Awkward moments
Avoid late payments with SMS invoices
Late payment shrinks when the due date is visible in the SMS and the reminder stays in that same thread.
Make the due date impossible to miss
Most late payments on small jobs are not a refusal. They are an invoice that never became a date in someone’s head. The SMS should contain the date or the terms, not only a link. When the date passes, one reply in the same thread is the reminder. Do not send a new invoice for the same work. A second invoice looks like a second charge and gives them a reason to pause. If you use a late fee, it has to be on the original invoice or in the quote. Adding it for the first time in an annoyed text is how the relationship ends.
Invoice for the strategy session, due in 14 days. I’ll reply in this thread if it’s still open after that: https://invoicetxt.com/i/your-link
Put the terms in the first bubble
“Due in 14 days” is a date they can picture. “See invoice” is not.
Remind once, in the same SMS thread
New channels feel like escalation. Sometimes you need that. You do not need it on day one.
Do not duplicate the invoice
The reminder carries the same link.
Mark paid the day it arrives
Late-payment reports lie if paid invoices stay open.
What to put on this invoice
- A due date written in the SMS
- One reminder after that date
- The original link, not a new bill
- A late fee only if it was agreed earlier
Questions about this job
How many reminders are reasonable?
One at the due date and one a few days later is a chase. A daily text is harassment. Stop and call, or stop and write it off.
What if they dispute one line?
Answer the line. Do not resend the total as if they did not ask.
Does an SMS invoice change my legal terms?
No. Your quote or contract still sets the terms. The SMS is how you present them. This is not legal advice.
A due date people can see is the cheapest late-payment system you can run.
Related guides
Simple invoice for cash jobs
Cash jobs still need an invoice. Text the link, take the cash, and mark the invoice paid so the cash has a record.
Open guide →Professional invoice for walk-in customers
A walk-in has no account and no history with you. Text them a complete invoice anyway: your name, the work, the total, the due date.
Open guide →Invoice when Wi-Fi is bad
Draft the invoice line in your notes while the signal is poor. Send the link when a connection returns. Do not rebuild the job from memory later.
Open guide →