As of 13 August 2026, AI can write a late payment chaser for a UK business.

What to actually do

1. Hand it to a person

   The route this page recommends

   A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.

2. Use a tool built for this

   Second choice

3. Do it yourself

   The distant third

   A chat interface, no skill needed, and roughly 15 minutes until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Open your accounting system and the relevant contract or order, then gather the customer name, invoice number, invoice date, due date, outstanding amount and agreed payment terms.
   2. Copy the exact payment instructions and the name of the person who should receive the chaser, without pasting unnecessary private customer data into the chatbot.
   3. Paste the supplied prompt into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and replace each bracketed slot with the verified information from your records.
   4. Read the draft subject line and email, then compare every amount, date, invoice reference, payment term and payment instruction against the invoice, contract and accounting system.
   5. Remove any [CHECK] markers and unsupported claims only after you have confirmed the missing facts; if the draft proposes interest, fees or legal action, check the contract and current GOV.UK guidance before retaining that wording.
   6. Send the approved email from your normal business account, record the date sent in your accounting system and set a follow-up reminder using your usual process.

   Prompt

   Write a concise late payment chaser for a UK business.
   
   Use only the facts supplied below and do not invent dates, amounts, payment terms, interest, fees, legal rights or consequences. If any essential fact is missing, put [CHECK] in the draft and list the missing fact separately.
   
   Customer name: [CUSTOMER NAME]
   Contact name: [CONTACT NAME]
   Invoice number: [INVOICE NUMBER]
   Invoice date: [INVOICE DATE]
   Payment due date: [DUE DATE]
   Amount outstanding: [AMOUNT AND CURRENCY]
   Agreed payment terms: [PAYMENT TERMS]
   Goods or services supplied: [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]
   Payment method or bank details: [PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS]
   Previous contact about payment: [YES OR NO, WITH BRIEF DETAILS]
   Sender name and role: [SENDER NAME AND ROLE]
   Business name: [BUSINESS NAME]
   
   Write an email with a clear subject line. State that the invoice is outstanding, give the verified invoice details, ask for payment or a payment update, and provide a reasonable way to contact us. Use a firm, professional tone without sounding threatening. Do not accuse the customer of bad faith. Do not call the message a formal legal notice unless that is explicitly stated in the supplied facts.
   
   After the email, provide a short checklist of every factual item I must compare with the invoice, contract and accounting records before sending.

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.