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Outstanding invoice template for Accounting

chasing invoices can be a real challenge no one likes to chase but for the sake of your business someone has to do it but how this is how to chase an outstanding invoice following up on late payments can feel like a wild goose chase so let's start by understanding the field of play over half of invoices will go past their due date knowing that baseline can help you react appropriately to different late payment situations so say you have an invoice that is due for payment it's time to begin the chase the first and least daunting way to prompt your customer is by email a polite written reminder quoting the invoice number saying when it was due and asking when you can expect payment might be all it needs to get it over the line attach the original invoice for even more clarity two it may seem old-fashioned but one of the most effective ways to secure payment is to follow up with a phone call it can feel awkward but it's awkward for the customer too that's why it works if the customer disputes an aspect of the invoice try organizing payment for the rest of the invoice excluding the disputed items it's a good idea to take notes here so you can keep track of what they've committed to and if it's still late don't be afraid to call again and three get accounting software that automates this process for you the invoicing system will keep track of all your invoices and bank deposits so it knows which ones are still outstanding pre-written emails will be automatically sent to remind your customer when payment is due if you're interested in accounting software for your business there will be a link in the description to get you started a pro tip for late payments is to put a late payment policy in place before you start doing business now this might not be allowed in some regions or when dealing with certain businesses so check with your professional advisors if you're unsure so worst case scenario what if the customer just doesn't end up paying you while you could try a few different things 1. agree and payment plan this may be needed if the customer is low on cash figure out what the customer can afford across what period of time and make sure you keep track of what payment is going towards which invoice two stop supplying the customer doing this can signify the end of the business to customer relationship so make sure you can live with that at the end of the day non-paying customers are bad for business three debt collectors these serious individuals have a knack of getting overdue invoices paid but they may require over 25 of the money as payment four a lawyer's letter getting a lawyer involved can feel like a final result but you may have to threaten legal proceedings to get a result a lawyer's letter not only details all of the required elements but shows them you're serious about collecting the debt it can be extremely effective in recovery payment without actually having to go to court but what happens if you've tried all these options and still no luck unfortunately you may be left with an unpaid invoice from time to time if that's the case you'll need to write it off as bad debt and move on so that's the art of the chase it's not fun and it can feel like a mix of good cop bad cop but the key is that it's all about doing what's right for your business if you're after more invoicing content we've got you sorted with another great explainer this and much more right here give us a like comment with any questions and subscribe