Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT

Late Payment Email Prompt for Solo Consultants

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Late Payment Email Prompt for Solo Consultants
prompt.txt 
                                VOICE: Direct and professional. Firm without being hostile.
MY BUSINESS: Solo [your work]
CLIENT: [First name], [their company], [relationship length]
SITUATION: Invoice [#] for [amount] was due [X days] ago and hasn't been paid. [First / second / third] follow-up.
TONE: Professional. This is a business matter, not a personal one.

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Write a late payment follow-up email.
Structure:
1. One sentence stating the invoice number, amount, and how many days overdue — factual, not emotional
2. One sentence on what you need and by when
3. If this is the second or third follow-up: one sentence noting the next step if payment isn't received (pause on work, late fee, etc.)
4. One sentence close — no "best regards," no "looking forward to hearing from you"

Length: under 120 words.
Prompt • 120 words

How to use it

  1. Fill in the four bracketed fields, your work type, client name and company, and relationship length.

  2. In the situation field, note the invoice number, amount, how many days overdue, and whether this is the first, second, or third follow-up.

  3. Paste the completed prompt into your AI tool.

  4. If it's a second or third follow-up, confirm the next step the AI names is one you're prepared to actually follow through on.

  5. Send it the same day. waiting makes it harder, not easier.

Frequently asked questions

First follow-up assumes good faith — maybe they missed it. Third follow-up states consequences plainly. The prompt handles this automatically based on what you enter in the situation field, so be precise about which follow-up it is.
Only ones you'll actually enforce — pausing work, adding a late fee if your contract allows it, or escalating to a collections process. Empty threats damage your credibility more than saying nothing at all.
The prompt is designed to stay professional and non-hostile regardless. Relationship length is a field for a reason. a three-year client gets a different framing than someone you invoiced once. The AI will calibrate accordingly.
Generally no. keep it between you and your contact first. If you're at the third follow-up and need to escalate, that's when you consider looping in their finance team, and you'd reference that in the email rather than doing it silently.
Don't negotiate over email. reply with one line acknowledging what they said and restate the new deadline. If it continues, move to a call or a formal notice. This prompt covers the email stage; what comes after is a process decision, not a writing one.

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