Invoice Not Paid After 30 Days: What to Do Next
Check the due date and the amount. Send a reminder with the invoice number, the amount, and how to pay. If the customer doesn't pay, send a final notice with a new pay-by date, a late fee if your terms included one, and what happens next. After that, a demand letter or small claims court.
Every step below works by phone, email, on paper, or in an app.
What to do
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Check the invoice
Look at the due date, the total, and who you sent it to. Days late count from the due date, not the day you sent it.
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Send a reminder
Email or call with the invoice number, the amount, the due date that passed, and how to pay.
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Ask why
A dispute about the work needs a different answer than a short-term cash problem. If you agree to a payment plan, put it in writing.
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Send a final notice with a new date
Set a new pay-by date and say what happens after it: a written demand, then small claims court.
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Add a late fee only if you agreed to one before the work
Put the fee in the invoice terms or contract before the work, not afterward. Late fee calculator
What comes after the notice
Stop work. If your contract allows it, hold any further work on the job until the invoice is paid.
Demand letter. A demand letter formally requests the money you are owed. In California, asking for the money is a step you must take before filing a small claims court case; a demand letter is one way to ask. Other states set their own rules.
Small claims court or a collection agency. In California, you can sue for up to $12,500, or up to $6,250 as a business. Other states set their own limits. A collection agency is another option if you don't want to go to court.
How long an invoice can go unpaid. There is a time limit to sue, and it depends on the state. In California, the deadline is 4 years for a written agreement or 2 years for a verbal one. Check your state court's website for yours.
The past-due notice to copy
Change the names, dates, and numbers to your own. Remove the late fee line if your invoice or contract did not include one.
Cedar Line Carpentry
418 Mill Street
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 555-0142
billing@cedarlinecarpentry.example
October 15, 2026
Marcus Bell
27 Orchard Lane
Asheville, NC 28803
PAST-DUE NOTICE
Invoice: INV-0142
Original due date: September 15, 2026
Days late: 30
Amount due: $1,240.00
Late fee (1.5% per month, 30 days): $18.60
Total now due: $1,258.60
Please pay by October 29, 2026.
How to pay: check to Cedar Line Carpentry, or bank transfer (call us for the details).
If there is a problem with the work, call us at (828) 555-0142 so we can make it right.
If we do not receive payment by October 29, 2026, we will send a written demand. If the balance is still unpaid after that, we will file in small claims court.
Make the next invoice on your phone
Paid: Invoice & Estimate Maker puts a clear due date and payment details on every invoice, on iPhone and iPad. First 6 documents free (invoices and estimates together) with every feature, then $4.99 once. No subscription.
Free documents print a small footer: "Created with Paid · pokkle.com/invoice-maker". The purchase removes it.
Paid does not track overdue invoices, send reminders, or calculate late fees.