Khata › Payment reminder messages

Payment reminder messages that get paid

Most late payers are not refusing to pay; they have forgotten, or the bill is lost. A short, polite message with the exact amount and an easy way to pay solves most cases.

What every reminder should have

• The customer's name and the exact amount, not "some balance".
• The bill numbers and dates, so they can find them.
• How to pay: your UPI ID, or bank details. The khata adds your UPI ID from My data automatically.
• Your business name, so the message is not mistaken for a scam.
• A polite close. You want the money and the customer.

Step 1: gentle reminder (a few days late)

This is the message the khata prepares when you tap WhatsApp reminder (with the screen in another language, the message comes in that language). You can change any word in WhatsApp before you press Send.

Step 2: second reminder (two to four weeks late)

Step 3: final reminder (over 60 days)

The same in Hindi

Good habits

• Send during working hours, not late at night or on festival days.
• One message, then wait. Three messages a day irritate people and rarely work faster.
• Attach the statement when the customer says the amount is wrong; it ends most arguments.
• Record the payment the same day it arrives, so you never remind someone who has already paid.

What never to send

• Threats, insults or messages to the customer's family, employer or friends. Besides being wrong, harassment can be a criminal offence and turns a payment problem into a legal one.
• The customer's dues in a group chat, or as a public "defaulter list".
• Legal-sounding words like "notice" unless a lawyer has drafted it.

If a business customer still does not pay and you are a micro or small enterprise, you can file the case on the government's MSME Samadhaan portal for delayed payments; see outstanding and ageing for the 45-day rule.