Second Reminder Letter for an Unpaid Invoice: Template (France and Belgium)

Key Takeaway: send the second reminder 8 to 10 days after the first, by email (timestamped trail) or ordinary post. The letter restates the invoice number, the amount, the days overdue and the penalties, then gives 8 days before a registered letter. If the client still ignores you, the next step is not another reminder: it is formal notice to pay.

The second reminder letter is what people look up the day the first email went nowhere. Not formal notice yet. Just a firmer, dated letter that states the delay in days and sets a deadline. Most unpaid invoices I see never got this letter: someone waited until day 45, and the client decided the invoice was not a priority.

If you are working through a list of invoices awaiting payment, start with those 8 to 10 days past due. That is exactly when this letter goes out.

1. Second reminder letter template (copy-paste or Word download)

The second follow-up is no longer a polite nudge. It states the delay, cites statutory penalties, and sets a strict deadline before formal notice. Copy the template below directly or download it as a ready-to-use Word (.docx) document, fill in the bracketed fields, and send.

Drop the €40 mention if the client is a private individual (see below). Keep a dated copy. This written second reminder is often what actually moves the file.

Download the second reminder letter Word template (.docx)

2. Second reminder by email or by post?

Both work at this stage. Email leaves a timestamped trail and goes out the same day. Ordinary post works too, especially if the client "does not read email". Registered post is for the next step. Sending it too early burns that card on a missed transfer.

A second reminder by email is enough for most B2B files. Switch to paper if the first email was never opened, or if you only have a postal address.

3. When should you send the first reminder, then the second?

Tip: Always attach the original invoice to your 2nd reminder. In over 40% of cases, delays are simply caused by a misplaced invoice or an internal approval delay.

No waiting for the first one. The day the due date passes, a neutral email can go out.

No apology, no novel. A client acting in good faith usually replies within 48 hours.

If nothing moves within 8 to 10 days, that is the second reminder above. Waiting a month "so as not to upset anyone" is the most reliable way never to get paid.

4. What recovery fees can you actually charge?

This is the part most freelancers overlook, and it's exactly what makes every follow-up stronger: the law provides for automatic compensation, no judge required to validate it.

In France (Article L441-10 of the Commercial Code, for B2B):

• Late payment penalties: a rate set on the invoice (often 3 times the statutory interest rate), applicable from the day after the due date, with no formal notice required beforehand.
• Fixed recovery indemnity: a flat €40, owed automatically from day one of the delay, on top of the penalties. This mention must appear on your terms and conditions and your invoices to be enforceable.

In Belgium (the Act of 2 August 2002 on late payments, for B2B):

• Statutory late interest: a rate published twice a year by the Federal Public Service Finance (Belgium's tax authority), applicable automatically without formal notice if the payment deadline was clearly stated on the invoice.
• Fixed recovery indemnity: a minimum of €40, which can be increased by reasonably incurred recovery costs (lawyer, bailiff) if the business client remains in default.

In both countries, the practical rule is the same: you can only claim these amounts if the payment deadline was clearly stated on the original invoice. That's exactly why this mention should never be improvised.

What if your client is a private individual, not a business? Both regimes above (L441-10 in France, the Act of 2 August 2002 in Belgium) explicitly target relationships between businesses: they don't apply to a private client. No automatic €40 fee in that case, and the late-payment penalty is only owed if it was already stated, in writing, in your terms and conditions or on the invoice, calculated at the plain statutory interest rate, with no increase. In a follow-up sent to a private individual, drop any mention of the €40 fee: it has no legal basis in that relationship, and including it only weakens your follow-up in the eyes of a client who looks it up.

5. When and how to move to formal notice?

If the second follow-up gets no response within 10 to 15 days, the amicable phase is over. The next step is no longer an informal chase: it is a formal legal act, known as formal notice ("mise en demeure"), sent by registered post with recorded delivery.

This letter officially starts the statutory interest clock and unlocks court debt recovery mechanisms like payment orders.

To get the full copy-paste registered letter template, learn the mandatory mentions and follow the step-by-step procedure, read our dedicated guide: Formal Notice for an Unpaid Invoice: Letter Template and Procedure (France and Belgium).

Checklist before you send the second reminder

• Invoice number, date and amount, copied without error
• Date of the first reminder cited
• Days overdue, up to date
• Penalties and the €40 fee only if the client is a business, and if the deadline was on the invoice
• An 8-day window before registered post
• A dated copy kept (sent email, or a scan of the letter)

How HeyDevis Simplifies Overdue Invoice Tracking

With HeyDevis :

• Visual delay tracking: instantly spot overdue invoices.
• 1-click follow-ups: prepare reminder notices with the outstanding balance and legal penalties pre-calculated.
• Built-in legal terms: payment deadlines and the €40 recovery fee (B2B) are embedded from day one to protect your rights.