Distracted, overloaded, waiting for a green light, or simply never reminded. Understanding why an invoice is stuck tells you how to unstick it: the right message, to the right person, at the right time. And every day gained goes back into your cash.
It’s tempting to picture the late payer as a cynical calculator. Reality is more ordinary, and more encouraging: most delays come from forgetting, an approval process, an absent contact, or an awkwardness nobody dares to mention.
Behavioural science explains it well: we act on what is visible, simple and expected of us. An invoice buried in an inbox is neither visible, simple nor urgent. It waits.
So a reminder isn’t “harassment”. It makes the invoice stand out, removes friction, reaches the person who can actually pay, and calmly recalls the rules when courtesy is not enough.
You still need to know who you’re talking to. The same message, sent to every client at the same time, misses half its targets. That’s what this page is about.
Behind every delay there is a line of reasoning, often unconscious. Identifying the profile means choosing the right contact, the right moment, the right tone and the right channel.
“Oh yes, that invoice… I’ll deal with it as soon as I have two minutes.”
They have nothing against you. Your invoice has simply sunk below forty other emails. What isn’t visible doesn’t exist.
“It needs entering, approving, finding the bank details… Later.”
They want to pay, but every step takes effort. The longer the path, the more the payment slips to next week.
“This supplier never chases. They can wait another month.”
They pay last those who speak up least. Your silence is a free line of credit for them.
“Without a purchase order approved by procurement, I can’t release payment.”
The blockage isn’t with them, but one level up or next door. Chasing the wrong person only goes round in circles.
“I don’t have the cash this month. I’d rather not reply.”
Silence protects from discomfort. The longer it lasts, the harder it is to break. A small written commitment is worth more than a big verbal promise.
“The delivery wasn’t complete. Until we talk about it, I’m not paying.”
An unspoken disagreement blocks everything. Standard reminders annoy them; an open hand finally lets them say what’s wrong.
These mechanisms are described by behavioural economics. There’s nothing magic about them and they manipulate nobody: they help a legitimate message get seen, understood and acted on. Their effect varies by client, sector and relationship.
We act on what’s in front of us. A reminder at the right time, with a clear subject line, puts the invoice back on top of the pile.
Every extra step delays action. A payment link, the invoice and the bank details attached: paying becomes the easiest option.
Someone who has said yes in writing, even to a payment plan, tends to keep their word. Ask for a small, precise agreement rather than a vague promise.
A running penalty weighs more than an equivalent gain. Putting a figure on late payment interest and recovery costs makes the cost of delay concrete.
Recalling the agreed due date recalls the rules of the game. Thanking, offering help, listening to a disagreement: the relationship stays a two-way exchange.
A reminder before the due date, so the invoice is handled in time.
“Quick reminder: invoice F-118 is due on Friday. The payment link is below.”
An observation without reproach, with everything needed to pay in a minute.
“Unless we’re mistaken, we haven’t received payment yet. Everything is attached.”
Address the person who approves, and ask what’s blocking.
“Is anything missing on your side to release payment for this invoice?”
Late payment interest is worked out — and, for B2B invoices in France, the €40 fixed compensation for recovery costs set by French law.
“As of today, late payment interest under our terms amounts to €20.97 on this €4,200 invoice (12.15% a year), plus the €40 fixed compensation for recovery costs.”
A formal notice, the first step before legal proceedings.
“We hereby give you formal notice to pay €4,281.94 (€4,200 principal, €41.94 late payment interest and €40 fixed compensation) within eight days.”
Sample messages, based on French rules for B2B invoices. Every message can be edited, and you can approve each one before it’s sent.
Interest-free, without a contract, and often without knowing it. Three ideas are enough to see why every day counts.
The work is done, the costs are committed.
The receivable is created. The money hasn’t moved yet.
The agreed payment terms have passed.
Sometimes long after the due date.
Throughout this gap, your money is working for your client.
The average number of days it takes you to collect an invoice. It’s the thermometer of your reminders.
DSO ≈ receivables ÷ monthly invoiced revenue × 30
The money your business must advance before being paid: stock and receivables, minus what you owe suppliers.
The longer clients take to pay, the bigger the requirement, and the tighter your cash.
One day less in payment terms is roughly one day of revenue coming back into your account, and staying there.
Example: €60,000 invoiced a month is about €2,000 per day of delay.
Enter your own figures. The calculation runs in your browser; nothing is sent.
freed once, then kept as long as your payment time stays at that level.
Cash freed ≈ monthly revenue × (current payment time − target payment time) ÷ 30. This is a simple estimate that assumes steady revenue and ignores seasonality, disputed invoices and VAT. It isn’t a promise of results: it’s the order of magnitude of the money at stake.
For reference, under French law, agreed payment terms between businesses generally can’t exceed 60 days from the invoice date, or 45 days end of month if the contract says so. Other countries have their own rules.
Le Frac sends reminders for your invoices in your name, taking each client into account: the right person, the right moment, the right tone.
The reminder goes to the person who can actually release payment, not to a generic address.
Just before the client’s usual payment day, rather than on an arbitrary date.
Every message includes the invoice, your bank details and a payment link. The money goes straight to your account, never through us.
For B2B invoices in France, late payment interest and the €40 fixed compensation for recovery costs are calculated automatically (art. L441-10 of the French Commercial Code).
No. Le Frac is software that sends your reminders, in your company’s name. You keep the relationship with your client, and the money goes straight to your account, never through us.
Quite the opposite: fewer messages, better targeted. A reminder sent to the right person, at the right time and with a payment link often avoids the next ones. The tone stays polite, then firm, always within the law.
The tone adapts, and you can offer a payment plan. A written, dated agreement protects both sides. You can also pause reminders for a client at any time.
In France, yes. Between businesses, article L441-10 of the French Commercial Code provides for late payment interest due without any reminder, plus a €40 fixed compensation for recovery costs. Le Frac calculates them for you; you’re free to claim them or waive them. Other countries have their own rules.
It’s a deliberately simple estimate based only on what you enter. It gives an order of magnitude of the cash tied up with your clients, not a promise of results. Your accountant can refine it with your real data.
Any that exports to CSV or Excel: Pennylane, Sage, EBP, Henrri or a simple spreadsheet. You import your clients, then your unpaid invoices.
Only the information needed for reminders: invoices, due dates, billing contacts, in line with the GDPR.
Reminders that understand your clients, for cash flow that can breathe. For businesses invoicing in France.
Today, accounts are open to companies in France, Belgium, Germany, Spain and the UK. E-invoicing through an approved platform is for France; for the other countries, see their pages. Company elsewhere? Leave your details and we’ll tell you when Le Frac is ready for your country.