Guide
How to chase unpaid invoices
Most late payers are disorganised, not dishonest. A calm, steady process gets most invoices paid, and keeps the bigger steps for the few that need them.
Updated · General information, not legal advice. Check your contract, the official source and, if it matters, a lawyer.
Before it is late
The easiest invoice to chase is one that was clear in the first place. Send it the day the job is finished, with the due date, what it is for, and a way to pay on the spot. Business.gov.au points out that clear payment terms, set out on your quotes and invoices, help you avoid late payments and disputes.
How to get paid faster covers the habits that stop most invoices going overdue at all.
The steps, in order
Business.gov.au sets out a sensible order for chasing a debt. Here it is, with what each step looks like for a trade business.
- Check the terms. Look at what you agreed: the due date, how they were to pay, and anything about late payment. If it was agreed by phone, find the texts or emails that show it.
- Send a friendly reminder. A missed payment is often an oversight. Email the invoice again, with the pay link, the day after it falls due.
- Pick up the phone. Ask if there is a problem with the work or the invoice. Agree a new date, or a payment plan if they genuinely cannot pay it all at once, and confirm it in writing.
- Send a letter of demand. Say how much is owed, what for, and the date it must be paid by, and that you will consider further action if it is not. Only include late payment interest if your contract allowed for it.
- Get help resolving the dispute. The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has a dispute support tool and can point you to low-cost options such as mediation.
- Use a debt collector, or take legal action. Depending on the amount, that may mean a claim in your state or territory small claims tribunal or court. Get advice before you start.
Business.gov.au suggests sending a letter of demand by registered post with a signed proof of delivery, and addressing it to the owner of the business, who may not be the person you dealt with. Keep the proof in case you need it later.
Building and construction work
If you did construction work under a construction contract, your state or territory security of payment Act may give you a faster route: a payment claim, a deadline for the other side to respond with a payment schedule, and adjudication if they do not pay. The deadlines are short and strict. Progress claims and retention explains the basics.
Keep records as you go
Every step is easier with a record: the quote they accepted, the signed job sheet, photos of the finished work, every reminder and when it went. A customer who claims the work was never finished goes quiet when shown a signature and a photo.
What to have ready
- The accepted quote or written agreement
- Variations and who agreed them
- The signed job sheet or sign-off, with photos
- The invoice and every time it was sent
- Notes of calls: date, who, what was agreed
Wording that works
Keep reminders short and friendly, and make paying easy. For example, the day after the due date: "Hi Sam, just a reminder that invoice 1042 for the hot water service at 12 Wharf Rd was due yesterday. You can pay it by card from the link below. Thanks, Jo." If it is a week later, add a date: "Could you let me know when we can expect payment? If there is a problem with the work or the invoice, give me a call."
Stay professional
Keep it polite, even when it is not returned. Do not threaten, and do not ring at all hours. Debt collection has rules of its own, and business.gov.au points to the ACCC for them. A calm record of reasonable requests is also what a tribunal wants to see.
Doing it in the app
In Crewzy, overdue invoices show in red, and Home shows what you are owed with the oldest first. Turn on the automatic reminder under Settings, Business details, and each customer is emailed once when an invoice passes its due date, never repeatedly. Every email is recorded on the invoice, so the history is there if you need it. Email again sends it with a personal message. Customers pay by card from the invoice's link when you have connected Stripe. See Overdue invoices and reminders.
Sources
Official pages this guide relies on, read on 23 October 2026. Rules change; check them before you rely on anything here.