Been juggling this for years and still can’t nail down the timing. Some clients respond better to Monday morning emails, others seem to ignore anything sent during busy periods.
Currently doing 7 days after the due date but wondering if that’s too soon or too late. The whole thing feels like guesswork sometimes.
Seven days is fine but I do three business days after the due date. Most people just forgot and a quick reminder gets them moving. If they ignore that one, then I wait a week and send another with firmer language. The key is being consistent about it, not the exact timing. I always call after the second email gets ignored because email is too easy to delete.
This covers the follow up process pretty well if you want to see how other people handle it.
I just call them after a few days. Email gets lost but nobody ignores a phone call.
I just send it when I remember honestly.
I follow up on Wednesdays, five days after the due date. Midweek is when most clients handle their admin tasks better than on Mondays when they are busy.
What matters more is being consistent. Sending reminders on the same day each week helps clients know what to expect and makes the whole process easier.
I do two weeks after the due date for the first follow up. Sounds long but hear me out.
Most invoices get paid within that window anyway, so you avoid annoying the clients who were already planning to pay. The ones who haven’t paid by then usually need the nudge.
My process looks like this:
Tuesdays work best for me. People are settled into their week but not overwhelmed yet.
The two week buffer has actually improved my client relationships. Nobody feels like I’m breathing down their neck, and when I do follow up, they take it seriously because they know I’m not just spam emailing every few days.