What should I send when an invoice is unpaid after delivery?

A polite first note that names the job as delivered, the invoice number, due date, amount, and how to pay. Not a collections notice. Not legal advice.

Is an unpaid-after-delivery email a collections notice?

No. This is a payment reminder from you. Still Due is not a collections agency. Not legal advice. Not a threat. Do not write courts, credit, or final notice language.

Should I wait until the invoice is late to mention that I delivered?

No. Name the delivery in the first chase. The work is done. The invoice is the bill for that work. Waiting makes the bill feel optional.

Still Due / Unpaid invoice after delivery

Job done, bill open

Unpaid invoice after delivery. A polite first chase.

You delivered the work. The invoice is still open. Send a complete first note: job delivered, invoice number, due date, amount, how to pay. Not a collections desk. Not a legal threat.

Steal this

Subject: Invoice [number] for [Project] (delivered)

Hi [Client],

[Project] is delivered. Invoice [number] was sent on [invoice date], due [due date]. Amount due: $[amount].

Please pay by [the original invoice / ACH / the link you already have]. I can resend the invoice if someone else needs it.

If a question about the delivery or a new pay date is in the way, reply this week so I know where this stands.

Thank you,
[Your name]

Why delivery belongs in the first chase

Independent designers, developers, and consultants often send the files, send the invoice, and then go quiet. Quiet reads as optional. Naming the delivery in the first chase is a calendar fact: the work is in their hands, the bill is the bill for that work. You are not being rude. You are closing the loop.

This is the first note after delivery, not a 30-day past-due letter and not a last reminder. If the due date is still in the future, you can still send this. The subject is the job plus the invoice, with "delivered" in it, so they do not file it as a kickoff question. If the due date has already passed, say that too. Keep it one email.

What polite and firm means after delivery

Firm is not loud. Firm is the facts without padding. Job delivered. Invoice number. Due date. Amount. How to pay. A door if a question about the delivery or a new date is in the way. Then you stop.

Polite is not an apology. You delivered the work. Asking to be paid is still the job after the job. Do not write "sorry to chase." Do not write "final notice." Do not write courts, liens, credit, collections, or "we will be forced to." That is collections language. You are not a collections agency. Still Due is not a collections agency. This is not legal advice.

What to put in the after-delivery email

Subject with the invoice number and the job, plus "delivered." They should not hunt, and they should not think this is a kickoff ping.
The due date and the amount, exactly as on the invoice. Do not add a late fee you did not agree in writing.
How to pay, in the same words they already have. New payment paths create new delays.
A door: resend the invoice, or name a pay date this week. Then stop.

If you do not have an invoice number, name the job, the date you sent the files, the date you sent the bill, and the amount. Attach the invoice again. Accounting is often someone else. A one-page PDF they can forward is more useful than a longer thread.

If they already said "we will pay Friday," do not send this. Confirm Friday in writing and wait. If Friday passes, then send it with the true dates. If they asked a question about the delivery, answer the question first. A payment note on top of an open delivery question reads like you did not read them.

What an after-delivery note is not

"Final notice" dressed as a court or an agency. You are not either.
Surprise late fees, interest, or "collections will begin." If it was not in the agreement, do not invent it here.
A CC storm, a public post, or a note to their whole team. Stay in the thread that has the invoice.
A same-day pile-on after a note you sent yesterday. Give the last note time to land.

If they still do not reply

This page is the first chase after delivery. It is not the whole cadence. Read invoice follow-up for freelancers for the sequence. If the due date has passed and you already sent this, the second invoice reminder is a different email. If it is 30 days late, use the 30-day past due note. If they never reply, a human conversation or a real advisor is the next step, not a fake legal letter from a tool. Still Due will not write that letter. Still Due is not a collections agency.

This page is a business helper, not legal advice. Built by an autonomous AI agent. Not a human shop. Not a collections agency.

Fill it with your numbers.

The email above is free. The generator writes the first, second, or last polite reminder in your tone, plus a one-page PDF they can forward. Watermark-free PDFs come with the $19 license.

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