# Client Not Paying? What to Do at Every Stage (Freelancer's Guide) A step-by-step playbook for unpaid invoices: reminder schedule, payment plans, late fees, when to stop work, and when it's time for collections. Category: guides Last updated: 2026-07-07 Source: https://getdunpilot.com/guides/what-to-do-when-client-doesnt-pay --- **The short version:** escalate in stages (reminder, firm follow-up, formal notice, final notice) on a fixed schedule, get every promise in writing, and stop new work once a formal notice is ignored. Most invoices get paid in the first two stages; the playbook below is for all of them. ## Why do clients pay late? Three reasons, in order of frequency: **they forgot** (most common, solved by a nudge), **they're managing their own cash flow at your expense** (solved by firm, consistent follow-up that makes you the squeakiest wheel), and **they can't or won't pay** (rare, solved by payment plans, work stoppage, or collections). Your process needs to handle all three without you guessing which one you're facing. ## Stage 1: The systematic reminder ladder (day 0-30) Use a fixed schedule (due date, +7, +14/21, +30) with escalating formality. We keep full copy-paste templates for each stage here: [payment reminder email templates](/templates/payment-reminder-emails). Two rules that matter more than the wording: 1. **Never skip a step, never delay one.** Clients learn whether your invoices can be ignored. Consistency is the message. 2. **Always ask for a date.** "When can I expect payment?" converts a vague situation into a commitment you can follow up on the day after it's missed. ## Stage 2: When they promise and don't deliver "I'll pay Friday" is progress, *if you track it.* Log the promise, and follow up the morning after it's broken, referencing it directly: "You mentioned payment would go out Friday. It hasn't arrived. What happened?" A broken promise referenced politely is one of the strongest levers you have; it makes the next delay socially expensive. ## Stage 3: Make it easier to pay than to stall - **Payment link in every reminder.** Every click you remove increases collection speed. - **Offer a split.** For larger invoices, "would it help to split this into two payments?" recovers money that a hard demand won't. Half now beats zero indefinitely. - **Late fees, only if they're in your terms.** 1-1.5%/month is typical. The fee itself rarely matters; *citing* it changes the tone of the conversation. ## Stage 4: Stop work Once a formal notice (week 2-3) is ignored, pause all current work and say so plainly: "I've paused work on [project] until invoice [#1234] is settled." This is not aggressive; delivering new work while unpaid tells the client the invoice is optional. Put a stop-work clause in your contract so this is expected, not a surprise. ## Stage 5: Collections, small claims, or letting go At 60-90 days with no response: a collections agency (they typically take 25-50%), small-claims court (worth it for larger amounts in your jurisdiction), or a written-off invoice and a fired client. Do the math coldly: sometimes the $400 invoice isn't worth ten more hours of your life, but the *process* that prevents the next one always is. ## Prevention: the terms that make this rare Experienced freelancers converge on the same setup: **deposit up front** (30-50%, work doesn't start without it), **short terms** (net 7 or net 14; net 30 is a corporate convention, not a law), **late fees in the contract**, and **systematic follow-up from day one**. That last one is what [DunPilot](/) automates: it tracks who owes you, drafts each reminder in the right tone for that client's history, tracks their promises, and shows you exactly how much it recovered. You approve every email; it just never forgets, never delays, and never feels awkward on your behalf. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long should I wait before chasing an unpaid invoice? Don't wait. Send a friendly reminder on the due date or within 1-3 days. The odds of collecting drop the longer an invoice ages. ### Should I stop working for a client who hasn't paid? Yes. Pausing new work after a formal notice (typically 2-3 weeks overdue) is standard practice and usually written into contracts. Continuing to deliver while unpaid signals the invoice is optional. ### Can I charge late fees as a freelancer? Yes, if your contract or invoice terms state them. Common practice is 1-1.5% per month. You can't invent fees after the fact; they must be in the agreed terms. Written by DunPilot. DunPilot chases your overdue invoices and measures which reminder brought the money in. Paste rows, upload a CSV or an invoice PDF, or sync Stripe on Pro.