Six messages for turning down work. Cover a new job with no reason given, a job outside your trade, and an out-of-hours call-out. Add more work from a client who already has all of your time. One script closes an arrangement with notice and no unpaid invoice left behind. Fill in your details once at the top of this page, and every script below updates.
Turning down work is one of the hardest messages to send. It feels like closing a door that might not reopen. It is also one of the clearest signs of a business that knows its limits. A polite, direct decline protects your time and rate better than a vague answer that leaves the job half-open.
These six scripts cover the whole range. The first scripts cover a new job with no reason given. They also cover a job outside your trade, with a referral attached, and an out-of-hours call-out. The later scripts cover a long-standing client you cannot take more work from. They also cover ending a regular arrangement with proper notice. The last declines further work until an unpaid invoice is settled. Fill in your details once at the top of this page. Every script below updates to match.
Sometimes the answer is "not yet." Use the fully booked scripts for a client you want to keep. They are linked at the end of this page.
The invoice and quote generators and the printables share your name and business. The client, invoice #, amount, and due date stay in these template pages only. The generators and printables do not get them. Both sets stay on this device. We never receive anything you type here. Text still in brackets after you fill in the fields is a blank for each message. Fill it in as you send. See or clear all your saved details on the free tools page.
Subject: Re: your job
Hi [Client name], Thanks for thinking of [Your business] for this one. I won't be able to take it on, so I'd hate for it to sit and wait on me — I'd suggest reaching out to another provider who can fit it in sooner. Thanks again for asking, [Your name]
Why it works A short, clean decline with no reason attached closes the door without inviting a negotiation over why.
Subject: Not quite my trade, but here is a name
Hi [Client name], This one sits outside what [Your business] covers, so I'd rather point you to someone who does this work every day than take a guess at it myself. [Referral name and contact] does this kind of job well — mention my name when you reach out. Happy to help with anything in my own trade in future, [Your name]
Why it works Naming a specific referral turns a decline into a favor. It keeps the door open for work that fits your trade later.
Hi [Client name], I'm not taking out-of-hours call-outs tonight. The soonest I can get to this is [next available slot] — let me know if that works, or I can point you to an emergency provider who's on call now.
Why it works Stating your own hours plainly, with a real next slot attached, reads as a boundary. It does not read as a refusal to help.
Subject: Where things stand with new work from you
Hi [Client name], I've valued working with you, and I want to be upfront rather than let this drag on: I'm not able to take on more work from you beyond [what's already booked] right now. My diary is full, and I'd rather tell you clearly than keep saying yes and running behind. I'm happy to keep [existing arrangement] going as it is, [Your name]
Why it works Naming what you can still do, next to what you cannot, stops the message reading as a full rejection.
Subject: Notice on our regular arrangement
Hi [Client name], I'm writing to give you notice that I'll be stepping back from our regular arrangement, with [notice period] to find a replacement. This isn't about anything you've done — it's a change on my side. I'll settle invoice [Invoice #] for [Amount] before the last visit, so there's nothing left open between us. Thanks for the work over the time we've worked together, [Your name]
Why it works Naming a notice period and clearing the last invoice up front turns an ending into a clean handover. It does not leave a dispute waiting to happen.
Subject: Re: new work — invoice [Invoice #] first
Hi [Client name], I'd like to help with this, but invoice [Invoice #] for [Amount], due [Due date], is still outstanding. Once that's settled I can look at booking the new job in — let me know when it's on its way. [Your name]
Why it works Tying the new job to the unpaid invoice, with no lecture, gives the client a fair reason for waiting.
You still decide which jobs to take and which client to step back from. Nothing here decides that for you. The BizBinder client page shows one client’s jobs and invoices in a single timeline. It shows the notes in a list beside it. The pattern behind a decision like this is then in one place, not scattered across old messages.
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