What to do when a client promises to pay but doesn't

The short answer: make sure it was a real promise, a specific date and amount in writing, and don't chase before that date. On the first working day after it, check whether the money has arrived. If it hasn't, write that day, quote their promise back to them and ask what changed. If a second date passes, escalate one step at a time: a deadline, then the person who approves payments, then a payment plan or a pause on new work, and only after all of that a formal route such as a collections agency or small claims.

This is a different problem from "the check is in the mail". That reply says the money has already been sent, so the job is to confirm it and trace it if it goes missing. A promise says the money will be sent later, so the job is to pin down when, hold off until then, and act when the day passes.

The procedure, step by step

1. 01Turn the promise into a date and an amount. "Next week" and "soon" are intentions, not promises. Ask which day the payment will go out and how much it will be, so a part payment can't later be described as the whole.
2. 02Get it in writing. If the promise was made on a call, send a short email the same day confirming what was said. A written promise is one you can quote; a remembered one is one they can remember differently.
3. 03Write it down against the invoice: the date, the amount, and where and when they said it, in whatever list you keep of who owes you what.
4. 04Don't chase before the date. A reminder inside a promise tells the customer nobody is reading their replies, and spends goodwill you may need later.
5. 05On the first working day after the date, check your bank before you write. A transfer sent on the promised day can take a working day to arrive, so look for one in flight.
6. 06If nothing has arrived, follow up by quoting the promise: the date they gave, when they gave it, and a question about what changed. Start from their words, not from the invoice, and ask for a new date.
7. 07If the new date passes too, escalate one step at a time, as set out below. Decide at the second date what you will do at the third.

Getting a promise you can hold them to

Many broken promises were never quite promises. "We'll sort it this month" can't be missed, because it never said when. The fix is a friendly reply that asks for the two details a real commitment has, a day and an amount.

Thanks, Alex, that's good to hear. So I can note it down: is that the full $2,480 for invoice 1042, going out on the 17th? If it's coming in parts, just tell me the amounts and dates.

If they answer with a date, you have a promise in writing. If they won't give one, you've learned something too: treat the invoice as unanswered and carry on with your normal follow-ups.

When the date passes: the first follow-up

Keep the first message short and factual, quote what they said, and assume a process problem until you hear otherwise. A missed date is often a missed payment run or an approval that didn't come through, not a change of heart.

Hi Alex — on the 9th you said invoice 1042 for $2,480 would be paid on the 17th. I haven't seen it come through yet. Has something changed on your side? If it's been held up, could you let me know the new date?

If they reply with a new date, note it as the second one and go back to waiting. A second date is still worth waiting for, but it is a weaker promise than the first, so decide now what you will do if it passes too.

When the second date passes: escalate in steps

Go one step at a time, and only as far as you need to. Each step should leave the customer a clear, easy way to pay before you take the next one.

1. 01A firm email with a deadline: both dates they gave, a specific day to pay or reply by, and an open door if something is wrong.
2. 02A different person or channel: phone the company and ask for accounts payable, or write to whoever approves payments. Ask for help finding the right person; don't complain about your contact.
3. 03A payment plan, if what is really going on is that they can't pay in full.
4. 04A pause on new work, said plainly and in advance.
5. 05A final notice that names one formal step you will take if the invoice isn't paid by a date, and then taking it.

Hi Alex — invoice 1042 for $2,480 was promised for the 17th and then the 24th, and neither payment has arrived. I need it paid, or a call with whoever approves payments, by the 31st. If something has gone wrong that I don't know about, tell me and we'll work out a plan.

When a payment plan fits

If what they tell you is that they can't pay in full, a plan can recover the whole amount where a fight would recover part of it. It fits when the customer is still talking to you and the problem is cash, not a disagreement about the work. Make it concrete: fixed dates and amounts covering the whole balance, the first instalment paid when the plan is agreed, and the plan confirmed by them in writing. A plan with no dates is just a longer promise.

When to stop work

If you are still doing work for a client who keeps missing dates, the amount at risk grows every week. Check what your contract or terms say about unpaid invoices, and follow that. Then tell the client, before you stop rather than after, that new work will wait until the balance is paid or a plan is agreed. Said calmly and in advance, it reads as a business decision rather than a threat. If you're unsure what your contract commits you to, ask a qualified adviser first.

When to consider a formal route

If several dates have passed, the client has stopped engaging, and a payment plan isn't on the table, what remains is formal: a collections agency, or a claim in a small-claims court. Both cost time or money, and the rules on fees, interest, notice and what you can claim differ from place to place. Check the rules where you are, or get advice, before you mention either in a message.

Name a step in your final notice only if you will take it; an empty threat makes every message after it weaker. And keep a record of each promise, date and message as you go. If it does go further, that record is what you will be asked for.

Exceptions

• They warn you before the date that it will slip. That isn't a broken promise but a new one: thank them, note it as the second date, and wait.
• Part of the money arrives. Acknowledge it the same day, confirm the balance left, and ask when the rest will follow.
• The promise was vague. Don't quote "we'll try to get it out this month" back as a commitment; it invites an argument about what they said. Ask for a date instead.
• They say they've already paid. Then it's a payment to trace, not a promise to chase: ask for the date, amount and reference, and check your records before writing again.
• They raise a dispute. Stop asking for payment and resolve the disagreement first.
• The date is months away. You don't have to accept it as it stands: say what you can wait until, or propose instalments.

Common mistakes

• Chasing before the date, which undoes the goodwill that waiting earned you.
• Leaving it weeks after the date. The day after is when the promise is fresh and easiest to hold them to.
• Starting again from the invoice. Their own date is the strongest thing you have; a generic reminder throws it away.
• Accepting date after date with nothing attached. Each new date should come with a little less patience, said out loud.

Where software helps

The emails above are easy to write. The hard part is remembering, across every open invoice, who promised what and when, and noticing when a date has gone by. A calendar entry per promise works for a handful of invoices. Past that, it is the part that slips.