Send a payment reminder (Zahlungserinnerung) as soon as the payment term on your invoice has passed and the money is not in your account. It states the invoice number, the amount and a new payment date and attaches the invoice again. The law does not prescribe a particular form; an email is fine. Legally, what counts is the content, not the name: if you clearly ask for payment, even a very friendly reminder is a formal reminder (Mahnung). Below you will find three templates, from very friendly to firm, and a German version to copy.
Contents
- When do I send the payment reminder?
- What goes into the payment reminder?
- Template 1: very friendly, for regular customers
- Template 2: neutral, fits almost every case
- Template 3: firm, the second reminder
- Payment reminder in German
- Subject lines to choose from
- Is a payment reminder already a formal reminder?
- May I charge fees or interest?
- No response: what happens next
- Frequently asked questions
When do I send the payment reminder?
You may send a reminder as soon as the deadline on your invoice has passed. The law does not prescribe a waiting period. Still, wait one or two bank working days before you write.
The reason: if your customer orders the transfer on the last day of the deadline, the bank may keep the money in transit until the end of the following business day (§ 675s (1) BGB, the German Civil Code or Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch). For a paper-based transfer, one more business day may be added.
An example: your invoice says "payable by Thursday, 15 October 2026". The money must be at your bank by the end of Friday, 16 October, at the latest. Check your account on Monday, 19 October. If the payment is missing, send the reminder.
You can also send a friendly message before the due date, such as "Your invoice is due on Friday". However, that is not a formal reminder in the legal sense. A formal reminder must be sent after the due date (§ 286 (1) BGB).
If you write many invoices, it is best to keep track of the deadlines in an overview. How to keep such an overview as an open items list is explained in the article Reading the OPOS list. In the office1.cloud dunning module, you see all invoices due as of a cut-off date and send the reminder as a batch reminder (Sammelmahnung) by email, with your own text and the original invoice attached. You define the dunning levels (Mahnstufen) yourself; three are preset.
What goes into the payment reminder?
The only requirement is a clear request to pay. Everything else makes sure your customer can transfer the money without having to ask.
| Detail | Why |
|---|---|
| Invoice number and invoice date | Your customer finds the invoice immediately, even if several are open |
| Outstanding amount in euros | They do not have to calculate anything |
| Briefly, what the invoice was for | "for the website redesign in August" helps them match it |
| New payment date as a calendar date | "by 26 October" is clear, "immediately" is not |
| Bank details and payment reference | The payment can be matched to your invoice |
| Invoice as an attachment | Your customer has it at hand immediately, even if the first email got lost |
| Sentence in case the payment is already on its way | Saves you and your customer an awkward follow-up question |
| Phone number for questions | If there is a problem with the invoice, you find out sooner |
How long you set the new deadline is up to you. The templates use seven days. What has to be on the invoice itself is explained in the article Writing an invoice.
Template 1: very friendly, for regular customers
For customers you work well with and where you assume an oversight. Replace the details in square brackets.
Subject: Quick reminder: invoice [invoice number] of [invoice date]
Hello Ms [last name],
I hope all is going well with you. While going through my open items,
I noticed that my invoice [invoice number] of [invoice date] for
EUR [amount] is still outstanding. Perhaps it got lost in the
day-to-day rush.
I have attached it again. Please transfer the amount by [new date]
to my account:
Account holder: [name]
IBAN: [IBAN]
Reference: [invoice number]
If you have already paid in the meantime, please consider this
message settled. If you have any questions about the invoice, you
can reach me at [phone number].
Best regards
[your name]Template 2: neutral, fits almost every case
For customers you do not yet know well, and for companies with their own accounting department, where the message goes to a shared address.
Subject: Payment reminder for invoice [invoice number]
Dear Ms [last name], / Dear Mr [last name],
For [short description of the service], I sent you invoice
[invoice number] for EUR [amount] on [invoice date], payable by
[due date]. As of today, I have not been able to find a payment.
Please transfer the outstanding amount by [new date] to the
following account:
Account holder: [name]
IBAN: [IBAN]
BIC: [BIC]
Reference: [invoice number]
To be on the safe side, I have attached the invoice. If your payment
has crossed with this reminder, please disregard it.
Kind regards
[your name]
[company, phone number]Template 3: firm, the second reminder
For when the first reminder brought neither money nor a reply. The tone stays polite, but the deadline is the last one before the formal dunning letter (förmliche Mahnung).
Subject: Second payment reminder: invoice [invoice number], due since [due date]
Dear Mr [last name],
My invoice [invoice number] of [invoice date] for EUR [amount] has
been due since [due date]. I have received neither a payment nor a
reply to my reminder of [date of the first reminder].
Please transfer the amount by [new date] at the latest to the
following account:
Account holder: [name]
IBAN: [IBAN]
BIC: [BIC]
Reference: [invoice number]
If the payment has not arrived by then, I will claim the statutory
late payment interest and take further steps.
If there is a problem with the invoice or you cannot pay the full
amount at once right now, please call me: [phone number]. We will
then find a solution.
Kind regards
[your name]If your customer cannot pay all at once, put an agreement on instalments in writing. How to do this is explained in the article Instalment agreement.
Payment reminder in German
For customers in Germany, here is template 2 word for word in German to copy; replace the details in square brackets.
Betreff: Zahlungserinnerung zu Rechnung [Rechnungsnummer]
Sehr geehrte Frau [Nachname], / Sehr geehrter Herr [Nachname],
für [kurze Bezeichnung der Leistung] habe ich Ihnen am [Rechnungsdatum]
die Rechnung [Rechnungsnummer] über [Betrag] Euro gestellt, zahlbar bis
[Fälligkeitsdatum]. Einen Zahlungseingang konnte ich bis heute nicht
feststellen.
Bitte überweisen Sie den offenen Betrag bis zum [neues Datum] auf
folgendes Konto:
Kontoinhaber: [Name]
IBAN: [IBAN]
BIC: [BIC]
Verwendungszweck: [Rechnungsnummer]
Die Rechnung finden Sie zur Sicherheit im Anhang. Sollte sich Ihre
Zahlung mit dieser Erinnerung überschnitten haben, ist sie gegenstandslos.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
[Ihr Name]
[Firma, Telefonnummer]The rules on formal reminders and default (Verzug) in this article apply under German law. Whether they also apply to a customer outside Germany depends on which law governs your contract.
Subject lines to choose from
The subject line should show immediately which invoice it is about. Always include the invoice number.
- Quick reminder: invoice [number] of [date]
- Payment reminder for invoice [number]
- Outstanding invoice [number] for EUR [amount]
- Your invoice [number]: payment still outstanding
- Second payment reminder: invoice [number], due since [date]
Is a payment reminder already a formal reminder?
Yes, if it clearly asks for payment. Your customer is then in default as soon as they receive it, and from then on you may claim late payment interest (Verzugszinsen).
The law does not know the term payment reminder. It only speaks of the formal reminder (§ 286 (1) BGB) and prescribes neither a name nor a form for it. According to the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH), "any clear and specific request with which the creditor unambiguously expresses that he demands the performance owed" is sufficient as a formal reminder (judgment of 10 March 1998, NJW 1998, 2132). The letter does not have to mention the consequences of default. All three templates in this article clearly ask for payment.
What this means for you:
- You do not need a chain of a reminder followed by a first, second and third formal reminder. A single formal reminder after the due date is enough (§ 286 (1) BGB).
- The payment term on your invoice does not replace the formal reminder. A date that you only write on the invoice unilaterally does not trigger default by itself (BGH, judgment of 25 October 2007, III ZR 91/07). More on this in the article Payment terms on the invoice.
- Without any reminder, a business customer is in default at the latest 30 days after the due date and receipt of the invoice. For private customers, this only applies if your invoice specifically points out this consequence (§ 286 (3) BGB).
What the formal dunning letter looks like, with interest and the flat fee, is explained in the article Writing a dunning letter.
May I charge fees or interest?
As a rule, neither fees nor interest belong in the first reminder. You can only claim either once your customer is in default.
- Late payment interest: A money debt bears interest during default (§ 288 (1) BGB). For private customers, the rate is five percentage points above the base rate (Basiszinssatz); for transactions not involving a consumer, it is nine percentage points (§ 288 (1) and (2) BGB).
- €40 flat fee: You are entitled to it if a customer who is not a consumer is in default (§ 288 (5) BGB). It does not apply to private customers.
If it is your reminder that triggers default, your customer was not yet in default when you wrote it. Interest then only runs from the time the reminder is received, and you can only claim the flat fee from that point, so in your next message. If your customer was already in default before, for example under the 30-day rule, you may mention both in the reminder itself. How to calculate the interest is explained in the article Calculating late payment interest.
No response: what happens next
If the second reminder also brings no payment, switch to the formal dunning letter with a stated interest amount and, for business customers, the flat fee. The template for it is in the article Writing a dunning letter.
If nothing comes after that either, the remaining options are the court dunning procedure (gerichtliches Mahnverfahren), a debt collection agency or a lawyer. Which route fits when is explained in the article Customer not paying – what to do?. How to put payment reminders and formal reminders into fixed levels for good is described in the article Dunning for the self-employed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a friendly payment reminder?
State the invoice number, date and amount, assume an oversight and ask for payment by a specific date. Attach the invoice and close with the sentence that the message is settled if payment has already been made. A ready-made template is in the section Template 1.
What is the difference between a payment reminder and a formal reminder?
Legally none, if the payment reminder clearly asks for payment. The difference lies in the tone: the payment reminder stays friendly and usually does not mention interest. The formal dunning letter states the interest and the flat fee and announces further steps.
May I send the payment reminder by email?
Yes. The law does not prescribe a form for the formal reminder. Keep the sent email so that you can show later when you sent the reminder.
How many payment reminders do I have to send?
No specific number. A single formal reminder after the due date is enough for default (§ 286 (1) BGB). How many friendly reminders you send beforehand is your decision for the customer relationship.
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Sources
- § 286 BGB, default of the obligor (German)
- § 288 BGB, default interest and other damage caused by default (German)
- § 675s BGB, execution period for payment transactions (German)
- Federal Court of Justice, judgment of 10 March 1998, NJW 1998, 2132, requirements for a formal reminder, reprint by LMU Munich (German)
- Federal Court of Justice, judgment of 25 October 2007, III ZR 91/07, NJW 2008, 50: a payment term set unilaterally does not replace the formal reminder
- Händlerbund: formal reminders, legal rules and template, as of 4 August 2026 (German)
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