How are you handling invoice reminders without making client relationships awkward?
Curious how other freelancers handle late invoices: do you send reminders manually, keep a spreadsheet, or have a lightweight system?
I put together SoftDue, a small $9 reminder kit for freelancers. It’s intentionally simple: a repeatable cadence and copy you can adapt, rather than another heavyweight app.
I’m sharing the landing page in case the templates are useful: https://therealcpain.github.io/softdue-demo/?utm_source=indiehackers&utm_campaign=ev_iterate_0918
If you’ve found a better way—or have a reminder email that actually gets replies—I’d genuinely love to learn what works.
I reckon the useful part of the kit may be the decision tree, not only the email copy.
A late invoice can mean the client forgot, never received it, needs a purchase order, disputes the work, or genuinely cannot pay yet. Sending the same increasingly firm sequence to each case is where relationships can become awkward.
I’d make the first reminder diagnose the blockage, then branch the cadence: resend details, resolve the dispute, contact accounts payable, offer an agreed payment plan, or pause work. That gives freelancers a next action rather than ten different ways to say “please pay me.”
Have you tested which reminder gets clients to reveal why payment is late, rather than merely acknowledge the email?
The pain is clear, but the key test seems to be willingness to pay for the simplicity. Have any freelancers actually paid for SoftDue yet?
I keep it neutral: reminder at 1 day late, again at 7 days, then pause work. Include the invoice number, due date, and payment link—no apology or emotion. Setting the cadence before the invoice is late helps most.