Unpaid invoice follow-up Get paid
without losing the client.

The schedule

Always include the invoice number, the amount, the due date and the payment link. The easier it is to pay, the faster it happens.

Three email templates to copy

Replace the words in brackets, then send.

Hello [first name],

A quick reminder: invoice [number] for [amount], due on [date], does not show as paid on my side yet. You can pay it here: [payment link].

If the payment is already on its way, please ignore this message — and thank you!

[Your name]

Hello [first name],

Invoice [number] for [amount] is now 15 days overdue. Could you confirm when you plan to pay it? If something is holding it up — an error on the invoice, a need for a payment plan — let me know and I will gladly work out a solution with you.

Payment link: [payment link]

[Your name]

Hello [first name],

Despite my two reminders, invoice [number] for [amount] is still unpaid 30 days after its due date. I ask you to pay it by [date, e.g. in 10 days]. Without payment or an agreement by then, I will move to the next step: a formal demand in writing.

Payment link: [payment link]

[Your name]

After the last reminder

1. Call

An email is easy to ignore; a call often unblocks things — a lost invoice, a cash-flow problem, a dispute about the work. Write down what was agreed and confirm it by email.

2. The formal demand

The formal demand officially puts the client "in default". The Civil Code provides for it in article 1594, and sets its form in article 1595:

An extrajudicial demand by which a creditor puts his debtor in default must be made in writing. The demand must allow the debtor sufficient time for performance, having regard to the nature of the obligation and the circumstances; otherwise the debtor may perform the obligation within a reasonable time after the demand. Civil Code of Québec, art. 1595

From the date of default, the client owes interest on the late amount:

Damages which result from delay in the performance of an obligation to pay a sum of money consist of interest at the agreed rate or, in the absence of any agreement, at the legal rate. The creditor is entitled to the damages from the date of default without having to prove that he has suffered any injury. Civil Code of Québec, art. 1617

In practice, a formal demand states the amount owed, the invoices concerned, the deadline to pay, and what you will do otherwise. It is a step with legal weight: take it deliberately.

3. Small claims

If the formal demand changes nothing, the Small Claims Division of the Court of Québec handles claims of $15,000 or less, excluding interest. A business can use it only if it had at most 10 employees under an employment contract at any time during the 12 months before the application (Code of Civil Procedure, art. 536).

Preventing late payments

• Write your payment terms on the quote and the invoice: due date, accepted methods, late-payment interest rate.
• Ask for a deposit when the quote is signed, especially for large jobs.
• Invoice right after the work, while it is fresh in the client's mind.
• Put a payment link on the invoice: card or Interac transfer, in two clicks.

What CRM PME does for you

• When automatic reminders are turned on in your settings, the three reminders go out on their own at day 7, 15 and 30 after the due date, for every invoice that is sent, partially paid or overdue.
• Each reminder is an email to the client, with the card payment button or your payment instructions, plus a task in your list.
• As soon as the invoice is paid, the reminders stop.
• The formal demand is never sent automatically: it stays your decision. You send it from the invoice, after a confirmation that shows the recipient, the balance and the days overdue — once only.

See payment reminders in CRM PME

Questions

Sources

• Civil Code of Québec, art. 1594, 1595 and 1617 — LégisQuébec
• Code of Civil Procedure, art. 536 — LégisQuébec

Articles quoted from the official text, checked on October 14, 2026.