Unpaid invoice: chasing a client step by step without damaging the relationship

An invoice unpaid at its due date is not unusual, and it is rarely a matter of bad faith: the client forgot, the accounting department is waiting for a document, or the transfer is held up internally. This guide shows you how to reduce these delays upstream, chase in stages without losing the client, keep your books straight as long as the money has not arrived, and when to move on to a formal notice.

Prevent before you chase

The best reminder is the one you never have to send. Four habits settle most delays before the invoice is even issued:

1. An accepted, signed quote. The quote describes the work, the price and the payment terms; the dated and signed "Approved" mention is your first piece of evidence if a dispute arises. See the guide on auto-entrepreneur quotes.
2. A due date written on the invoice. "Payment on receipt" or "Due: 30/09/2026": a precise date beats a vague formula. It is one of the details expected on an invoice, and it is what triggers your reminder sequence.
3. A deposit on long projects. A 30% deposit at order is a common practice, not a rule. It funds your work and reduces the balance at risk: on a 120,000 DZD website, a 36,000 DZD deposit collected on the day of the order brings the exposed amount down to 84,000 DZD.
4. Legible payment details. Full bank RIB or CCP number, account holder's name identical to the one on the invoice. A client who has to call you to find out where to send the money postpones the transfer.

Add one simple reflex: send the invoice the day the work is delivered, not three weeks later.

A graduated reminder sequence

The timings below are an example of organisation, not a legal rule. They are deliberately short: the older an invoice gets, the harder it becomes to recover. Adapt them to the type of client (a private individual reacts quickly; a large company has an approval circuit).

Two principles hold for the whole sequence. Each reminder assumes the previous one went unanswered: if the client replies "transfer in progress", note the announced date and chase again only once it has passed. The tone goes up one notch at each step, never two: jumping from a friendly reminder to a registered letter antagonises a client who had simply forgotten.

The phone call is often the most effective step. It complements the written record: it lets you find out whether the invoice was actually received, whether a document is missing, or whether the client has a cash-flow problem they do not dare put in writing. End the call with an e-mail summarising what was said and the date agreed.

The formal notice is the last amicable act: a dated letter, sent by registered mail, that recalls the invoice, the amount and the previous reminders, and requests payment within a deadline you set. Keep the acknowledgement of receipt with the file.

Three message templates

The templates use the example of Amine Kaci, a developer in Algiers, and his invoice FAC-2026-0024 addressed to Hydra Services SARL. Each message runs to a few lines, quotes the number, the amount and the due date, and attaches the PDF.

Friendly reminder, on the due date:

Subject: Invoice FAC-2026-0024 – due today

Dear Mrs Haddad,

Invoice FAC-2026-0024 of 31/08/2026, for 120,000.00 DZD, of which
36,000.00 DZD has already been received as a deposit, falls due today,
30/09/2026, for a balance of 84,000.00 DZD.

If the payment has already been sent, please disregard this message.
Otherwise, you will find the invoice and my bank details attached.

Kind regards,
Amine Kaci – Auto-entrepreneur, card no. 16-00123-24

First reminder, at D+7:

Subject: Reminder – invoice FAC-2026-0024 overdue since 30/09/2026

Dear Mrs Haddad,

Unless I am mistaken, the balance of invoice FAC-2026-0024
(84,000.00 DZD), due on 30/09/2026, has not yet been settled.

Could you confirm the date on which the transfer will be made,
or let me know if you are missing any document for processing?
I remain available for any questions.

Regards,
Amine Kaci – Auto-entrepreneur, card no. 16-00123-24

Second reminder, at D+15, before the formal notice:

Subject: Second reminder – invoice FAC-2026-0024 (84,000.00 DZD)

Mrs Haddad,

Despite my reminder of 30/09/2026 and my follow-up of 07/10/2026,
invoice FAC-2026-0024 remains unpaid to date.

I would ask you to settle the 84,000.00 DZD no later than
22/10/2026. Without payment or a reply by that date, I will have
no choice but to send a formal notice by registered mail.

I would much prefer a straightforward settlement: please do call me
if a payment schedule would help.

Regards,
Amine Kaci – Auto-entrepreneur, card no. 16-00123-24

In MyHissab, each reminder is sent by e-mail from the invoice or noted as a manual reminder (call, letter), which builds the history you will need if the matter goes further. The due date remains editable if you grant an extension.

Keeping track: invoiced, collected, IFU

An unpaid invoice is not income. As long as the money is not in your account, it is a receivable: it appears in your invoiced revenue, not in your collected revenue. Keeping both columns is the only way not to get it wrong:

• Invoiced revenue is the reference for the annual cap of 5,000,000 DZD for service activities. Invoice FAC-2026-0024 counts for 120,000 DZD there from the moment it is issued, paid or not.
• Collected revenue is your real cash position and the practical basis for your estimated IFU at 0.5%. On this invoice, only the 36,000 DZD deposit has been collected: 180 DZD of estimated IFU, not 600 DZD.

So do not pay IFU on uncollected sums merely in anticipation: the guide on the auto-entrepreneur's IFU details the method, and the declaration and payment arrangements remain those set by the DGI. When the payment arrives, record it on its actual date, with its method and reference; the guide on recording a payment shows how. MyHissab's dashboard shows precisely two separate gauges: one on collected revenue, the other on invoiced revenue.

If the invoice is never paid, it does not vanish from invoiced revenue: it is dealt with by a credit note or a cancellation, never by deletion.

Partial payment or payment schedule: when to accept

A client who offers to pay in two or three instalments is better than a client who does not pay. Accept a payment schedule when three conditions are met:

1. The total amount is not in dispute: the client is questioning their cash flow, not the work.
2. The dates are in writing: "42,000 DZD on 15/10/2026, 42,000 DZD on 15/11/2026", confirmed by e-mail on both sides.
3. The first instalment is immediate: a schedule that starts in a month's time is a reminder in disguise.

Each instalment is recorded as a partial payment on the same invoice, with its date and method; the invoice moves to paid status only at the last one. If an instalment is paid in cash, stamp duty is calculated on that part alone. Do not reissue an invoice per instalment: the receivable is one, and so is the invoice.

On the other hand, refuse a partial payment presented as "in full and final settlement" when the agreed amount has not been reached: collect it, then chase for the remainder, restating it in writing.

What not to do

• Threaten. An aggressive tone, repeated messages within the same day or a reminder posted on the client's public business account lose you the client and weaken your position. Stay factual: number, amount, date, next step.
• Edit the invoice. An issued invoice is never edited, even to "accommodate" a client: a discount granted to secure payment is formalised by a credit note, never by a retouched invoice.
• Reissue the invoice. A new invoice with a new number for the same work doubles your invoiced revenue and muddies the file. Resend the PDF of the original invoice, with its number.
• Delete the invoice or the quote. The signed quote, the invoice and the reminders make up the file; without them, you have nothing left to present.

If the amicable route fails

When the formal notice has no effect, recourse to the competent courts remains possible, with the documents you have assembled: signed quote, invoice, proof of delivery, reminder e-mails, registered letter and its acknowledgement of receipt. The rules of procedure and time limits depend on your situation: consult a legal professional before acting, and weigh the cost of the action against the amount at stake. If your client uses the MyHissab client portal, the messages exchanged on the invoice add to the file.

Common mistakes

1. Waiting a month before the first reminder. A reminder on the due date is normal; prolonged silence suggests the payment is not urgent.
2. Chasing without the invoice number. "My September invoice" forces the client to search; "FAC-2026-0024, 84,000.00 DZD, due 30/09" lets them pay in two minutes.
3. Counting the invoice as collected. It inflates the IFU estimate and distorts your cash position; the receipt is entered on the date the money arrives.
4. Negotiating by phone with no written record. Any agreement to defer or to schedule payments is confirmed by e-mail the same day.

Frequently asked questions

Should I add late-payment penalties to the invoice? This guide sets no rate or amount. If you wish to include a clause of this kind, have it validated by a legal professional and write it into the quote from the outset, never after the fact on an invoice already issued.

Does an unpaid invoice count towards my cap? Yes, as long as it is issued: the cap is tracked on invoiced revenue. It only comes out through a credit note or a justified cancellation, not because it was not paid.

What if the client disputes the work rather than paying? Go back to the signed quote and the delivery note. If something is genuinely missing, finish it or formalise a partial credit note; if nothing is missing, continue the reminder sequence, restating this in writing.