Get Paid Guide
You finished the job. Send the letter that gets you paid.
When calls, texts, and friendly reminders go nowhere, a mailed demand letter is the moment the customer realizes the job is documented, the balance is real, and the delay is over.
Write it free below. If you'd rather not deal with the printer and post office, we mail it for you — first class for $10, or certified with delivery tracking for $19.
Best fit
- You already completed the work
- The invoice is overdue
- The customer keeps delaying or going quiet
- You want a cleaner paper trail before pushing harder
This is the letter you'll send
No guessing about wording. You fill in your details and the builder produces a clean, dated demand letter like this one — ready to download or have us mail.
Dale Foster Foster Site & Excavation 22 Quarry Road Concord, NH 03301
May 29, 2026
Martin Reilly 14 Hillcrest Drive Bedford, NH 03110
Dear Martin Reilly,
This letter is a formal demand for payment of $4,820.00 for site grading and drainage work completed under our April 2026 agreement.
Payment was due on May 1, 2026. As of today, this balance remains unpaid.
Please remit payment in full by June 12, 2026. If payment has already been made, contact me immediately so this can be corrected.
If I do not hear from you by that date, I will consider additional next steps to collect the amount owed.
Sincerely,
Dale Foster Foster Site & Excavation
How it works
Fill in your details
Your business info, the customer's mailing address, the amount owed, and your deadline. Takes a couple of minutes.
Download free, or let us mail it
Print and mail it yourself at no cost — or hand it off and skip the errand entirely.
We print, stamp, and send
First class for $10, or certified mail with tracking for $19 so you have proof it was delivered.
The situation: work done, invoice unpaid
Picture an excavation company that already cleared the lot, dug the trench, completed the drainage work, and sent the invoice. The customer says payment is coming, then goes quiet for another week. Then another.
At that point, the problem is no longer explaining the work. The problem is showing that the bill is overdue, the amount is specific, and you are serious enough to put the demand in writing. The same situation plays out with HVAC installs, electrical rough-ins, plumbing jobs, and any other trade where you do the work first and invoice after.
A mailed demand letter is the move that signals you are done with informal follow-ups. For many customers, the arrival of a real letter — with a postmark, a balance, and a deadline — is what finally breaks the stall.
What to put in the letter
- Your business name and contact information
- The customer's name and the job site address
- Invoice number and the date the invoice was issued
- The exact amount owed — use the invoice figure, not an estimate
- A description of the work completed and the date it was done
- The original payment due date
- A specific new deadline — 10 to 14 days from the date of the letter
- How you want to be paid
- A brief statement of your next step if payment is not received by the deadline
Keep it factual and short. The letter is about the outstanding balance, not the full history of the project. State what you did, what you are owed, and when you need it.
Why people use the mailed version
A physical letter hits differently than another invoice email. It is harder to ignore, sits on a desk rather than getting buried in an inbox, and carries more weight if you later need to show that you made a direct documented demand.
For trade contractors especially, a mailed demand also signals that you are keeping a real paper trail — which matters if the situation ends up in small claims court or with a collections process.
What to avoid
Do not threaten legal steps you have not actually taken or do not intend to take. Do not pad the letter with the full project backstory. And do not use approximate dollar amounts — write the exact figure from your invoice.
The goal is a clear, professional final notice. Short and specific almost always lands better than long and frustrated.
What typically happens next
The customer pays. A formal mailed letter with a specific deadline gets attention that invoice emails often do not. Some customers pay quickly once the demand is in writing and dated.
The customer responds. A letter can open a real conversation — a payment arrangement, a dispute over a specific line item, or an explanation you have not heard before. That is still progress, and the letter is what started it.
The customer ignores it. Then the letter becomes your documentation for whatever comes next: small claims court, a mechanic's lien discussion with an attorney, or a collections referral. Small claims courts want to see that you made a direct written demand before filing. A mailed letter with a specific amount and deadline is exactly that.
Choose how it gets mailed
Writing and downloading your letter is always free. You only pay if you want us to handle the printing and mailing.
Ready to write it?
Start with the payment-demand template, plug in the invoice amount, the work completed, and your deadline, then either download it or have us print and mail it first class for $10.
General information only, not legal advice. If you have questions about mechanic's liens or your legal options, talk to a qualified attorney in your state.