Payment reminder
A payment reminder is the letter a seller sends a client to point out an unpaid invoice and ask for payment by a specific date. The law sets no form for it, but it should list the unpaid invoices with numbers, dates and amounts, a new payment date and the payment details, because where neither a contract nor the law sets a payment term, the debtor is only in default once the creditor has reminded it (Civil Law Art. 1652 and 1653).
Download the template
Filled-in example
Payment reminder
No. AT-2026/017
From
SIA “Paraugs”
Reg. No. 40000000001
Parauga iela 1, Rīga, LV-1001, Latvia
To
SIA “Pasūtītājs”
Attn. Anna Kalniņa, board member
Klientu iela 2, Valmiera, LV-4201, Latvia
Re: payment of invoices No. PA-2026/031 and PA-2026/042
Dear Ms Kalniņa,
This is a reminder that, as of today, we have not received payment for the following invoices:
| Invoice No. | Date | Due date | Unpaid, EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA-2026/031 | 31 August 2026 | 14 September 2026 | 363.00 |
| PA-2026/042 | 25 September 2026 | 9 October 2026 | 1,902.12 |
- Total unpaid, EUR
- 2,265.12
The payment may already be on its way, or the invoices may have been overlooked. Please pay the total by 19 October 2026, quoting the invoice numbers in the payment reference. Copies of the invoices are attached.
- Beneficiary
- SIA “Paraugs”
- Account
- LV00BANK0000000000001, AS “Banka”
- Payment reference
- Invoices No. PA-2026/031, PA-2026/042
If you have already paid, please disregard this letter. If you have questions about the invoices or need to agree a different payment schedule, simply reply to this letter.
Kind regards,
SIA “Paraugs”
Jānis Bērziņš, board member, signature
The companies, numbers and accounts in the example are fictional.
If the contract set a payment term and it has passed, default follows automatically (Civil Law Art. 1652(3)). Between businesses the creditor may claim default interest from the day after the due date, and the debtor owes EUR 40 in recovery costs without any special reminder (Art. 1668.3 and 1668.9). A reminder is then not legally needed, but it is the cheapest way to get paid without damaging the relationship.
This sample is the first, polite reminder. If it does not work, the next step is a claim letter with interest, costs and a final deadline.
Required details
A reminder has no statutory requisites. The Law on the Legal Force of Documents sets what any document needs; the rest makes the reminder clear and provable.
| Detail | Required | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Sender’s name | Required | Law on the Legal Force of Documents Art. 4(1)(1) |
| Date | Required | Law on the Legal Force of Documents Art. 4(1)(2) |
| Addressee: the debtor or its representative | Required | Law on the Legal Force of Documents Art. 4(3); Civil Law Art. 1654 |
| Unpaid invoices: number, date, due date and amount | Recommended | Not set by law; without it the client cannot tell what the reminder is about |
| A new payment date, as a specific date | Recommended | Civil Law Art. 1653: without a term, the reminder creates default |
| Account, beneficiary and payment reference | Recommended | Not set by law |
| Default interest and the EUR 40 costs, if you claim them | If it applies | Civil Law Art. 1668.3, 1668.9 and 1765; not for consumers (Art. 1668.11) |
| Signature | Required | Law on the Legal Force of Documents Art. 4(1)(3) |
How to fill it in
- Check the money really has not arrived Match the bank account against your list of invoices. A reminder about an invoice already paid does more harm to the relationship than the late payment itself.
- List the unpaid invoices Number, date, original due date and unpaid amount for each. Attach copies of the invoices so the client does not have to look for them.
- Set a new, specific deadline Write a date, for example a week after the letter, not “as soon as possible”. If the contract had no term, this reminder is what puts the client in default (Civil Law Art. 1653).
- Make paying easy Give the account, beneficiary and payment reference. The less the client has to work out, the sooner they pay.
- Send it in a way you can prove The reminder must reach the debtor itself or its representative (Civil Law Art. 1654). An email to the address in the contract, or a registered letter, leaves a record.
- Plan the next step If there is no payment by the new date, send a claim letter. A documented debt of up to EUR 15,000 can be recovered in court through the warning procedure (Civil Procedure Law Art. 406.1).
Common mistakes
- The reminder gives no invoice number or amount, so the client has to ask what it is about.
- The new deadline is not a specific date.
- The first letter sounds accusatory, although the invoice has often simply been overlooked.
- The reminder went to a random address instead of the debtor or its representative.
- EUR 40 in recovery costs was claimed from a private individual, although Art. 1668.9 does not apply to consumers (Art. 1668.11).
Fakts sends the reminder from the invoice
Fakts shows which invoices are overdue and sends the client a reminder email from the invoice, with the invoice PDF attached. The account is free.
Create a free accountFrequently asked questions
Must I send a reminder before taking action?
Not always. If a payment term set by contract or by law has passed, default follows automatically (Civil Law Art. 1652(3)). A reminder creates default where there is no term (Art. 1653).
When is a client late if no payment term was agreed?
Between businesses, the debtor is in default if it has not paid within 30 days of receiving the invoice (Civil Law Art. 1668.2). That rule does not apply where the debtor is a consumer (Art. 1668.11), so there the reminder creates default (Art. 1653).
Can I charge the client late payment interest?
Yes. If the contract sets no interest, you can claim statutory interest: for a supply of goods, purchase or service it is eight percentage points a year above the ECB base rate, and six percent a year in dealings with a consumer (Civil Law Art. 1765). Between businesses interest runs from the day after the due date, without a reminder (Art. 1668.3).
What are the EUR 40 debt recovery costs?
For a late payment under a contract for the supply of goods, a purchase or a service, the debtor pays the creditor EUR 40 without any special reminder (Civil Law Art. 1668.9). It does not apply to consumers or to individuals not in business (Art. 1668.11), and it does not release the debtor from compensating other losses.
Can I send the reminder by email?
Yes. The law sets no form for it (Civil Law Art. 1473); what matters is that the reminder reaches the debtor itself or its representative (Art. 1654) and that you can prove it. Send it to the address in the contract or the one the client uses to correspond.
What if the client still does not pay?
Send a claim letter with interest, costs and a final deadline. A documented, overdue debt of up to EUR 15,000 can be recovered through the warning procedure, applying to the court online (Civil Procedure Law Art. 406.1 and 406.3).