Most past-due wholesale invoices in cannabis aren't a fight. They're a buyer with forty emails, an owner who approves payments on Thursdays, and a question about one line on the invoice that nobody answered. A clear past due invoice email, sent on time, fixes most of them.
The trouble is writing it. "Just following up" for the fifth time feels awkward, so it doesn't get sent, and the invoice ages another month. Below are the templates we'd use: copy them, fill in the brackets, and send. Each one has a note on when to send it and who it should come from.
The reminder schedule
Space the emails out and let the tone firm up as the invoice gets older. Here's the order the templates follow:
A few days before the due date
A friendly heads-up with the link to pay. Catches invoice questions while there's still time.
The due date
Two lines. It's due today, here's the link.
7 and 14 days late
Ask what's holding it up, then ask for a pay date. Offer a plan if paying all at once is the problem.
30 days late
Name your terms, set a pay-by date, and say what happens next.
Still nothing
A one-page final notice letter on your letterhead, with a firm date.
Fill in every bracket before you send. A reminder with the wrong amount or an old due date gives the buyer a reason to set it aside.
The templates
1. Friendly reminder before the due date
Subject: Invoice [#] for [amount] is due [due date]Hi [first name],
Quick heads-up from [Brand]: invoice [#] for [amount] is due on [due date]. You can pay it here in a minute, no login needed: [pay link]
If anything on the invoice looks off, reply and tell me which line, and we'll sort it out before the due date.
Thanks,
[Your name]
[Brand] Accounts Receivable
When: 3 to 5 days before the due date. From: your AR inbox. This is the one that catches a wrong price or a short delivery while there's still time to fix it.
2. Due today
Subject: Invoice [#] is due todayHi [first name],
Invoice [#] for [amount] is due today. Here's the link to pay: [pay link]
Already sent it? Thank you. Reply with the payment date and we'll match it up.
[Your name]
[Brand] Accounts Receivable
When: the morning of the due date. From: your AR inbox. Keep it short. The "already sent it?" line saves you from chasing money that's on its way.
3. 7 days past due
Subject: Invoice [#] is 7 days past dueHi [first name],
Invoice [#] for [amount] was due on [due date] and is now 7 days past due. Could you get it paid this week? [pay link]
If it's stuck on your side (waiting on approval, a question about the order, or you need a copy of the invoice), tell me what you need and I'll send it today.
Thanks,
[Your name]
[Brand] Accounts Receivable
When: one week after the due date. From: your AR inbox. Assume it's a hold-up, not a refusal, and offer to clear it.
4. 14 days past due
Subject: Second notice: invoice [#], 14 days past dueHi [first name],
I haven't seen payment for invoice [#] ([amount], due [due date]). It's now 14 days past due.
Can you reply with the date it will be paid? If paying it all at once is hard right now, tell me and we can split it into a few payments.
Pay here: [pay link]
Thanks,
[Your name]
[Brand] Accounts Receivable
When: two weeks after the due date. From: your AR inbox. Asking for a date gets an answer more often than asking for money. Write the date down when you get it.
5. 30 days past due (firm)
Subject: Invoice [#] is 30 days past due: payment needed by [pay-by date]Hi [first name],
Invoice [#] for [amount] was due on [due date] under our [Net 30] terms. It's now 30 days past due.
Please pay by [pay-by date]: [pay link]
If we don't have payment or a firm pay date by then, we'll need to [move your account to payment on delivery / hold new orders] until the balance is current.
I'd much rather keep shipping to you on terms. Reply with a date and I'll hold off.
[Your name]
[Brand] Accounts Receivable
When: 30 days after the due date. From: your AR team or an owner, never the rep. Set the pay-by date about a week out. Only name a consequence you'll really follow through on. If your state sets its own deadline for paying on credit, you can mention it here.
6. Payment plan offer
Subject: Need more time on invoice [#]? Here's an optionHi [first name],
If paying invoice [#] ([amount]) in one go is tough right now, we can split it into [number] [weekly / monthly] payments of about [payment amount], with no interest.
Reply "yes" and I'll send the schedule. Or pay in full any time here: [pay link]
Thanks,
[Your name]
[Brand] Accounts Receivable
When: any time after 14 days late, or the moment a buyer says cash is tight. From: your AR inbox. A plan the store can keep beats a full payment it can't make. More on how plans work: Cannabis Payment Plans: Getting Paid by Dispensaries.
7. Promise-to-pay confirmation
Subject: Confirming: invoice [#] paid by [promised date]Hi [first name],
Thanks for getting back to me. Just confirming what we agreed: you'll pay invoice [#] ([amount]) by [promised date]. I'll hold off on reminders until then.
Here's the link for when you're ready: [pay link]
Thanks,
[Your name]
[Brand] Accounts Receivable
When: the same day a buyer gives you a date, by phone, text or email. From: whoever got the promise. Then check on the date. A promise nobody checks on is how an invoice slips another month.
8. A text your sales rep can send
Hi [first name], [rep name] from [Brand]. Quick note: invoice [#] for [amount] was due [due date]. You can pay it here in a minute: [pay link]. If there's an issue with the order, just text me back.
When: anywhere from 7 to 30 days late, when emails aren't getting answered. From: the rep who knows the buyer. Keep it friendly and leave the firm messages to your AR team, so the rep stays the person the buyer wants to hear from. More: Cannabis Sales Rep Collections, Every Monday.
When the emails stop working
If you've sent the 30-day email and heard nothing, another reminder isn't a plan. The next step is one page on your own letterhead: what's owed, a firm pay-by date, a way to pay, and only the consequences you'll really follow through on. We wrote that one up separately, with what to put on it: A Final Notice Letter for Overdue Cannabis Invoices.
Five rules that get past due invoices paid
- Send on schedule. The reminder that gets skipped because it feels awkward is the one that lets the invoice age into a problem.
- One ask, one link. Ask for payment or a pay date, and put the way to pay right in the email. Every extra step is a reason to put it off.
- Always give an out. "Already paid?" and "Something wrong on the invoice?" turn a silent buyer into a reply.
- Send it in your name. The store has a relationship with your brand. Keep the reminders coming from you, not a stranger.
- Mean every consequence. A threat you don't carry out teaches the store to ignore the next email.
Or let ShelfSpace send them for you
These templates work. The hard part is sending every one of them, on the right day, to every store that owes you, and keeping track of who promised what. That's the part ShelfSpace takes off your plate.
By hand
Someone copies a template, looks up the amount and the due date, finds the buyer's email, and remembers to do it again next week, for every store. Promises live in someone's inbox.
With ShelfSpace
Reminders go out on a schedule in your name and firm up as an invoice ages, each with a Pay Now link the store opens with no login. Promises are logged and checked on the date.
- A Pay Now link on every invoice and every reminder. No login, no account to create. See Collections.
- A payment plan offer built in. The invoice email and every reminder say "Need more time? 0% payment plan available." The store sets it up, and nothing moves until you approve it. See Payment Plans.
- Promises tracked. When a store says "we'll pay Friday," the reminders on those invoices pause, and the payment is checked against QuickBooks on the date: kept, kept late, partly paid, or missed. See Promise to Pay.
- Your reps get a Monday summary. Every rep sees their accounts' past dues each week, and one tap texts the store a pay link. See Rep Management.
- A final notice letter when it's needed. One page on your letterhead, sent only when you choose. See Final Notice.
We collect 25% of your past-due invoices in month one, or it's free. The first step is free too: we'll look at your open invoices and show you which stores owe you and how late they are.