Which email to send, and when
The generator picks the stage from the number of days since the due date. Each one asks a more specific question than the one before, because most late invoices are stuck, not refused. Change the stage yourself if you have already sent one.
| Days overdue | What it asks | |
|---|---|---|
| Not yet due | Friendly heads-up | Is anything needed before it can be paid? |
| 1 to 6 | Did it arrive? | Is the invoice in your system, and when will it be paid? |
| 7 to 29 | Is anything missing? | Is a purchase order number or an approval holding it up? |
| 30 to 44 | To your contact | Can the person who commissioned the work find out where it is stuck? |
| 45 or more | Formal reminder | Pay by a date, with any charges your terms or the law allow |
Somewhere around day 14, phone instead. A two-minute call to accounts payable usually gets a definite answer that two emails did not. The "is anything missing" email then works as the written follow-up to what you were told.
Statutory interest and fixed sums
In the UK and the EU, a business that pays another business late can owe interest and a fixed sum even when the contract does not mention them. Neither applies to consumers, and a rate agreed in the contract generally takes the place of the statutory one.
| Interest | Fixed sum | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 8% a year above the Bank of England base rate, simple | £40 on a debt under £1,000, £70 up to £9,999.99, £100 on £10,000 or more | GOV.UK, s.5A of the 1998 Act |
| European Union | The reference rate plus at least 8 percentage points, simple | At least €40, set in national law | Directive 2011/7/EU, articles 2 and 6 |
The generator does not know today's rate. Both schemes add a margin to a central bank rate that changes, so any figure printed here would go out of date. In the UK the base rate that counts is the one in force on the 30 June or 31 December before interest starts to run, as the 2002 order that sets the rate puts it. Look it up and type the total. The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have no national scheme like these for business debts; some states and provinces have their own rules. There, choose "the rate in my payment terms" if your terms set one, or nothing if they do not.
What this generator does not do
- It is not legal advice. Whether you can claim interest or a fixed sum depends on your contract and where you and your client are. The formal reminder states a claim; making sure you are entitled to it is up to you.
- It does not send anything. It writes the email. You copy it, or open it in your own email app, and send it from there.
- It cannot attach the invoice. An email link can carry a subject and a body but not a file, so attach the PDF yourself before sending.
- It does not keep anything. Nothing is written to your browser's storage and nothing you type is sent to us.
Related
To work out interest over a different period, or compounded, use the late payment interest calculator. For a flat or monthly charge instead, use the late payment fee calculator. If a "supplier" is chasing you and something feels wrong, the invoice scam checker goes through the warning signs.
Once the money arrives, the payment received email generator writes the thank-you, and says what is left if only part was paid. If the formal reminder's date passes too, the final notice letter generator writes the last letter before a small claims court, a collection agency or a solicitor.
Last updated 30 September 2026