One page that shows a client everything they still owe.
A statement of account lists every invoice you have issued a client over a period, what they have paid, and what is still outstanding. It is not a new bill — it is a summary of the bills you already sent. When someone has let three or four invoices pile up, one statement is far more effective than forwarding each invoice again.
For clients with several unpaid invoices · chase once, not five times
Why a statement gets paid when a reminder does not — Chasing invoice by invoice lets a client deal with the smallest one and feel like they have acted. A statement puts a single total in front of them, and that total is usually bigger than they realised — which is exactly the point.
Invoice number, date, amount and what is still owed on each — so there is nothing to go looking for and no excuse to delay.
The closing balance. Most clients genuinely do not know their total exposure until they see it on a single line.
Splitting the balance into current, 30, 60 and 90+ days makes overdue amounts impossible to overlook.
Your payment details and a due date on the statement itself, so paying is easier than replying.
Usually the last month or quarter for one client. A statement covering every client at once is a report for you, not a document for them.
Date, invoice number, amount, and anything already paid against it. Include invoices that are fully paid — it shows the account is being tracked properly and makes the unpaid ones stand out.
Opening balance, plus new invoices, minus payments received, equals what they owe today. One number, at the bottom, in bold.
Bank details, PayID or your preferred method, and a date you expect payment by. Send it to whoever actually approves payments, not just your day-to-day contact.
Create and send professional invoices free, track what has been paid, and let automatic reminders do the chasing instead of you.
Create an invoice freeA statement of account is a summary of all invoices issued to one client over a period, showing what was billed, what has been paid, and the balance still outstanding. It is a reminder document, not a tax invoice — the client cannot claim GST or sales tax from a statement, only from the underlying invoices. General information only, not tax advice; check ato.gov.au or your accountant for your situation.
An invoice is a demand for payment for one specific job or order, and it is the tax document. A statement lists several invoices and shows a running balance. You send an invoice once when the work is done; you send a statement when several invoices are outstanding and you want the client to see the total.
For chasing payment, yes — that is exactly what a statement of account does, and it is the right way to do it. What you should not do is merge several jobs into a single new invoice after the fact, because it breaks the audit trail and gives the client a reason to dispute the whole amount rather than one line of it.
Your business name and contact details, the client's name, the period covered, the statement date, and then a row per invoice with its date, number, amount and outstanding balance. Finish with the total amount due and how to pay it. Ageing columns (current, 30, 60, 90+ days) are optional but make overdue amounts obvious.
Monthly is the norm for clients who are billed repeatedly, sent within a few days of month end. For a one-off client with a single unpaid invoice, a statement is overkill — send a payment reminder instead.
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