The Friendly Payment Reminder

What you'll need

• The invoice facts: client name, amount, invoice number, original due date, and how many days overdue
• Your business name
• Which nudge this is — a first gentle one, or a firmer follow-up
• A payment link or instructions, if you have one handy
• Any AI chat assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, and the like)

The steps

1. Before you start: decide which reminder this is. A first nudge stays light and assumes they simply forgot. A second or third gets clearer about next steps — without burning the bridge.
2. Gather the invoice facts: amount, invoice number, the original due date, and how many days overdue it is.
3. Paste the prompt below, fill in the brackets, and pick the tone for where you are in the chase.
4. Read it once to make sure it sounds like you, then send. Keep the follow-up prompt below for if it goes quiet.

Write a payment reminder email that gets me paid without damaging the relationship.

My business: [your business name]
Client: [name]
Invoice: [amount], invoice [number]
Original due date: [date] — now [X days] overdue
Which reminder this is: [first gentle nudge / second firmer reminder / final reminder before next steps]
How they can pay: [payment link / bank transfer / card — include the details if you have them]

Keep it under 120 words, warm and professional. Restate the amount and the due date, make it as easy as possible to pay, and assume good intent. No passive-aggression, no guilt-tripping. End with a clear, friendly next step.

No response after [X days]. Write the next reminder in the chain — one notch firmer than the last, but still respectful.

Make the next step clear and specific (for example [pausing work / a late fee of X / passing it to accounts]) without sounding like a threat. Keep it under 120 words and give them an easy way to sort it out today.

What you'll get

A reminder that's easy to send and easy to pay — firm enough to get action, warm enough to keep the client. Plus a ready-made next nudge for if the first one goes quiet, so following up never stalls on "what do I even say."

If it's not quite right

• Feels too soft? Change the tone line to "second firmer reminder" and add "Be direct about the next step."
• Feels too harsh? Ask for "a warmer opening line that assumes they simply missed it."
• Repeat offender? Add "This client is often late" so the AI sets a clearer expectation about timing.
• Want the payment link front and center? Paste your link and add "Put the payment link near the top where it's easy to find."