When to use a past due invoice template
Use it once the due date has passed and a friendly reminder has not brought the money in. A reissued document is more useful to an accounts team than an email alone, because it can be filed, approved and paid. It also suits bills that were only partly paid, where the customer needs to see the exact balance.
- The customer says they never received the invoice or cannot find it.
- A part payment arrived and the remaining amount needs stating.
- A new contact now handles the customer’s accounts.
What changes on an invoice once it is overdue
Very little of the original changes, and that is deliberate. The number, issue date, lines and tax stay exactly as first sent, so both sets of records still match. What you add is status information on top: a clear overdue label, the date you resent it, how late it is and the balance after any payments.
| Field | Original invoice | Overdue version |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice number | FOI-2207 | FOI-2207, unchanged |
| Issue and due dates | 4 Aug, due 3 Sep | Unchanged, plus “Resent 27 Oct” |
| Status label | None | “PAST DUE” or “OVERDUE” near the title |
| Lines and VAT | As supplied | Unchanged |
| Payments received | None | Date and amount of each payment |
| Amount due | Full total | Balance outstanding, in bold |
Past due invoice, past due letter and final notice
The overdue invoice is the document to pay from. A past due letter is the short covering message that goes with it, by email or post. A final notice invoice is the last reissue before you take a further step, and it carries a firm pay by date and states that step plainly.
- Overdue invoice: the original bill, relabeled, with the current balance.
- Past due letter: a few lines naming the invoice number, amount and original due date.
- Final notice: the same invoice labelled FINAL NOTICE, with a deadline and the next step.
For the reminder timetable and email wording, see our guide to following up an unpaid invoice.
Worked example: a part paid office furniture bill
A made up Johannesburg furniture supplier delivered and assembled office furniture and issued tax invoice FOI-2207 on 4 August 2026, due in 30 days. The customer paid R8,000 on 15 September. On 27 October the supplier resends the invoice marked PAST DUE, with the lines and VAT exactly as first issued.
| Item | Amount (R) |
|---|---|
| Mesh task chairs, 4 at R2,150 | 8,600.00 |
| Desk screen dividers, 4 at R950 | 3,800.00 |
| Mobile pedestals, 2 at R1,400 | 2,800.00 |
| Delivery and assembly | 800.00 |
| Value excluding VAT | 16,000.00 |
| VAT at 15% | 2,400.00 |
| Invoice total | 18,400.00 |
| Paid 15 September 2026 | 8,000.00 |
| Balance outstanding, 54 days overdue | 10,400.00 |
VAT was charged once, on the original tax invoice, so it is not added again to the balance. SARS sets the standard rate at 15% and requires a tax invoice within 21 days of a taxable supply. Above R5,000 it must be a full tax invoice, showing the recipient’s name, address and, if they are a vendor, their VAT number.
Adding a late fee to an overdue bill
Only add a fee if your customer agreed to it before the work, usually in your signed terms or quote. Show it as a separate line with the clause it comes from, as a flat amount, never folded into the original lines. If your terms say nothing about late fees, do not add one now; ask for the balance instead.
An example line: “Late payment admin fee, flat, per clause 9 of our signed terms”. Rules differ by country, so read our guide to late payment fees and ask your accountant how tax applies.
Mistakes that slow down an overdue payment
The goal of a reissued bill is to remove every reason the customer has not to pay today. The errors below each give them a new reason to wait, query or file it away. Most are quick to avoid once you know to look for them.
- A new invoice number. It looks like a second sale.
- Ignoring a part payment. Asking for the full total after R8,000 arrived starts an argument you do not need.
- Sending it to the same silent inbox. Ask who approves payments and copy them in.
- Threats you will not carry out. Only name a next step you are ready to take.
Reissuing the bill with this template
Pick a download above, or load the overdue invoice sample in the generator with the furniture example ready to edit. Re-enter your original number and lines, put the PAST DUE status and payment history in the notes, then download a fresh PDF to attach to your reminder.
A missed monthly bill from your recurring invoice layout can be reissued here too. If the job has just finished and nothing is late yet, use the final invoice template. Every layout is on the invoice templates page, and WhizInvoice can send automatic reminders if chasing takes up too much of your week.
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