PRACTICAL INVOICE GUIDES
How to follow up several unpaid invoices with one client
When one client has several open invoices, a separate chase for each can make the conversation hard to follow. A checked summary can give accounts one useful message while your records retain the status of every invoice. Group the conversation without merging the underlying records.
Choose which invoices belong together
Start with invoices for the same client entity and verified accounts recipient. Similar trading names or a shared project manager do not prove that two businesses have the same payment responsibility. Keep separate client entities separate.
Distinguish overdue items from invoices that are not yet due. Also separate an invoice under query, one awaiting a payment check and one with an agreed payment date. The recipient should see which items need an answer today.
- Use invoice references and service periods to distinguish recurring work.
- Check the original due date and latest balance for each item.
- Keep the last meaningful reply or agreed action in the internal notes.
- Leave out paid items unless they explain a specific reconciliation question.
Check each balance before adding a total
Match payment records to individual invoices first. If a payment covers several invoices but its allocation is unclear, ask for clarification and have the responsible person check it. Do not subtract the whole payment from every invoice or mark the oldest paid simply because its amount looks similar.
Show currencies explicitly. GBP and EUR balances need separate currency totals; adding the numbers together creates a misleading figure. If a query or unallocated payment remains, avoid an unqualified “total payable” until the records are checked.
Send a summary with one clear request
This fictional example separates an overdue invoice from a later invoice still within its terms. The request concerns the overdue item only. Verify all figures and replace every placeholder before using the wording.
An inline summary may be enough for a clarification. If documents are needed, use the established submission route and include only relevant records. Do not forward an internal tracker that exposes other customers.
Subject: Invoice summary — update requested on SAMPLE-301 Hello [name], I have checked our records and wanted to keep these invoices in one clear conversation: SAMPLE-301 | September design support | due 20 October | GBP 600 remaining | payment update requested SAMPLE-302 | October design support | due 15 November | GBP 400 remaining | not yet due Could you confirm the expected payment date for SAMPLE-301, or let us know if anything is preventing processing? We are not requesting early payment of SAMPLE-302. If payment has been sent, please share its date and reference so we can check. No bank statement or account credentials are needed. Thank you, [business name]
Turn a general reply into invoice-specific actions
“We will pay next week” may concern one item or the whole account. Ask which references and amounts it covers and confirm the actual date. Record the answer against the relevant invoices instead of applying a promise to every balance.
If the reply raises a query on only one invoice, give that query an owner and review date. Keep the other invoice’s next action separate. One email thread can contain several outcomes.
- Payment reported: check receipt and allocation before updating paid amounts.
- Payment promised: record the agreed invoice references, amounts and date.
- Query raised: record the invoice, issue and investigation owner.
- No answer: review the checked summary and last contact before choosing the next follow-up.
Coordinate the summary with individual reminders
Before sending a manual summary, review reminders scheduled for the same invoices. Pause or adjust the relevant workflow so a generic chase does not overlap while you handle the reply.
Evrani manages reminders per invoice, and an invoice held for review is excluded until that hold is resolved. This guide describes a manual client summary; it does not claim that Evrani automatically generates or sends consolidated account statements.
The current early-access development pilot uses sample data while real-data legal arrangements are completed. Billing is disabled and bank payments still require manual checking. Try this example with fictional invoices only.
Keep reading
An invoice follow-up checklist for small service businesses →
Payment reminder email templates for small businesses →
How to follow up an invoice after a partial payment →
Invoice tracker spreadsheet: a CSV preparation checklist →
Invoice follow-up handover: what to leave your colleague →
Client says an invoice is already paid: what to check next →
Invoice held up by a missing purchase order: what to ask →