Guides › Getting paid
Updated October 16, 2026 · About a 9-minute read
You did the work. Asking to get paid shouldn't feel like a second job. The good news is that most of the chasing can run on its own: a few well-timed, polite emails that go out whether or not you remember. This guide shows you how to set that up for a small business, step by step, and which tools can do it for you.
The short version: write three reminders (friendly, firm, final), put them on a schedule tied to the due date, state your late-fee terms before the work starts, and let your invoicing software or a dedicated tool send them. If you already use QuickBooks Online, start with its built-in reminders. They're included in your plan.
Automation doesn't replace a phone call to a good customer who's having a rough month. It handles the routine nudges so you only step in when a person really needs to.
There's no single right schedule, but this one is a sensible, polite starting point for most small businesses on 30-day terms. Adjust the gaps to fit your customers and your terms.
| When | Reminder | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days before the due date | Heads-up that it's coming due | Friendly |
| On the due date | Due today, with the payment link | Friendly |
| 7 days past due | It's overdue; please pay by a new date | Firm |
| 14 days past due | Second overdue notice; late fee applies per terms | Firm |
| 30+ days past due | Final notice and next steps | Final |
A few tips that make any schedule work better:
Copy these, swap in your details, and load them into your tool. Words in [brackets] are yours to fill in. They're also in our free Get Paid Kit as a printable PDF.
Send 3 days before, or on, the due date.
Subject: Quick reminder: invoice [#1234] due [date]
Hi [Name],
Hope things are going well. A friendly reminder that invoice [#1234] for [$amount] is due on [date]. You can pay here: [payment link]. I've attached a copy in case it's handy.
If it's already on its way, thank you, and please ignore this note.
Thanks, [Your name], [Business]
Send 7–14 days past due.
Subject: Invoice [#1234] is now [X] days past due
Hi [Name],
Invoice [#1234] for [$amount] was due on [date] and is now [X] days past due. Please send payment by [new date] using [payment link].
If something's holding it up, like a question about the work or a billing contact I should be talking to, just reply and we'll sort it out. Per our terms, a late fee of [rate] applies to balances unpaid after [date].
Thank you, [Your name], [Business] · [phone]
Send 30+ days past due.
Subject: Final notice: invoice [#1234], [$amount] past due
Hi [Name],
This is a final notice for invoice [#1234], [$amount] including [$late fee] in late fees, now [X] days past due. I've reached out on [dates] and haven't been able to resolve it.
Please pay in full by [date] at [payment link], or reply to set up a payment plan. If I don't hear from you by then, I'll [pause further work / refer the balance to collections / pursue other options available to me].
I'd much rather settle this together. [Your name], [Business] · [phone]
A late fee only works if the customer agreed to it before the work started. The basics:
Here's a plain-language example clause you can adapt:
Payment terms. Payment is due within [30] days of the invoice date. Balances not paid by the due date will incur a late fee of [1.5]% per month (or the maximum allowed by law, if lower) on the unpaid amount, starting [1] day after the due date. [Business] may pause work on accounts more than [30] days past due. Client agrees to pay reasonable costs of collecting overdue balances where permitted by law.
Not legal advice. This is an example, not a lawyer-reviewed contract. Check your state's rules or ask an attorney before you use it.
How we reviewed these: we worked only from each vendor's own pricing and feature pages as of October 16, 2026, and we link every one. We haven't tested these tools hands-on. Anything we couldn't confirm is marked [?]. Prices change, so check before you buy.
| Tool | Starts at | Free trial | SMS | Late fees | Human help |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks reminders | Included | — | No [?] | Payments AI suggests them | No |
| Paidnice | $69/mo | 20 free actions | $0.10 each | Yes | No |
| InvoiceSherpa | $49/mo + 1% | 14 days | Yes | [?] | No |
| Chaser | $259/mo | [?] | [?] | [?] | Care plan |
Reminders come with your subscription. Payments AI is on Essentials, Plus, and Advanced (US only). Listed prices are $19, $42.50, $70, and $170/mo. These look like promo rates, with regular prices of $38, $85, $140, and $340 [?] (plans). It sends up to three automatic email reminders. Payments AI suggests a schedule based on how each customer pays, drafts messages you can edit, and suggests late fees. Nothing goes out until you approve it (help). Setup is about 5 minutes: one toggle under Settings → Sales → Reminders (our estimate from the help steps).
Essentials is $69/mo (150 invoices, 600 emails, 2 users). Pro starts at $99/mo (300 invoices, unlimited users). SMS costs $0.10 each, and your first 20 actions are free with no card required (pricing). It connects to Xero, QuickBooks Online, and Stripe, and adds late fees and interest, early-payment discounts, statements, and a customer payment portal. A "Safe Mode" lets you test before anything goes out. The vendor says setup takes "under 15 minutes."
$49/mo (up to 100 open invoices), $99/mo (101–500), or $199/mo (unlimited). Annual billing brings those to $41, $83, or $166/mo. There's also a 1% transaction fee on invoices paid, waived if you process payments through Propelr. 14-day free trial, no card required (pricing). It offers unlimited email and SMS reminders from your own domain, autopay, installment plans, and reconciliation with QuickBooks Online and Xero. Run the numbers on that 1% first: if you collect $50K a month, it's another $500/month on top of the subscription.
Compact starts at $259/mo (£199) for businesses under $5M in revenue. Annual billing is about 10% cheaper ($233/mo). Core is $779/mo, and "Care" plans, which add a human AR specialist, start at $1,199/mo (pricing). Third-party reviews say it can chase by email, SMS, letter, and phone, but we couldn't confirm that on Chaser's own page [?]. It's the priciest option here and the only one with a done-for-you human layer.
All three templates and the late-fee clause as a printable PDF, plus one honest tool review every week. Free, unsubscribe anytime. Prefer to just read? See the kit or read Issue #1, where this guide started.
Bottom line: turn on QuickBooks' free reminders today. When you need late fees and escalation, move up to Paidnice. Bring in Chaser only once collections turns into a full-time job.
Write three reminder emails (friendly, firm, final), decide when each one goes out relative to the due date, and load them into your invoicing software's reminder feature or a dedicated tool like Paidnice or InvoiceSherpa. Include a payment link in every one, and pause reminders when a customer replies.
A common, polite pattern is a heads-up a few days before the due date, a note on the due date, then firmer reminders at about 7 and 14 days past due, and a final notice around 30 days past due. Adjust it to your payment terms.
Start friendly, assume good intent, make paying easy with a link, and invite questions. Save the firm language for later reminders, and call good long-time customers before sending a final notice.
Usually only if the customer agreed to it in advance, and the limits vary by state and customer type. Put your terms in writing before the work starts, and check your state's rules or ask an attorney. This isn't legal advice.
If you use QuickBooks Online, automatic reminders are included in your subscription. Paidnice offers 20 free actions to try it, and InvoiceSherpa has a 14-day free trial.
Disclosure: Some links may be affiliate links, so we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That never changes our take, and no vendor paid to be in this guide. See our affiliate disclosure.
