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Invoice follow up software for contractors

You quoted the job, did the work, and sent the invoice from the truck, or from the kitchen table that night. Then the next job started, and the next one after that, and the invoice quietly slipped down the list. Invoice follow up software for contractors exists for exactly this moment, when the work is done, the money is owed, and nobody has time to chase it.

Why invoices go late on job sites

Contractors, plumbers, and electricians do not invoice from a desk. They invoice between jobs, after hours, and often days after the work is finished. The customer was happy on site, but the invoice arrives later, when the job is no longer fresh in their mind. A busy homeowner can miss it the same way they miss any other email.

Job sites add their own delays. A plumber finishes a repair and the homeowner is at work. An electrician completes a panel upgrade and the invoice goes to an email address that is rarely checked. A contractor finishes a phase of a larger project and the invoice waits for a client who is juggling a mortgage draw, a permit, and three other trades. None of these people are refusing to pay. They are busy, and nobody reminded them.

Errors make it worse. A wrong email address, a missing invoice number, or an amount that does not match the quote will stall payment for weeks, because the customer has to ask a question before they can pay. Check the amount, the date, and the email address before you send anything, and check them again before you chase. A reminder for the wrong amount is worse than no reminder at all.

The result is a pile that grows quietly. One invoice at 10 days, another at 30, a third at 60. By the time you notice, the oldest one feels awkward to chase, so you chase the newest one instead, and the oldest one keeps aging. A list sorted oldest first breaks that pattern, because it puts the invoice that has waited longest at the top, where you cannot miss it.

The friendly, firm, final sequence

Every overdue invoice should follow the same three steps. A steady sequence is easier for you to run, and easier for the customer to understand, than a different message every time.

Start friendly. A day or two after the due date, send a short reminder that the invoice is due. Include the invoice number, the amount, the due date, and how to pay. Keep the tone polite and assume the customer simply forgot. Most late payments are collected at this step, because most late payments are forgetfulness.

If it is still unpaid a week later, get firmer. Note that the invoice is now a week overdue, repeat the amount and due date, and ask for payment by a specific date. Do not add anger or blame. A firm message is clear about what you expect and when you expect it, and it leaves no room for misunderstanding.

If it is still unpaid after two weeks, send a final notice. State plainly that this is the final reminder, give a payment deadline, and say what happens next. For many trades, that means pausing further work until the balance is paid. Say it in writing, before you pause, so the customer is never surprised.

Preview each step before it sends, so the wording sounds like your business. PaidUp sends these reminders by email, in your business name, and stops the moment you mark the invoice paid.

Add invoices by hand, or import a CSV

A tool for contractors must fit the way contractors actually work. Some invoices are added one at a time, right after the job. Others are added in a batch at the end of the week, when the paperwork finally catches up.

PaidUp handles both. Add an invoice by hand with the customer name, email, amount, and due date, or import a CSV with the same details. The CSV import is useful when you have a list of open invoices from another system, or when an office helper is catching up on a week of jobs at once. There is no QuickBooks, Xero, ServiceTitan, or Jobber integration to set up, and no accounting software subscription required. If you can send an email, you can run PaidUp.

Once the invoices are in, PaidUp sorts them oldest first and groups them by age, so you can see at a glance which ones are 1 to 15 days overdue, 16 to 30, 31 to 60, or over 60 days. You deal with the oldest first, and nothing sits in a pile until it becomes a write-off.

What it costs, and what it is for

PaidUp is free for up to 5 active invoices, with email reminders you can preview and send. Pro is $29 a month for unlimited invoices, with reminders that send themselves on schedule. There is no per-user pricing, no setup call, and no contract. You can cancel anytime, and the free plan needs no card.

One collected invoice usually covers the month. A single unpaid repair bill, a missed install balance, or a phase payment that sat for 30 days is often several times the monthly price. The question is not whether the tool is worth $29 a month. The question is how many invoices are sitting unpaid right now, and how long they have been sitting there.

PaidUp is not accounting software, and it is not built for a finance team. It is built for a shop that invoices after the job is done: a repair, an install, a service call, a phase of a project. It sends the follow-ups by email, so the money comes in without the awkward call, and so you can stay on the job instead of chasing paperwork.

Read how to follow up on an overdue invoice for the full schedule and wording, and copy the messages from overdue invoice email templates. For HVAC shops, see HVAC invoice follow-up software.

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