Chasing unpaid invoices: a timeline and templates for mechanics
What to send and when, from the due date to day 30, with SMS and email wording you can copy. It also covers what the ACMA, ACCC and ASIC say you can't do while you chase.
By Miqui Campuzano, founder of GoFolio · Updated 6 October 2026
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and depend on your circumstances: check with the ACCC, ASIC or the ACMA and your accountant. Checked against the official sources linked below on 6 October 2026.
An unpaid invoice is often a forgotten one, and a short message with the invoice number, the amount and a pay link sorts it. Below is a timeline from the due date to day 30, with SMS and email wording you can copy, and the rules from the ACCC, ASIC and the ACMA on what you can and can’t do when you chase.
Prevention: get paid before you leave
The cheapest invoice to chase is the one that was paid on the day. Three habits do most of the work.
- Put the terms on the quote and the booking. “Payment due on completion, by card or bank transfer.” If you give account terms to a business customer, write the number of days.
- Invoice before you drive off. Send it from your phone while you’re still in the driveway and ask the customer to pay then.
- Make paying easy. A card reader, a pay link the customer can open on their phone, and your BSB and account number on the invoice.
For anything above a routine service, get the quote approved in writing before you start. A text that says “Yes, go ahead” is far easier to point to later than a conversation over the bonnet.
The timeline: due date to day 30
The ACCC and ASIC debt collection guideline recommends contacting a debtor no more than three times a week, or 10 times a month, and counts an email and a text as two separate contacts. The timeline below stays inside that, counting the invoice itself to be safe.
| When | What you send | Contacts that week |
|---|---|---|
| Due date | Invoice by email and SMS, with pay link | 2 |
| +3 days | Friendly reminder by SMS | 3 (stop here this week) |
| +7 days | Reminder by email and SMS, with the invoice attached | 2 |
| +14 days | Phone call, then a short follow-up text confirming what was agreed | 2 |
| +30 days | Final notice by email, stating the next step you will actually take | 1 |
If the customer replies at any point with a reason (waiting on pay day, query about a line), stop the timeline and deal with that. A payment plan agreed by text is better than a tribunal claim.
Due date: the invoice
Hi first name, thanks for today. Your invoice INV-0142 for $486.00 from Business name is here: pay link. Payment is due today. Any questions, call phone.
Day 3: friendly reminder
Hi first name, a quick reminder from Business name: invoice INV-0142 for $486.00 (service on your make model) is still open. Pay here: pay link. Already paid? Ignore this, thanks.
Day 7: second reminder
Subject: Invoice INV-0142 from Business name: $486.00 outstanding
Hi first name, Our records show invoice INV-0142 for $486.00 is still unpaid. It covers the work done on your make model, rego on date, and was due on due date. You can pay by card here: pay link Or by bank transfer: BSB 000-000, account 00000000, reference INV-0142. If there's a problem with the invoice or you need a few more days, reply to this email or call me on phone and we'll sort it out. Thanks, Your name Business name, ABN 00 000 000 000
Hi first name, Business name here. Invoice INV-0142 for $486.00 is now a week overdue. Pay here: pay link, or call phone if something's not right.
Day 14: phone call
Call rather than send another message. Ask if there’s a problem with the work or the invoice, then agree a date. Text the agreement straight after so you both have it in writing.
Thanks for the chat, first name. As agreed: $486.00 for invoice INV-0142 paid by date via pay link. Your name, Business name.
Day 30: final notice
Only name a next step you’re genuinely prepared to take. The guideline says you must not threaten action you have no intention of taking or no right to take.
Subject: Final notice: invoice INV-0142, $486.00
Hi first name, Invoice INV-0142 for $486.00 for work on your make model, rego on date is now 30 days overdue. I've sent reminders on dates and we spoke on date. Please pay the full amount by date, 14 days from now at pay link or by bank transfer (BSB 000-000, account 00000000, reference INV-0142). If it isn't paid or we haven't agreed a payment plan by then, I intend to lodge a claim with tribunal or court name. If you're having trouble paying, call me on phone and we can work out instalments. Your name Business name, ABN 00 000 000 000
Spam Act: keep reminders factual
Under the Spam Act, a commercial message (one that offers, advertises or promotes a product or service) needs consent, sender identification and a working unsubscribe. A message that is factual only, like an invoice or a payment reminder, doesn’t need consent or an unsubscribe. The catch, according to the ACMA: if a message contains any promotional or sales content, it is commercial, even if its main purpose is factual. That includes a link to promotional content.
| Message | Factual or commercial |
|---|---|
| "Invoice INV-0142 for $486 is due. Pay here: [link]" | Factual |
| Same reminder with "Book your next service and get 10% off" | Commercial: needs consent and an unsubscribe |
| Reminder whose link opens a page advertising other services | Commercial: a link to promotional content makes the whole message commercial |
| Your logo and business name on the reminder | Generally not commercial, per the ACMA |
Keep payment reminders and marketing in separate messages. Identify your business in every message. The ACMA requires commercial messages to name you or your business accurately and carry correct contact details, and it costs nothing to do the same on reminders.
What not to do: the debt collection guideline
The ACCC and ASIC guideline applies to creditors collecting their own debts, not only to collection agencies. It was written with individual debtors in mind, and the regulators say much of it is relevant to business debts too. The parts that matter for a one-person business:
- Frequency: no more than three contacts a week or 10 a month, and each email, text or answered call counts separately. Unanswered calls aren’t counted, but the guideline says unreasonably frequent attempts can still be harassment.
- Hours (phone): 7:30 am to 9 pm on weekdays, 9 am to 9 pm on weekends, no contact on national public holidays, in the customer’s local time. Contact at their workplace is limited to their working hours, or 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays if you don’t know them. Sending texts in the phone window is a sensible habit.
- No empty threats: don’t threaten legal or other action you can’t take, aren’t authorised to take, or don’t intend to take.
- Privacy: don’t tell anyone else about the debt, including the customer’s partner, family or workmates, and keep voicemails vague enough that a third party can’t tell what they’re about.
- No shaming: no public posts or social media messages about the debt, and don’t let their employer know you’re chasing them.
- No pressure tactics: no aggressive, threatening or intimidating manner, on the phone or in person.
Last resort: small claims
If the final notice gets no response, your state’s small claims tribunal or court hears debt claims with simpler procedures than a full court case. Check the claim limit, the filing fee and whether you need to send a letter of demand first on the official site before you lodge. The four below were checked on their official pages in October 2026.
| State | Where to start | What the official page says |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Local Court of NSW | Small Claims Division hears claims up to $20,000 |
| QLD | QCAT minor debt disputes | Debts up to and including $25,000 |
| WA | Magistrates Court of WA | Civil claims for debt or damages |
| ACT | ACAT civil disputes | Civil claims up to $25,000, including debts |
| Other states | Your state's small claims tribunal or court | Search your state government's site for small claims |
Before you file, gather the quote and the customer’s approval, the job card and photos, the invoice, and every reminder with its date. If you followed the timeline above, you already have them.
Keeping track
Whatever you use, keep a list of unpaid invoices with the date each was sent and the date of each reminder. In GoFolio, the Unpaid list shows how long each invoice has been out, and “Send reminder” sends the customer a friendly reminder with the pay link by email and text in one tap. You choose when each one goes, so the contact count stays in your hands. One tap sends an email and a text, so count it as two contacts under the guideline.
Sources
- ASIC: RG 96 Debt collection guideline for collectors and creditors (ACCC and ASIC)
- ACCC and ASIC: Debt collection guideline, April 2021 (PDF)
- ACMA: Action on scams, spam and telemarketing, April to June 2024 (factual vs commercial messages)
- ACMA: Avoid sending spam
- Local Court of NSW: Civil jurisdiction
- QCAT: Minor debt disputes
- Magistrates Court of WA: Types of cases
- ACAT: Civil disputes
- ACMA: Email and SMS unsubscribe rules (fact sheet, PDF)
Common questions
Can I charge interest or a late fee on an unpaid invoice?
Generally only if the customer agreed to it before the work, for example in terms on the quote they approved. A fee that first appears on a reminder invites a dispute. Put any late-payment terms on the quote, not just the invoice.
Should I use a debt collection agency?
For a few hundred dollars an agency's fee often outweighs the debt. If you do use one, the ACCC and ASIC guideline says the creditor will generally be liable for the agency's conduct, so check how they operate.