Dealing with a client who’s 45 days overdue on a big project has me feeling uneasy. I’ve sent gentle reminders, but nothing back.
It’s tough seeing my account and feeling that knot in my stomach. I want to follow up effectively without damaging our relationship, especially in this tight-knit industry.
Just show up and ask. It works.
Send one final email with a hard deadline and consequences. Tell them payment’s due by X date or it goes to collections.
After 45 days, they’ve shown they don’t care about the relationship. Now it’s about protecting yourself.
No response? Follow through. Empty threats just make you look weak.
45 days? Forget gentle reminders - time to get serious.
Here’s my approach:
Don’t stress about the relationship. Anyone who stiffs you for 45 days doesn’t respect you anyway. Being professional doesn’t mean being a doormat.
If calling fails, send a demand letter. Most people pay once they see you’re not backing down.
I was in this exact spot last year with a client who owed me $3,200. Here’s what worked:
Sent a short email saying I needed to discuss their account and asked when they could talk. Didn’t mention overdue or late fees - just “need to discuss your account.”
They called back within hours. Turns out they were waiting for their own client to pay them first. We set up a payment plan on the spot.
People avoid you when they’re embarrassed or stressed about money. Making it feel like business instead of confrontation opens things up.
If that doesn’t work after a week, then yeah, time for hard deadlines like everyone else said. But this softer approach first has saved me client relationships that were actually worth keeping.
Just had this happen last month. Sometimes they forgot, sometimes they’re broke. Either way, phone call works better than emails.
Stop work now and send a FINAL NOTICE invoice with clear payment terms. Give them 10 business days, tops. Add any late fees you can legally charge. After the deadline, file a lien or send to collections. Clients who ignore you for 45 days are usually broke. Don’t keep working and lose even more money.