How to write a payment reminder, and what the law lets you charge.
Most late invoices are forgotten, not refused. Here is when to remind, three reminders written out from friendly to final, and the interest and fixed fees the law allows for late payment in the EU, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Updated 16 October 2026
When to send each one.
- A few days after the due date
A friendly reminder. Most late payments are forgotten invoices, not refusals, and a polite note is usually all it takes.
- About two weeks later
A second reminder, still polite, a little firmer, with a new date to pay by.
- Two weeks after that
A final notice: the amount, the date, and what you will do next. Say only what you will really do.
- Then a call
A phone call settles more than a fourth email. If nothing comes of it, talk to your adviser about the next legal step.
Three reminders, written out.
Change the words in brackets. Keep each one short.
The friendly one
Subject: Reminder: invoice [number]
Hello [name], this is a friendly reminder that invoice [number] of [date] for [amount] was due on [due date] and has not reached us yet. You can pay by [how to pay]. If you have already paid, thank you, and please ignore this message. If anything is unclear, just reply to this email. Kind regards, [your name]
The firmer one
Subject: Second reminder: invoice [number]
Hello [name], we wrote on [date] about invoice [number] for [amount], due on [due date]. We have not yet received the payment. Please pay by [new date], by [how to pay]. If there is a problem with the invoice or the work, tell us and we will sort it out. Kind regards, [your name]
The final notice
Subject: Final notice: invoice [number]
Hello [name], invoice [number] for [amount] is now [number of days] days overdue, despite our reminders of [dates]. Please pay by [final date]. If we have not received it by then, we will [the step you will really take]. Kind regards, [your name]
What the law lets you charge.
Mostly between businesses. Charging a private customer interest or fees follows stricter rules, and your own contract terms may say otherwise.
| Where | Interest | A fixed sum for the trouble | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | The reference rate plus at least 8 percentage points, between businesses | At least 40 euros, plus reasonable recovery costs above it | Owed without a reminder. With no date agreed, payment is late 30 days after the invoice arrived |
| Germany | 9 points above the base rate between businesses, 5 points with a consumer | 40 euros, when the customer is not a consumer | A consumer is late after 30 days only if your invoice said so; a reminder after the due date also makes the debt late |
| United Kingdom | 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, between businesses, unless your contract sets a rate | £40 up to £999.99, £70 up to £9,999.99, £100 from £10,000 | With no date agreed, payment is late 30 days after the invoice or the delivery, whichever is later |
| Netherlands | The commercial rate: the ECB's refinancing rate plus 8 points, between businesses | At least 40 euros between businesses, without a reminder | A consumer owes collection costs only after a free reminder giving 14 days to pay, which names the costs |
| United States | Your contract and your state's law decide | The same: what your terms say, within your state's law | Put any late fee or interest in your terms before the work, not first in a reminder |
A few rules that keep customers.
- Always include the invoice. The number, the date, the amount and how to pay, so the customer can pay in one step without asking.
- A link to pay online gets money in faster than bank details alone, if your tool offers one.
- Assume a mistake first. "If you have already paid, thank you" costs nothing and keeps a good customer good.
- Never threaten what you will not do, and never name a late customer in public.
- Stop at once when they pay. A reminder for a paid invoice is the fastest way to lose a customer.
Where Neaion helps
- Overdue invoices noticed, from your invoicing tool or added by you
- A polite reminder in one of seven languages, on your press
- Your tool's own payment link in it, where there is one
- Never sent for an invoice your tool shows as paid
Reminders, without the awkward part.
Your office follows the invoices you issue in your invoicing tool, asks you in the morning about the ones that are overdue, and sends a fixed, polite reminder from your own mailbox when you press Remind: the invoice's number, date and amount, your own payment details, and the tool's payment page where it has one. It adds no interest or fee; if you want to claim them, write to the customer yourself. See how your office follows unpaid invoices.
Asked before you start.
When should I send the first payment reminder?
A few days after the due date, as a friendly note. Many late payments are simply forgotten invoices.
Can I charge interest on a late invoice?
Between businesses in the EU, yes: the law gives at least the reference rate plus 8 percentage points, and at least 40 euros for the trouble. With private customers the rules are stricter and differ by country.
Do I need to send a reminder before charging late interest?
Between businesses in the EU, interest is owed without a reminder once the payment is late. In the Netherlands, a private customer owes collection costs only after a free reminder giving 14 days to pay.
Should a reminder include a payment link?
If your invoicing tool gives one, yes: a customer who can pay in one click usually does.
Sources
The rules and dates on this page come from these sources, read on the day shown. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice: rules change and your case may differ, so ask your adviser before you rely on it. If something here is out of date, write to us at hello@neaion.com and we will correct it.
- Directive 2011/7/EU on combating late payment in commercial transactions, checked 16 October 2026
- § 286 BGB: default (Germany), checked 16 October 2026
- § 288 BGB: default interest and the 40 euro flat fee (Germany), checked 16 October 2026
- GOV.UK: Late commercial payments, charging interest, checked 16 October 2026
- GOV.UK: Late commercial payments, claiming debt recovery costs, checked 16 October 2026
- GOV.UK: Late commercial payments, payment terms, checked 16 October 2026
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 6, articles 6:96, 6:119a and 6:120 (Netherlands), checked 16 October 2026
- Ondernemersplein: payment terms, collection costs and statutory interest (Netherlands), checked 16 October 2026
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