01
Check the invoice
Confirm the amount, due date, customer details, PO number and payment instructions are correct before chasing.
Polar Credit Control
How to chase late payments without spending your life chasing customers.
Learn how to track overdue invoices, send professional payment reminders, build a simple credit-control process and know when an unpaid invoice needs more serious action.
Late invoice payments
An unpaid invoice is still your money — it just hasn’t reached the bank yet.
Late payments can quickly create a gap between the work a business has completed and the cash it actually has available.
The problem becomes harder when chasing relies on memory. One invoice is seven days late, another is twenty days late, one customer promised to pay Friday and another says they never received the invoice.
Good credit control gives that mess a system: invoice, due date, reminder, follow-up, escalation and payment.
Credit control isn’t about being aggressive. It’s about being consistent.
A professional customer can still receive a professional reminder.
How to chase an overdue invoice
A simple six-step late-payment process.
02
Confirm it was received
Make sure the invoice reached the correct person or accounts department.
03
Send a polite reminder
Reference the invoice number, amount and due date clearly.
04
Follow up consistently
Do not send one email and forget about it for another month.
05
Speak to the customer
A direct conversation can uncover disputes, missing paperwork or genuine payment problems.
06
Escalate where necessary
If normal reminders fail, consider the appropriate formal recovery steps for the debt.
Automatic invoice reminders
The big accounting platforms are all trying to automate the awkward bit.
Xero, QuickBooks, Chaser and Satago all place automated or scheduled payment reminders at the centre of their credit-control proposition. The reason is simple: consistent chasing is difficult when somebody has to remember every invoice manually.
A friendly upcoming-payment reminder can prevent an invoice becoming overdue in the first place.
Confirm that payment is now due and provide the relevant invoice and payment information again.
Increase the clarity of the message while keeping the tone professional.
A good system should know when the invoice has been settled so the customer is not chased for money already received.
Payment reminder wording
Professional does not have to mean timid.
Start friendly, then become increasingly clear as an invoice remains unpaid.
QuickBooks recommends proactive reminders and a structured process rather than waiting until the unpaid balance becomes a serious problem.
Upcoming due date
A quick reminder that invoice INV-001 for £500 is due on 22 August.
Just overdue
Our records show invoice INV-001 was due on 22 August and remains outstanding.
Further reminder
Please confirm when payment will be made or contact us if there is an issue with the invoice.
Escalation
Where repeated reminders have not resolved the matter, communicate the next formal step clearly and accurately.
What is credit control?
Credit control is bigger than sending reminder emails.
Dedicated competitors such as Chaser and Satago position credit control around visibility, payment behaviour, scheduled chasing and the wider accounts-receivable process — not just a single overdue email.
Know what is outstanding
See which invoices have not been paid and how much money is tied up in them.
Know how overdue they are
A customer one day late should not necessarily receive the same treatment as one sixty days late.
Know the customer history
Repeatedly late customers can create a very different commercial risk from reliable payers.
Late payment law UK
Business-to-business late payments can carry statutory rights.
GOV.UK says a business may be able to claim statutory interest and debt-recovery costs when another business pays late for goods or services.
The exact position depends on the transaction and any agreed contract, so check current official guidance before adding charges or beginning formal recovery action.
Preventing late payment
The easiest overdue invoice to chase is the one that never becomes overdue.
Clear commercial terms and good invoicing processes can reduce avoidable delays.
Competitor guidance from QuickBooks, Xero and Sage repeatedly comes back to the same basics: invoice promptly, make terms clear, make payment easy and follow up consistently.
1
Agree payment terms before starting the work.
2
Invoice as soon as the agreed billing point is reached.
3
Use a clear due date rather than vague wording.
4
Send invoices to the person who can actually approve payment.
5
Make payment as straightforward as possible.
6
Review outstanding invoices regularly instead of waiting for a cash crisis.
Credit-control mistakes
Five ways businesses make late payment harder to solve.
The older a debt becomes, the easier it is for it to disappear down the customer’s priority list.
A calendar full of mental reminders is not a reliable credit-control system.
Reference the invoice number, amount and due date so the customer knows exactly what needs resolving.
Find out who actually processes or approves invoices rather than repeatedly emailing somebody who cannot pay you.
Payment history and the age of the debt should influence how closely an account needs watching.
Polar Credit Control
Know what needs chasing before cash flow tells you the hard way.
Polar Credit Control connects your customers, invoices, due dates and payment status so overdue money becomes visible instead of disappearing into a spreadsheet or inbox.
See what needs action, follow up consistently and keep the payment journey connected to the wider Polar Accounts picture.
Late payment FAQs
Chasing overdue invoices: common questions.
How do I chase an overdue invoice?
First check the invoice is correct and was received by the right person. Then send a clear professional reminder referencing the invoice number, amount and due date. Continue following up consistently and escalate appropriately if payment remains outstanding.
When should I send an invoice reminder?
Some businesses send a friendly reminder before the due date, another when payment becomes due and further reminders after the invoice becomes overdue. The schedule should reflect your payment terms and customer relationships.
What is credit control?
Credit control is the process of managing money owed by customers, monitoring invoices and due dates, following up outstanding payments and controlling the risk associated with offering customers credit.
Can invoice reminders be automated?
Yes. Accounting and credit-control platforms including Xero, QuickBooks, Chaser and Satago offer automated or scheduled payment reminders for outstanding invoices.
When is a business invoice legally late in the UK?
GOV.UK says that if no payment date has been agreed, a qualifying commercial payment is generally late 30 days after the customer receives the invoice or the goods or services are supplied, whichever is later.
Can I charge interest on an overdue business invoice?
In qualifying business-to-business transactions, statutory interest may be available. GOV.UK currently states the statutory rate is 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, unless a different contractual rate applies. Check the current rules before charging it.
Can I charge debt recovery costs?
GOV.UK says fixed recovery costs may be claimed on qualifying late commercial payments. The amount depends on the value of the debt. Check the current official guidance before applying a charge.
What should I write in a payment reminder?
Keep it clear and professional. Include the invoice reference, amount outstanding, original due date and a request for payment or confirmation of when payment will be made.
How can I reduce late payments?
Agree payment terms in advance, invoice promptly, use clear due dates, make invoices accurate, offer practical payment methods and monitor outstanding invoices consistently.
What if a customer says they cannot pay?
Speak to the customer and establish the situation before deciding what to do next. Depending on the circumstances, that could involve an agreed payment arrangement, formal recovery steps or professional advice.
Invoice sent. Payment due. Polar keeps watch.
Don’t let completed work quietly become somebody else’s free credit.
Polar Credit Control helps turn outstanding invoices into visible actions so you know who owes you, what is overdue and what needs following up next.