A practical invoice follow-up schedule you can copy

Start from a default, not a blank page

Most unpaid invoices are not unique problems. They are the same delay patterns: AP backlog, missing PO, or “we will pay next week.” A written schedule stops you from sending three friendly emails in one week, then silence for a month.

Standard cadence (project work, net-30)

Days are calendar days from the invoice due date, not from send date. Adjust if your clients always pay on day 28 of net-30.

Shorter cadence (due on receipt, under $5k)

How to customize per client without chaos

Tag chronic late payers with the shorter cadence on every new invoice. Give strategic accounts one extra week before reminder 2 if they always pay on day 32 but never miss. Document the rule in client notes so anyone on your team follows the same plan.

When you import a CSV of open invoices, apply the default schedule in bulk, then override the exceptions.

Rules that keep schedules healthy

• Stop all reminders the day payment is recorded
• Pause the schedule during disputes (do not just delete reminders from memory)
• Never send two steps on the same day unless the client asked for a combined notice
• Review the queue weekly so day-18 emails are not going to someone who paid yesterday

Automating the schedule

Manual calendars break when you have more than ten open invoices. Set day offsets once (for example +3, +10, +18), assign tone per step, and let sends trigger when each invoice hits that offset. You still handle disputes and phone escalations yourself.

The win is not “set and forget.” It is never waking up wondering which overdue invoices you forgot to nudge.