How to get paid faster on invoices: 7 practical tips

General information, not legal or financial advice. Practical tips for small businesses that invoice other businesses. Your contracts and situation may differ.

Late payments are common. In Intuit QuickBooks' 2025 US Late Payments Report, a survey of 2,487 US businesses with 0 to 100 employees, 56% said they were owed money on unpaid invoices, averaging $17.5K, and 47% had invoices more than 30 days overdue (QuickBooks, 2025). In a 2023 QuickBooks UK survey, the most common reason an invoice went unpaid was simply that the customer forgot (23%) (QuickBooks UK). That's good news: a lot of late payment is fixable with clear invoices and steady, polite reminders.

1. Agree on terms before the work starts

Put your payment terms (for example, "due in 15 days") in your quote or contract and get a yes before you start. Surprises at invoice time are what cause disputes.

2. Invoice right away, and make it easy to read

Send the invoice the day the work is done. Include the invoice number, what was delivered, the amount, the due date, and who to contact with questions. Send it to the person who actually pays bills (often accounts payable), not just your project contact.

3. Give them a one-click way to pay

If your accounting software supports online payment, turn it on so the invoice has a pay link. QuickBooks Online can include one on emailed invoices. Every extra step (mailing a check, logging in to a portal) is a reason to put it off.

4. Remind on a schedule, not when you remember

A simple schedule works: a friendly note a few days after the due date, a firmer check-in after a week or two, and a final follow-up after 30 days. QuickBooks Online has built-in automatic email reminders on most paid plans, so start there if you haven't turned them on.

5. Keep every message polite and factual

Stay professional: state the invoice number, amount, and due date, and ask when you can expect payment. Don't threaten, don't add fees your contract doesn't allow, and don't say things that aren't true. If the debt is a consumer debt (an individual, for personal or household purposes), Florida's Consumer Collection Practices Act (section 559.72, Florida Statutes) limits how and when you can contact people, so be extra careful.

6. Ask if something is wrong, and offer a plan

Sometimes the invoice is stuck because of a question, a missing PO number, or a cash crunch. Asking "is there anything we need to fix?" or offering a payment plan often gets money moving faster than pushing harder.

7. Look at your overdue list every week

Pick a time each week to run your accounts receivable aging report and follow up. Oldest and largest first.

Want help with the reminders?

A bot can draft reminders for you: try the invoice follow-up bot job with a copy-paste prompt. Or join early access for BotFit Get Paid, which reads overdue invoices from QuickBooks Online and drafts polite reminders that you approve before anything goes out.