A late invoice is a sequence you walk. Six rungs, and the words for each one.
Chasing feels personal because you improvise it every time. Fourteen pages: six rungs counted from the due date, the channel and the opening line for each, what changes on the record, and the condition that moves you to the next rung. The three decisions taken before the invoice goes out have a section of their own.
Syncek does not send invoices, take payments, or connect to your accounting tool. What it holds is the client record and the board the chase runs on. Any stage-based object becomes a Kanban pipeline with time-in-stage on every card, plus date fields, an owner field, sortable columns, and saved views, so the rung an account sits on is visible instead of remembered. 15-day Business trial, no card. CSV or JSON export anytime, including after you cancel.
Six rungs, counted from the due date. Fourteen pages.
| Rung · days past due | The move, and what changes on the record |
|---|---|
| 01Dueday 0 | Nothing. A due date passing is not an event yet.Record: status due. Exit: paid. |
| 02Nudge+3 days | Reply on the invoice thread. Assume an oversight, restate the amount, ask for the date they will pay.Record: status nudged, promised-pay date. Exit: a payment or a date. |
| 03Call+10 days | Phone, not email. Ask for a date, not for the money. Put the date in writing the same day.Record: status called, promised-pay date, named owner. Exit: a date in writing. |
| 04Formal notice+21 days | Written, copied to whoever signs. The terms, the amount, the days overdue, the date work pauses.Record: status formal notice, amount at risk. Exit: payment or a written plan. |
| 05Pause+30 days | Work stops. Say it calmly, in writing, and say exactly what restarts it.Record: status paused, delivery blocked. Exit: payment or termination. |
| 06Decide+45 days | Payment plan, write off, or hand to collection. Not deciding is the expensive option.Record: the outcome, flagged permanently on the account. Exit: closed. |
Questions about chasing a late invoice
What do I do when a client will not pay an invoice?
Walk six rungs, counted from the due date rather than the send date. Day 0 is Due, and nothing happens yet. Day 3 is a Nudge on the original invoice thread. Day 10 is a Call. Day 21 is a Formal notice in writing, copied to whoever signs. Day 30 is a Pause, where delivery stops. Day 45 is Decide: a written payment plan, a write-off, or collection. Each rung has an exit condition, so the calendar decides when you move rather than your mood.
How long should I wait before chasing an unpaid invoice?
Three days after the due date. A nudge that early reads as an oversight check rather than a complaint, which is the tone you want on the first contact. Wait two weeks and the first message gets heavier than it needs to be, because by then you are annoyed and the client can hear it.
What should the first payment reminder say?
Reply on the original invoice email thread so the context is already in the message. Assume an oversight, and do not apologise for writing. Restate the amount and the due date, attach the invoice again, and ask them to confirm the date they will pay. That last question is the point of the message: you are collecting a date, not applying pressure.
Should I stop work when a client has not paid?
Yes, at day 30, and only if the stop-work point was named in the terms at signature. Stated calmly and in writing, with what restarts it, a pause is a business term. Improvised at day 30 in frustration, the same message reads as an ultimatum. That is why the stop-work point is one of the three decisions taken before the invoice ever goes out.
Which field should I keep that most people do not?
The promised-pay date: the date the client themselves named. Most operators record what they sent. Almost nobody records what the client answered. A date written down turns the next contact from nagging into following up on something agreed, and it gives that contact its opening line.
Is the chase card free?
Yes. Fourteen A4 pages, sent as a PDF in exchange for an email address, in English, Spanish, German and Portuguese. It is vendor-neutral and works on paper, in a spreadsheet, or in any CRM. No phone call and no drip sequence.
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