Client hasn't paid in 60 days: what to send

By FreelanceCFO. Reviewed 24 September 2026.

Short answer

Send one short, specific message today that names the invoice, the amount, the original due date, and asks for a payment date this week. If that gets no answer in 7 days, send a final notice with a deadline and what happens after it, and pause new work until you are paid.

At 60 days, a friendly reminder has usually already failed. The goal now is not to sound nicer, it is to make the next step obvious for the person who can actually release the money. Most late payments are process problems (the invoice is sitting in someone's inbox, or the approver left) rather than a decision not to pay, so the first job is to find out which one you have.

Before you send anything

  • Check the invoice is payable. Right legal name for the client, a PO number if they use them, your payment details, the due date.
  • Find the right person. If your contact has gone quiet, ask them who handles payables, or look for an accounts payable address on their past emails.
  • Know your number. Late invoices change how long your cash lasts. Take the unpaid amount out of your plans until it arrives and see what that does to your runway.

Message 1: today

Subject: Invoice [number] for $[amount], now 60 days past due
    
    Hi [name],
    
    Invoice [number] for $[amount] was due on [date] and is now 60 days past due. I have attached it again.
    
    Could you confirm a payment date this week? If it is waiting on something from me, such as a PO number or a different billing address, tell me and I will send it today.
    
    If someone else handles payments, could you copy them in?
    
    Thanks,
    [your name]

It is short on purpose. It states facts, removes any excuse that is on your side, and asks for one specific thing: a date.

Message 2: 7 days later, if nothing

Subject: Final notice: invoice [number], $[amount]
    
    Hi [name],
    
    I have not heard back about invoice [number] for $[amount], due [date], now [N] days past due.
    
    Please pay by [date, 7 to 10 days out]. I have paused work on [project] until the balance is cleared, and I will pick it back up as soon as it is.
    
    If payment is not received by then, I will [charge the late fee in our agreement / file a claim / pass this to a collections service].
    
    [your name]

Only name a consequence you will actually follow through on. A threat you do not act on teaches the client that deadlines are optional.

Message 3: a phone call

If two emails get no reply, call. Ask one question: "When will invoice [number] be paid?" and write down the answer and the name of the person who gave it. Then confirm it in an email the same day.

Your options after that

  • Late fee. Charge it only if your contract or invoice terms included one.
  • Small claims court. Every state has one, the limit on how much you can claim varies by state, and you usually do not need a lawyer. Check your state court's website for the limit and filing fee.
  • New York freelancers. Under the Freelance Isn't Free Act, a client must pay on the date in your contract, or within 30 days of you finishing the work if there is no date. You can file a complaint, and the law allows double damages for late payment. New York State passed a statewide version as well.
  • Collections. An agency usually takes a percentage of what it recovers. Worth it for large invoices from clients you will not work with again.

Stop it happening again

  • Take a deposit, often 30% to 50%, before starting new work with a client.
  • Put a payment date, not just "net 30", and a late fee in writing.
  • Send a short reminder 3 days before the due date, not after it.
  • Track which clients pay late. The one who pays in 70 days costs you more than their rate suggests.

FreelanceCFO tracks this for you: runway, quarterly tax set-aside and who owes you money, on one screen. Free to start, no credit card.

Start free

FreelanceCFO shows every unpaid invoice and how late it is. Lance, the assistant inside it, can draft the follow-up for you in an editor you control. It never sends anything by itself.

Sources

Checked on 24 September 2026. Prices and features change, so follow the link before you rely on any of them.

Questions answered.

How do you politely ask a client for overdue payment?

Be specific rather than apologetic. Name the invoice number, the amount and the original due date, re-attach the invoice, and ask for a payment date this week. Offer to fix anything missing on your side, like a PO number, so there is no reason left to wait.

Should I keep working for a client who has not paid in 60 days?

Pause new work until the balance is paid, and tell them so in writing. Finishing more work for a client who is two months late increases what you are owed without making payment more likely.

Can I charge a late fee on an overdue invoice?

Generally only if your contract or invoice terms included one before the work started. Adding a fee afterwards is hard to enforce. Put a late fee in your terms for future work.

What can a freelancer do if a client never pays?

Send a final notice with a deadline, then consider small claims court, which every state has and which usually does not need a lawyer, or a collections agency. In New York, the Freelance Isn't Free Act gives freelancers the right to timely payment and a complaint process.