---
name: late-invoice-chaser
description: "Chase an overdue invoice and actually get paid — a firm-but-friendly escalation ladder that protects the client relationship until it's clear the relationship is the problem. Use when asked to chase an unpaid invoice, my client hasn't paid, write a payment reminder, or how do I get a late-paying client to pay. Produces a staged sequence of messages (gentle nudge → firm reminder → final notice → next steps) timed to the overdue days, with late-fee and work-pause options and a note on what to keep for the record."
---

# Late-Invoice Chaser

Freelancers and small businesses lose more to unpaid invoices than to bad pricing — and the reason is usually awkwardness, not the client's cash flow. A calm, escalating sequence removes the awkwardness: each message is warmer than you feel and firmer than the last, so you get paid without torching a good client — and you have a clean paper trail if it comes to that.

## What This Skill Produces

- **The staged sequence** — 4 messages tuned to how overdue it is: friendly nudge → firm reminder → final notice → next-steps letter
- **The timing plan** — when to send each, based on your terms and days overdue
- **The levers** — when to mention late fees / interest (if your terms allow), pausing work, or withholding deliverables — and how to phrase them without a threat
- **The record note** — what to keep (invoice, terms, delivery proof, every message) in case it goes to a formal demand or small claims

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The invoice** — amount, invoice date, due date / payment terms, and how overdue it is now
- **The relationship** — long-standing good client, new client, or already rocky
- **Your terms** — do they allow late fees/interest? Is more work in flight you could pause?
- **What's happened so far** — any replies, promises, or silence
- **Your goal** — keep the client and get paid, or get paid and move on

## Framework: Warm, Then Firm, Then Formal

1. **Assume the best first.** The opening nudge treats it as an oversight — most late payments are. A friendly "just floating this to the top of your inbox" often works alone.
2. **Escalate tone on a schedule, not on emotion.** Each step gets firmer and more specific (invoice #, amount, days overdue, a clear pay-by date) — driven by the calendar, not by how annoyed you are.
3. **Make paying the easy path.** Re-attach the invoice, restate the amount and methods, and give a specific new due date in every message. Remove every reason to delay.
4. **Introduce consequences factually.** Late fees (only if your terms allow), pausing active work, or holding final files — stated as policy, not punishment: "per our terms, invoices 30 days overdue accrue…".
5. **Keep the record clean.** Save the invoice, the agreed terms, proof the work was delivered, and every message. If it reaches a formal demand or small claims, this is your case.

## Output Format

### Chasing: invoice [#] · [amount] · due [date] · [N days overdue] · [relationship]

**Send schedule**
| When | Step | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| Due +1–3 | Gentle nudge | Assume oversight |
| Due +7–10 | Firm reminder | Clear, specific pay-by |
| Due +14–21 | Final notice | Consequences named |
| Due +30 | Next steps | Formal, factual |

**1 · Gentle nudge**
> [Warm one-liner, invoice re-attached, amount + new pay-by]

**2 · Firm reminder**
> [Invoice #, amount, days overdue, specific date, payment methods]

**3 · Final notice**
> [Clear pay-by, the lever: late fee / paused work / held deliverables — as policy]

**4 · Next steps**
> [Factual: what happens next — formal demand / small claims / collections — with a final chance to resolve]

**Keep for the record:** invoice · signed terms/agreement · delivery proof · every message + reply.

## Quality Checks
- [ ] The first message assumes good faith and is genuinely friendly
- [ ] Each step is firmer and includes invoice #, amount, and a specific new pay-by date
- [ ] Late fees are only invoked if the stated terms allow them
- [ ] Consequences are phrased as policy, not threats
- [ ] Timing is tied to days overdue, not emotion
- [ ] A record-keeping note is included for the formal path

## Anti-Patterns
- **Opening angry** — a hostile first nudge burns a client who simply forgot.
- **Vague reminders** with no invoice #, amount, or date — easy to ignore.
- **Empty threats** — mentioning small claims you won't pursue weakens every future message.
- **Inventing late fees** your contract never specified.
- **No paper trail** — chasing by phone only, with nothing saved for a formal claim.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "A client is 3 weeks late on a £2,000 invoice — write me the reminders."
- "How do I chase an unpaid invoice without losing the client?"
- "They keep promising to pay and don't. What's my next message?"
- "Invoice is 45 days overdue and they've gone silent — what now?"
- "Write a firm final notice before I take this to small claims."