Date:

Dear Sir or Madam:

Your check # ___________, dated _______________, drawn by you for $ ___________, and payable to ______________________ has been returned by your bank or financial institution unpaid.  They state the cause was for insufficient funds.

Please replace this check immediately with cash, credit card, or a bank check for the original amount of the check plus the standard return check fee of $___________, for a total amount of __________________.

After receipt of your replacement payment, we will return your old check.  When you make the replacement payment, your old check will be returned to you.

Please forward your payment to the above address.    Please either bring your payment to us today or send it out today.  Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter of concern to both of us.

Best regards,

______________
Individual or Company Representative

Enc.  Copy of Check

Bad Check Notice-First Notice
Review List

This review list is provided to inform you about this document in question and assist you in its preparation.  This is, in part, a sales letter.  A bad check indicates someone living on the edge.  They made an effort to pay but just did not have the financial resources to make good on the payment.  This undoubtedly means they are under pressure and squeezed in general.  Your letter should encourage them to put you at the top of their list, ahead of other creditors, who may be pressing for payment as well.

Most insufficient fund checks are made good.  Therefore, if you play your cards right, you can have the check writer both pay the amount to you and be grateful to you for your reasonableness.  This is the card to play at this stage.  If you do not get paid, then go to plan B, the Final Notice, threatening collection in Small Claims Court.

1. Sign the letter.  If you know the signor individually, then you may want to jot down a brief note or call them to inform them of the problem.  In this instance, you will know better how to proceed.  If you don’t know them personally, a polite but firm letter usually works best.

2. The beauty of a letter is it provides the recipient a chance to save face by making good on the debt without having to confront you personally.  This option is usually a good one for you with a flaky debtor who is up and down, but not a serious problem.

3.        Keep the original in a separate file with a copy of the correspondence.  If you must file for collection, this gets you ready and prepared in advance.  Courts love paper; so collect and docket it.

See Related: Bad Check Final Notice

Dear ______________:

The enclosed invoice (s) is (are) past due, for a total sum of $ _______________.  We would appreciate your prompt payment so we can keep growing our businesses together.

Yours very truly,

____________
Employee Authorized

PS.  If your payment is in the mail, many thanks for keeping current.

Past Due, First Notice
Review List

This review list is provided to inform you about the document in question and assist you in its preparation.

1.    This is a tactical letter to alert the customer you are aware his or her account has become past due.   Since some businesses do not pay on a routine basis until this kind of letter is received, you should always get this letter out promptly to new accounts.  Once you are in business with an account for some period of time, you can establish the approaches that best bring in payments (e.g., calls, faxes, emails, letters, or some combination of these approaches).

2.    You should avoid threats of all kinds in the first notice of collection.  However, having said that, you must remain vigilant that your Accounts Receivable does not become too old.  Experienced Credit Managers know that A/R over 90 days past due are only collected in a small percentage of cases.    Therefore, the issue is not just the date of payment but also to assure any payment at all.

See Related: Past Due Final Notice

Dear ______________:

The enclosed invoice (s) is (are) past due, for a total sum of $ _______________.  We would appreciate your prompt payment so we can keep growing our businesses together.

Yours very truly,

____________
Employee Authorized

PS.  If your payment is in the mail, many thanks for keeping current.

Past Due, First Notice
Review List

This review list is provided to inform you about the document in question and assist you in its preparation.

1.    This is a tactical letter to alert the customer you are aware his or her account has become past due.   Since some businesses do not pay on a routine basis until this kind of letter is received, you should always get this letter out promptly to new accounts.  Once you are in business with an account for some period of time, you can establish the approaches that best bring in payments (e.g., calls, faxes, emails, letters, or some combination of these approaches).

2.    You should avoid threats of all kinds in the first notice of collection.  However, having said that, you must remain vigilant that your Accounts Receivable does not become too old.  Experienced Credit Managers know that A/R over 90 days past due are only collected in a small percentage of cases.    Therefore, the issue is not just the date of payment but also to assure any payment at all.