Skip to content
BizBinder
Early access open Get early access

Popular in the binder

Can’t find it? Tell us what you were after →

Templates

Invoicing catch-up scripts, for clearing a backlog

Six messages for a job that finished a while ago and was never invoiced. Send a plain late invoice or a statement that covers several jobs. Check extras before you bill them. Ask for a missing detail, and confirm sign-off. Tell a client the invoice is on its way when it is already late. Fill in your details once at the top of this page, and every script below updates.

A job that finished weeks ago and was never invoiced puts you in an odd spot. The work is real. You usually still know the number. The only thing between you and payment is a message you have been putting off. None of these six scripts apologize for the delay. They state the work and the number plainly. Then they move straight to getting the invoice out.

They cover the whole shape of a backlog. Send a single late invoice. Bundle several jobs into one statement for a repeat client. Confirm an extra before you bill it. Ask for a detail you never recorded. Confirm a job is signed off, so the client does not dispute the invoice. Tell a client an invoice is on its way when you know it is overdue. Fill in your details once at the top of this page, and every script below updates to match.

Scripts

Script 01 · Sending a late invoice for a finished job

Email

Subject: Invoice [Invoice #] for the work on [the date the work finished]

Hi [Client name], Invoice [Invoice #] for [Amount], for the work completed on [the date the work finished], is attached. Sorry this is later than it should have been — let me know if you have any questions, and it’s due [Due date]. Thanks, [Your name]

Why it works A short, plain line names the work and the date it happened. The invoice then has something concrete to point at. A vague, unexplained gap since the job does not.

Script 02 · Invoicing several jobs for one client in a single go

Email

Subject: Catching up — a statement covering [number] recent jobs

Hi [Client name], I’m catching up on invoicing for [Your business] and realized a few recent jobs never made it onto an invoice. Attached is a statement of account covering all of them: [list the jobs and dates], totaling [Amount], due [Due date]. Let me know if anything looks off. [Your name]

Why it works One statement covering every open job gives the client a single number to act on. Several separate invoices landing at once read as a surprise pile-up.

Script 03 · Asking a client to confirm extras before you invoice them

Text

Hi [Client name], before I send the invoice for [the job] — can you confirm [the extra: what it was and the price], so I can include it on the same invoice rather than sending a second one later?

Why it works Confirm the extra before the invoice goes out. The whole job is billed in one pass. The client sees a number they already agreed, not a surprise line item.

Script 04 · Asking for a billing detail you never recorded

Email

Subject: One detail needed to invoice [the job]

Hi [Client name], I’m ready to invoice [the job], but I don’t have [the missing detail — e.g. your billing address, a purchase order number, or your accounts contact] on file. Could you send that over so I can get the invoice out? Thanks, [Your name]

Why it works Name the exact detail you are missing. You get a fast, specific answer. A vague ask leaves the client guessing what you need.

Script 05 · Confirming a job is signed off, so the invoice isn’t disputed

Text

Hi [Client name], just confirming [the job] is signed off as complete on your end — I’ll send the invoice for [Amount] once I hear back. Let me know if anything still needs attention first.

Why it works Get sign-off in writing before the invoice goes out. The invoice then confirms something already agreed. It does not open a debate about whether the work is finished.

Script 06 · Telling a client the invoice is on its way when you already know it’s late

Text

Hi [Client name], quick note that the invoice for [the job] is on its way this week — later than it should have been on my end, but the work and the number haven’t changed. Thanks for your patience.

Why it works A short heads-up before the invoice lands shows you are straightforward about the delay. The client does not wonder why an invoice suddenly appears from nowhere.

Questions

Should I apologize for a late invoice?
One short line that acknowledges the delay is enough. A long apology draws more attention to the delay than the invoice needs. It can also read as an invitation to discount for the wait. State the work and the number, then move on.
What if I genuinely cannot remember all the details of an old job?
Invoice the part you can back up with a job sheet, a photo or a message thread. Ask the client about anything you are missing. Do not guess at a number. See catching up on your invoicing for the full method on clearing a backlog, oldest first.
Is a statement of account the same as an invoice?
No. A statement summarizes several invoices or jobs for one client at once. Each job still needs its own invoice, with its own line items and due date. Use a statement when several jobs are open together. Do not use it in place of invoicing each job.
How many jobs is too many for one statement?
There is no fixed number. If a client has more than one or two jobs open, list them together. That reads clearer than several emails in one week. If only one job is open, send a plain invoice.

Keep reading

Staying organized

Catch up on your invoicing — the weekly sweep that gets you paid

A finished job is not money until you invoice it. A pile of unbilled work is work you have already done for free. Every day it waits adds a day in front of your own payment terms. Invoice it while the job is fresh.

 Invoicing

Deposits and progress invoices for bigger jobs

How to split a bigger job into a deposit and progress invoices, so you’re never fronting weeks of unpaid work.

Want the unbilled list these scripts are for, in one place?

You still write and send every one of these yourself. BizBinder does not chase the missing detail. It does not decide when a job counts as signed off. It does show every job marked done with no invoice yet. They appear under “Bill this” on the This week page. The message you are about to send then answers a real, visible backlog. You do not need to remember it from a week of finished jobs.

A human reads every one. No newsletter, ever.

Filed

You are on the list.

A person reads every request. You will hear from us within one business day.

  1. 01 A person reads your note — not a queue.
  2. 02 You get an invite as spots open.
  3. 03 Your admin starts filing itself.

The free library is open while you wait. Nothing in it needs an account.

Open the free library →