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Templates

Invoicing catch-up scripts, for clearing a backlog

Six messages for a job that finished a while ago and was never invoiced — a plain late invoice, a statement covering several jobs at once, confirming extras before you bill them, asking for a missing detail, confirming sign-off, and telling a client the invoice is on its way when you already know it is late — fill in your details once at the top of this page and every script below rewrites itself.

A job that finished weeks ago and was never invoiced puts you in an odd spot — the work is real, the number is usually still known, and the only thing standing between you and getting paid is sending a message you have been putting off. None of these six scripts apologize for the delay; they state the work and the number plainly and move straight to getting the invoice out.

They cover the whole shape of a backlog: a single late invoice, several jobs bundled into one statement for a repeat client, confirming an extra before you bill it, asking for a detail you never actually recorded, confirming a job is signed off so the invoice that follows is not disputed, and telling a client an invoice is on its way when you already 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 One short, plain line naming the work and the date it happened gives the invoice something concrete to point at, instead of a vague, unexplained gap since the job.

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, instead of several separate invoices landing at once that 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 Confirming the extra before the invoice goes out means the whole job gets billed in one pass, and the client sees a number they already agreed to rather than 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 Naming exactly which detail is missing gets a fast, specific answer, rather than a vague ask that leaves the client guessing what you actually 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 Getting sign-off in writing before the invoice goes out means the invoice is confirming something already agreed, not opening a debate about whether the work is actually 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, upfront heads-up before the invoice lands reads as you being straightforward about the delay, rather than the client wondering why an invoice is suddenly showing up out of nowhere.

Questions

Should I apologize for a late invoice?
One short line acknowledging the delay is enough — a long apology draws more attention to the delay than the invoice itself deserves, and can read as inviting a discount for the wait. State the work, the number, and 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, and ask the client directly about anything you are missing rather than guessing 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, not as a replacement for invoicing each one.
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 at once, listing them together usually reads clearer than several separate emails landing the same week. If it is only one open job, send a plain invoice instead.

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. The pile of unbilled work is not late paperwork — it is work you have already done for free until an invoice exists, and every day it waits is a day added in front of your own payment terms, not inside them.

 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, and it does not decide when a job counts as signed off. What it does is put every job marked done with no invoice yet on one list, so the message you are about to send is answering a real, visible backlog, not one you are trying to remember from a week of finished jobs.

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