The short answer
Work the invoice up a ladder, one rung at a time, and give the client a clear next step at every stage. Start with a factual reminder, move to a firm one with a hard date, then pause any ongoing work, then send a formal final notice, and only after that reach for small claims or a collections service. Most invoices get paid on the first two rungs. Escalate steadily, keep everything in writing, and stay calm even when the client goes quiet, because a paper trail and a level tone are what actually get you paid.
The rest of this is each rung, what to say, and when to move to the next one.
Why has the client stopped responding?
Silence on an invoice usually isn't a decision to stiff you. It's one of three ordinary things: the invoice got lost or stuck in an approval queue, the person who owes you is waiting on someone else to release the money, or your invoice quietly dropped to the bottom of a pile because nothing forced it up. Genuine refusal to pay is rarer than it feels at two in the morning.
That matters because it tells you how to act. If most non-payment is friction rather than malice, your job at the early stages is to remove friction and make paying the easiest thing on the client's desk. It isn't to accuse anyone. You save the firm tone for later, when you've given them every easy path and they still haven't taken one.
Step one: send a firm, factual reminder
Your first move is a short reminder that states the facts and nothing else. Name the invoice number, the amount, the date it was due, and how to pay it. Skip the apology and skip the anger. Something like: "Invoice 1042 for $1,200 was due last week and is still showing unpaid. You can pay it directly here. Can you confirm when it will go out?"
If you set up automatic reminders when you sent the invoice, this rung already happened on its own while you were working, which is the whole point of automating the awkward follow-ups. A reminder that fires on schedule and then stops the moment the invoice is paid keeps you off this ladder entirely for most clients. When it doesn't, you move to a reminder you write by hand, with a direct question that asks for a date.
Step two: set a hard deadline and ask what's holding it up
If the factual reminder gets silence, the next note does two things: it gives a specific new deadline, and it asks the client to tell you what's blocking payment. "I'd like to get this settled by Friday. If something's holding it up on your end, let me know and I'll help sort it." You're still calm, but the vagueness is gone. There's a date, and there's an open door.
This is also the moment to make sure the invoice actually reached the right person. More unpaid invoices than you'd expect are sitting in a personal inbox when they needed to go to an accounts-payable address, or waiting on a purchase-order number nobody told you about. Asking "what do you need from me to release this?" often surfaces the real blocker in one reply.
Step three: pause the work
If you're still doing ongoing work for a client who won't pay for work already delivered, stop. Politely, in writing, and with a reason: "I want to keep things moving, so I'll pick the project back up as soon as invoice 1042 is settled." Nothing concentrates attention like a paused deliverable, and you have every right to do it. Delivering more free work while an invoice ages doesn't protect the relationship. It teaches the client that your deadlines are optional and theirs aren't.
If you took a deposit up front, this rung is far less painful, because you're never fully exposed on the work you've done. That's the entire argument for getting money agreed before you start, and it's worth building into your next contract even while you sort out this one.
Step four: send a formal final notice
When the friendly ladder is exhausted, send one clearly labelled final notice. Keep it professional and unemotional, but make the stakes explicit: the invoice number and amount, the original and extended due dates, a final date for payment, and a plain statement of what happens next if it passes, whether that's a collections service, a formal demand, or a small-claims filing. This is a business document. It isn't a threat. Its job is to show, in writing, that you gave fair warning and a clear path to avoid escalation.
Send it in a way you can prove was received, and keep a copy. If this ever goes further, the calm, dated, factual trail you've built from step one is exactly what makes your case easy.
Step five: your last resorts
If the final notice passes, you have two realistic options for smaller freelance invoices. A collections service will pursue the debt for a percentage of what they recover, which is worth it when the amount is large enough and you'd rather not spend the hours yourself. Small-claims court handles freelance-sized invoices without a lawyer and is designed to be navigable on your own; the process and the dollar limits vary by province, so check the rules where you or the client are based before you file.
Both are slower and more draining than the early rungs, which is the real lesson of the whole ladder: the cheapest way to handle a client who won't pay is to make the first four steps automatic and routine, so the rare genuine deadbeat is the only one who ever reaches step five.
How Loot helps
Loot is built so most of this ladder never gets climbed. Automated reminders handle the early rungs on their own and stop the instant an invoice is marked paid, so you're not the one writing the uncomfortable follow-ups. Every invoice carries a clear number, itemized totals, and a direct payment link, so "I never got a proper invoice" stops being an excuse and paying stays a one-tap action. And because Loot settles through Stripe Connect, a paid invoice lands straight in your own account rather than a platform's holding tank, so the only thing standing between you and your money is the client, never the tool.
This is general information for Canadian freelancers and no substitute for legal or accounting advice. Small-claims and collections rules vary by province, so check your own situation with a professional. For the tax side of freelancing, our guides walk through GST/HST and registration.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do first when a client won't pay an invoice? Send a short, factual reminder that names the invoice number, amount, due date, and payment link, and asks for a specific date. Most unpaid invoices are friction rather than refusal, so a calm nudge with an easy way to pay clears the majority before any escalation is needed.
How long should I wait before escalating an unpaid invoice? Move one rung roughly every few days to a week once an invoice is overdue: a factual reminder, then a firm note with a hard deadline, then pausing work, then a formal final notice. Steady, predictable escalation works better than either nagging daily or letting it drift for a month.
Can I stop working for a client who hasn't paid? Yes. If you're doing ongoing work while an earlier invoice sits unpaid, you can pause new deliverables until it's settled. Do it politely and in writing, with a clear statement that you'll resume as soon as the invoice is paid. Taking a deposit up front reduces how exposed you are in the first place.
When is it worth going to small claims or collections? After a formal final notice has passed with no payment. A collections service pursues the debt for a percentage of what it recovers, which suits larger amounts; small-claims court handles freelance-sized invoices without a lawyer, though the process and dollar limits differ by province, so check your local rules before filing.
How do I avoid unpaid invoices in the first place? Agree the money before you start with a deposit and clear terms in the quote, put a real payment link on every invoice, and set automatic reminders that chase on their own and stop when the invoice is paid. Prevention on the front end is far cheaper than escalation on the back end.