# The Dunning Email Sequence

Five emails, sent on a schedule, that collect an invoice while you sleep. Email is where most collection actually happens, because it is written proof, it reaches the person who cuts the checks, and it does not depend on catching anyone at their desk. The sequence below escalates the same way the call ladder does: warm at first, firm by the end, never angry.

Send these on a fixed cadence and let the schedule do the work. The worked example is Copperline Mechanical collecting **Westgate Retail, invoice #2051, $4,600**, for a compressor repair and a quarterly maintenance visit billed net-15. Copy each email, swap the five bracketed fields, and put the send dates on your calendar the day you invoice.

Two mechanical rules make emails collect. Put the dollar amount and the invoice number in the subject line, because that is what a busy accounts-payable person searches for. And attach the invoice again every single time, so "resend it" is never a reason to wait another week.

---

## Email 1 · Due date: the invoice, restated

**Send:** the day the invoice is due (day 0).
**Subject:** Invoice #2051 from Copperline Mechanical, $4,600, due today

> Hi [name],
>
> A quick note that invoice #2051 for $4,600 is due today. It covers the compressor repair and the quarterly maintenance visit on May 2. The invoice is attached again for convenience.
>
> If it is already scheduled to pay, thank you, you can ignore this. If you need a purchase-order number, a W-9, or anything else to process it, just reply and I will send it the same day.
>
> Thanks,
> Marta, Copperline Mechanical, 555-0148

## Email 2 · Day 10 past due: the friendly nudge

**Send:** 10 days after the due date.
**Subject:** Reminder: invoice #2051, $4,600, now past due

> Hi [name],
>
> Following up on invoice #2051 for $4,600, which was due on May 17 and is now 10 days past due. I wanted to make sure it did not get stuck in processing.
>
> Can you reply with the date it is scheduled to pay? If there is any question about the work or the amount, tell me and I will get it sorted today. Invoice attached again.
>
> Thanks,
> Marta, Copperline Mechanical

## Email 3 · Day 21 past due: request a firm date

**Send:** 21 days after the due date.
**Subject:** Action needed: invoice #2051, $4,600, 21 days past due

> Hi [name],
>
> Invoice #2051 for $4,600 is now 21 days past its net-15 due date, and I have not received a payment date from my last note. I need to get this resolved this week.
>
> Please reply today with the date the $4,600 will be paid. If the full amount is difficult right now, I would rather set up a short payment plan than let it keep aging, so let me know and we will arrange it. The invoice is attached.
>
> Thanks,
> Marta, Copperline Mechanical

## Email 4 · Day 35 past due: formal notice, terms applied

**Send:** 35 days after the due date.
**Subject:** Formal notice: invoice #2051, $4,600, past due 35 days

> Hi [name],
>
> This is a formal notice that invoice #2051 for $4,600 is 35 days past due. Under the payment terms printed on the invoice, a 1.5 percent monthly late charge now applies, which adds $69 to the balance so far.
>
> I also want to be direct about the next step: until this invoice is cleared, we are placing any further scheduled work for Westgate Retail on hold. I would prefer to keep working together, so please reply by Friday with either full payment or a signed payment plan. The invoice and the terms are attached.
>
> Regards,
> Marta, Copperline Mechanical

## Email 5 · Day 50 past due: final notice before collections

**Send:** 50 days after the due date. The owner sends this one.

**Subject:** Final notice before collections: invoice #2051, $4,600

> Hi [name],
>
> I am the owner of Copperline Mechanical, and I am writing personally about invoice #2051, which is now 50 days past due at $4,600 plus accrued late charges. This is the final notice before I turn the account over to a collection agency or my attorney, which I am prepared to do the week of July 13.
>
> I would rather resolve this directly. I can accept full payment of $4,600 by this Friday, or a signed payment plan, received by Wednesday, that clears the balance within 60 days. If I do not receive one of those, the account will be placed for collection, and I would like to avoid that outcome for both of us.
>
> Please call me directly at 555-0148 today.
>
> [Owner name], Copperline Mechanical

---

## Running the sequence

- **Set the dates when you invoice, not when it is late.** Put days 0, 10, 21, 35, and 50 on the calendar the moment invoice #2051 goes out. If it pays, cancel the rest; if it does not, the emails send themselves on schedule.
- **Never restart the clock for a broken promise.** If they say "next week" and next week comes empty, you resume at the next rung, you do not go back to a friendly nudge. One missed promise moves them up, never down.
- **Pair it with one phone call.** Email at day 0 and day 10, then call at day 15 if there is still no date. The paper trail plus one live voice collects far more than either alone.

The last email names a collection agency or an attorney, and that is the line where general education stops. Whether, when, and how you place an account for collection, file a lien, or sue is governed by your contract and your state's law, and it routes to a licensed attorney, not to a template. Send the first four emails on schedule and most invoices clear before the fifth is ever needed.
