UK late payment interest calculator.

4. When to pause work

• Only pause if you said you could in the proposal, contract or terms — or if you agree it in writing now. Pausing without a basis can create its own dispute.
• Say what is pausing (new work, the next milestone, revisions) and what is not (work already delivered stays owed).
• Offer a way back: payment in full, or a written payment plan you accept.
• Our suggested timing: consider a pause around 14 days after the due date if earlier reminders got no useful reply. That day count is ours, not a statute.

Subject: Pausing work on [project name] — invoice [invoice number] overdue

Hi [first name],

Invoice [invoice number] for [total and currency] was due on [due date] and remains unpaid ([days overdue] days overdue).

As set out in our agreement, I'm pausing further work on [project name] until this invoice is paid or we agree a written payment plan. Work already delivered stays as invoiced.

Please pay by [payment method], reference [invoice number], or reply with a plan I can accept.

Thanks,
[your name]

5. Payment plans

A short written plan is often worth more than a long fight — especially if the client is honest about cash flow. Keep it simple:

• Amounts and dates that add up to the full balance (and currency).
• The invoice number as the payment reference on every instalment.
• What happens to ongoing work until the balance is cleared.
• A reply-by date so an open-ended "we'll pay soon" doesn't replace the plan.
• Don't silently waive late-payment terms you're entitled to, unless you choose to in writing.

Subject: Payment plan for invoice [invoice number]

Hi [first name],

Thank you for getting in touch about invoice [invoice number] for [total and currency], due [due date].

I'm willing to accept the following plan, if you confirm in writing by [reply-by date]:
- [amount and currency] on [first date]
- [amount and currency] on [second date]
- [optional third instalment]

Each payment should use reference [invoice number]. Until the balance is cleared, [I will pause further work / further work continues only on milestones already paid].

If this plan doesn't work, propose different dates in your reply and I'll confirm whether I can accept them. This email is not a waiver of any late-payment terms that already apply.

Thanks,
[your name]

When an instalment arrives, send a receipt and note the remaining balance on the next reminder.

6. Late fees and interest

Mention fees or interest in a chase email only when you can actually charge them. Rules differ by country:

• United Kingdom (business clients). GOV.UK: "You have the right to charge interest for late payment, but you can choose not to." (GOV.UK: Payment obligations). Statutory interest: "The interest you can charge if another business is late paying for goods or a service is 'statutory interest' - this is 8% plus the Bank of England base rate for business to business transactions." (GOV.UK: Interest on late commercial payments). That is 8% plus the Bank of England base rate under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. You can also charge fixed debt-recovery sums on late commercial payments (same GOV.UK guide):

From GOV.UK's late commercial payments guide (print page, checked 2026-10-14; page date 2016-08-10). If no payment date was agreed, the law treats payment as late 30 days after the customer gets the invoice or you deliver (whichever is later); agreed business dates usually within 60 days (GOV.UK: Late commercial payments). Worked interest: our UK late payment interest calculator.

• Canada. Late fees that hold up, Interest Act notes, GST/HST on surcharges, and Canada-focused reminder wording: Getting paid on time as a freelancer in Canada (with a late-payment interest calculator). This page does not repeat those rules.
• United States and elsewhere. We haven't checked state or national late-fee or interest rules for this page. Don't invent a rate; check your agreement and official pages, or ask a lawyer.

7. Small claims and court claims

Only after reminders (and usually a final notice). Court processes cost time and fees, and a judgment still has to be enforced. The figures below are from the official pages we read; they are not a recommendation to sue.

England and Wales

"You can apply to a county court to claim money you're owed by a person or business." "This is known as making a court claim. It often used to be known as taking someone to a 'small claims court'. You can apply online or by post." (GOV.UK: Make a court claim for money). "A mediation service could be quicker and cheaper than going to court." There's a different process to make a court claim in Scotland (links on that GOV.UK page).

You must pay a court fee based on the claim amount (plus any interest). GOV.UK's table (GOV.UK: Court fees):

If you leave the amount claimed blank on a paper form, the fee is £10,000 (same GOV.UK page). You may be able to get help with fees. Interest on the claim: for B2B late commercial payments use the statutory rate above; "For other types of debt, the rate is usually 8%." (GOV.UK: Claim the interest).

Canada (two provinces we checked)

• Ontario Small Claims Court: claims of $50,000 or less since October 1, 2025 (was $35,000). In most cases a claim can't be filed more than two years after the incident (Ontario.ca: Suing someone in Small Claims Court).
• Alberta Court of Justice (Civil): maximum claim $100,000 (Alberta Courts: Civil / small claims).
• Other provinces and territories: look up that court's own small-claims page. We haven't checked them for this page.

United States and other countries

We haven't checked US federal or state small-claims procedures, or court-claim rules elsewhere, for this page. Use your local court's official site or a lawyer.

8. Checklist

• Invoice was clear (number, due date, amount, how to pay, right billing contact / PO).
• Friendly reminder before the due date; due-day note if still unpaid.
• Firm follow-up with a request for a payment date; attach the invoice again.
• Log every contact (dates and replies).
• Pause further work only if agreed; say so in writing.
• Payment plan in writing if a lump sum isn't realistic.
• Late fees / interest only when entitled; use the Canada or UK guides linked above.
• Final notice with a short deadline before naming court or other next steps.
• Legal advice before a claim against a client in another country, or for a large amount.

Free tools and kits

• Free invoice generator: clear invoices with a due date (any currency).
• Free freelance invoice template: the same layout as a spreadsheet.
• Free receipt generator: when part or all of the invoice is paid.
• How to write a freelance invoice: what to put on the invoice, plus a first reminder and overdue note.
• Invoice payment terms explained: Net terms, due on receipt, deposits and late-fee wording.
• Getting paid on time (Canada) and the UK late payment interest calculator.
• Our paid Freelance Billing Kit by Small Rows (US$12, one-time) shows what's paid, part paid, open or overdue (with days overdue) from each client's payment terms. It doesn't send reminders, chase clients or decide which fees or court steps apply.
• The All-Kits Bundle by Small Rows (US$24, one-time) includes the Billing Kit with the Quote & Proposal Kit and Client & Project Tracker.

Where the sources differ

• Our schedule vs the law. GOV.UK and the Canadian court pages do not prescribe a freelancer reminder calendar. The day counts on this page are ours.
• Two UK interest ideas. Statutory late-payment interest for business debts (8% + base rate) is not the same as the "usually 8%" rate GOV.UK mentions for other court-claim debts.
• Ontario's limit changed on October 1, 2025 ($35,000 → $50,000); older advice may still show $35,000.
• Old but current GOV.UK pages. The payment-obligations page shows 2015-08-07; the late-payments guide shows 2016-08-10; both were live on 2026-10-14.
• No US figures here. We didn't find (and didn't guess) a single federal chase or small-claims rule for US freelancers.

When to get legal advice

• the amount is large for you, or the client disputes the work rather than just paying late;
• the client is in another country or province from you;
• you want to charge interest or fees and aren't sure you're allowed to;
• you're about to start a court claim, or the client threatens one;
• the contract is unclear about pausing work or deposits (deposits and retainers).

Related free resources

• How to write a freelance invoice: checklist, numbering, line items, and the first reminder emails.
• Invoice payment terms explained: Net terms, due on receipt, deposits, late fees.
• Getting paid on time as a freelancer in Canada: Canada late fees, Interest Act notes, reminder emails, interest calculator.
• UK late payment interest calculator: statutory interest and fixed sums for UK business clients.
• How to write a freelance proposal and client onboarding checklist: agree terms and billing details before the first invoice.
• Freelance deposits and retainers: reduce how often you're chasing a full unpaid balance.
• All free tools.

Sources

Official pages read on 2026-10-14. Check the live page before you rely on it.

• United Kingdom: GOV.UK: Payment obligations · GOV.UK: Late commercial payments · GOV.UK: Charging interest · GOV.UK: Late commercial payments (print) · GOV.UK: Make a court claim for money · GOV.UK: Court fees · GOV.UK: Claim the interest
• Canada: Ontario.ca: Suing someone in Small Claims Court · Alberta Courts: Civil / small claims

Found something wrong or out of date? Tell us via Support and we'll fix it and note the change here.