Summary
- Two reminders do most of the work: 50% of the invoices that get paid are paid after the first reminder, and 75% by the second.
- The long tail is worth chasing: each extra reminder brings in less, but 6% of paid invoices needed six reminders or more.
- Persistence matters most on high-value invoices: send at least two reminders as standard, and run a longer sequence for invoices worth chasing hard.
- Updated with new data: in April 2026, 77% of all invoices chased in Trove had been paid. Now that figure is more than 90%, across tens of thousands of invoices.
75% of the invoices that get paid are paid within two reminders
Half of the invoices that get paid (49.6%) are paid after just one reminder. Send a second reminder and you bring in another quarter (25.1%). That means three in four paid invoices are paid by the second reminder.
This shows that most customers are not blanking your invoice. They just need a nudge or two. Many people avoid sending follow ups not wanting to seem pushy, but the data shows a gentle reminder works the majority of the time. If you’d rather those first two reminders went out without anyone remembering to send them, compare automated invoice chasing software for Xero.
If you are reading this as further procrastination from chasing your unpaid invoices, close this tab and get emailing (or start your free trial of Trove).
The long tail: why you shouldn’t stop at two reminders
What about the remaining 25% of invoices that get paid? Sending more than two reminders is still worth doing. Each extra reminder brings in a smaller share: 10.6% after the third, 5.8% after the fourth and 3.3% after the fifth. By the fifth reminder, 94% of paid invoices are in.
The last 6% took six reminders or more, and some invoices were paid after more than 15. That matters if you use Xero’s built-in reminders, which stop after five. A Xero-only process stops asking for that last 6%.
Most of your overdue invoices get sorted quickly and easily. A stubborn minority needs sustained, patient follow-up but will get there in the end. If you’re doing that follow-up manually, it’s worth taking the time to compare credit control software.
The full numbers
Here’s how many reminders each paid invoice needed before it was paid.
| Reminders before payment | % of paid invoices | Cumulative % of paid invoices |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 49.6% | 49.6% |
| 2 | 25.1% | 74.7% |
| 3 | 10.6% | 85.3% |
| 4 | 5.8% | 91.1% |
| 5 | 3.3% | 94.4% |
| 6 | 1.9% | 96.3% |
| 7 or more | 3.7% | 100% |
What this means for your invoice chasing process
Send at least two reminders as a standard
Most businesses will always send at least one reminder email. Sending two increases your chances of payment significantly and is always worth doing. Don’t worry about seeming pushy (remember the invoices paid after more than 15 reminders).
Have a longer sequence for high-value invoices
For invoices above a certain threshold (whatever that means for your business) a sequence that runs to five or more reminders is worth having. The data shows that persistence pays even if the incremental recovery per reminder gets smaller each time.
If you’re not hitting roughly these rates of payment, review your own process first
As of writing, 90% of all invoices chased on Trove have been paid. If your rate is much lower than this, check your own process first.
- Send a pre-reminder before invoices become due
- Make sure invoices are received by sending them from your own email address
- Send your first reminder within 7 days of the invoice becoming overdue (at the latest)
You can also sign up to Trove’s free trial to join hundreds of small businesses getting their invoices paid within a few emails.
Your customers do want to pay you
The data tells a reassuring story. The vast majority of your customers are not ignoring your invoices. They’re just busy and your invoice is not the top of their to-do list. In the majority of cases, two gentle reminders is all it takes to change that. And once a customer gives you a date, they usually stick to it: 7 in 10 promised payment dates are met within three days.
Some businesses send one reminder and stop. The ones that send two bring in three quarters of everything that gets paid. The ones that keep going recover the rest. Close this tab and get chasing.
At Trove, we automate invoice chasing for hundreds of businesses across the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Here’s a summary of the data:
- Invoices: this covers all invoices chased through Trove since launch in July 2025 to September 2026.
- Paid: 90% of all chased invoices have been paid as of 14 October 2026. The rest are still unpaid, so we don’t yet know how many reminders they’ll need.
- What counts as a reminder: a chasing email, SMS or phone call reminder sent through Trove.
- Excluded: part-paid or voided invoices, and invoices paid without any Trove interactions.
