How to chase an overdue invoice

Most overdue invoices aren't refusals. The customer forgot, the invoice went to the wrong inbox, or their own cash is late. A short, friendly follow-up sequence collects most of them — here's one that works.

Why invoices go unpaid

They forgot. The most common reason by far.
The invoice never arrived. Wrong address, spam folder, or a bookkeeper who never saw it.
Their cash flow is tight. They're waiting on their own customers before they can pay you.
Something's wrong. A query or dispute they never got around to raising.

Each reason needs the same first step: ask. Politely, promptly, and in a way that makes it easy to answer.

A follow-up sequence that works

On the due date — email. A one-line reminder with the invoice attached again. Automate this in your accounting software.
7 days overdue — phone. Email is easy to ignore; a call is not. Most payment dates, disputes and "never got it" replies surface on this call.
14 days — email a statement and confirm whatever was agreed on the phone in writing.
21 days — call again. Refer to the earlier promise. Stay friendly; keep notes of every contact.
30+ days — decide. Stop further work, and consider the formal options below.

What to say on the call

The tone that collects is a check-in, not a demand:

"Hi, it's Sam from Harbour Electrical. Just checking in on invoice 1042 — it was due on the 14th and I haven't seen it come through. Has it landed with the right person? … No problem. When do you reckon it'll be paid?"

Get one concrete thing from every call: a payment date, a query to fix, or a request to resend the invoice. Write it down and follow it up.

If they still don't pay

Charge what your terms allow — late-payment interest or fees only work if they're in your terms of trade before the job.
Disputes Tribunal handles NZ claims up to $30,000 without lawyers, for a small filing fee.
Debt collection agencies take a cut but need no up-front work. Keep your contact notes — they'll ask.

Escalation costs money and goodwill. The follow-up sequence above is cheaper — the trick is doing it every time, for every invoice.

The hard part is the phone call

Everyone automates the emails; almost no one makes the calls. They're awkward, they take time, and they land in the middle of your working day. That's the step Gary automates: it connects to Xero, rings overdue customers in a friendly voice during business hours, and reports back what it found — a payment date, a dispute, or a request to resend. You approve each customer before any call goes out.