Payment reminder and demand letter: sample texts and terms

The payment term has passed and the money is not there. Annoying, but usually just forgetfulness. A polite reminder and, if needed, a formal demand almost always gets you paid. Below are three sample letters you can copy as they are: a friendly first reminder, a firmer second one, and a final demand that holds up legally.

Three letters, three tones

The art of reminding is dosage: start light and get more formal with each letter. Fill in the parts in [brackets] and attach the invoice again every time.

Sample 1: the friendly first reminder

Send 3 to 5 days after the due date. Tone: neutral, assume it was accidental.

Subject: Reminder invoice [number]

Dear [name],

According to my records invoice [number] of [date] for [amount] is still open; the payment term expired on [due date]. It probably slipped your attention. Could you transfer the amount this week to [IBAN] in the name of [name]? The invoice is attached again just in case.

If your payment is already on its way, please ignore this reminder. Thanks in advance!

Kind regards, [name]

Nine times out of ten this is enough. With a regular client, a quick phone call often works even faster.

Sample 2: the second reminder

Send about two weeks after the due date if the first reminder got no response. Tone: still polite, but with a concrete term and a preview of what follows otherwise.

Subject: Second reminder invoice [number]

Dear [name],

On [date of first reminder] I sent you a reminder for invoice [number] for [amount]. To date I have unfortunately not received your payment. Please transfer the amount to [IBAN] within 7 days.

If there is a reason the payment is on hold, for example a question about the invoice, please let me know so we can sort it out. If payment does not follow and I do not hear from you, I will send a formal demand and will have to charge statutory interest and collection costs.

Kind regards, [name]

Inviting a response is not just polite: if there turns out to be a dispute about the invoice, you want to know now, not in court.

Sample 3: the final demand (fourteen-day letter)

Send when the second reminder also goes unanswered. Tone: businesslike and formal. For consumer clients this letter is legally required before you may charge collection costs, and the wording matters.

Subject: Final demand invoice [number]

Dear [name],

Despite my reminders of [date] and [date], invoice [number] of [invoice date] for [amount] remains unpaid. I hereby give you formal notice of default and request that you transfer the outstanding amount to [IBAN] within 14 days after this letter has been delivered to you.

Should payment not follow within this term, I will be obliged to charge extrajudicial collection costs of [collection cost amount], in addition to statutory interest, and I will hand over the claim for collection.

I trust it will not come to that.

Kind regards, [name]

Two details these letters legally fail on: the 14 days only start the day after the letter is received (so not "within 14 days of the date of this letter"), and the collection costs must be stated as a concrete amount. That amount follows the Dutch statutory scale: 15% over the first € 2,500 of the principal, with a minimum of € 40. For a € 1,000 invoice you state € 150.

For business clients the fourteen-day letter is not mandatory: there you may charge collection costs and commercial interest right after the due date. A formal demand is still wise, as evidence for your file.

What a demand letter must contain

Whatever wording you choose, include: the invoice number, date and outstanding amount; a clear final payment term (for consumers: 14 days after receipt); the announcement of collection costs (for consumers: the exact amount) and statutory interest; and your payment details. Send the final demand in a way you can prove: registered mail, or email with a delivery confirmation.

Still no money?

Then comes the next step: a collection agency, bailiff or the subdistrict court. That whole route, including the full collection-cost scale, the current statutory interest and the limitation periods, is in unpaid invoice? How to get your money after all.

How Finq helps

Finq shows on the dashboard which invoices are overdue, you send reminders straight from the invoice with the invoice attached automatically, and a payment link lets your client pay online without retyping anything. See how invoicing works.

This article is general information, not legal advice.