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7 Late Payment Excuses – And How to Overcome Them

7 Late Payment Excuses – And How to Overcome Them

7 May 2025
8 min

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Most businesses are all too familiar with the issue of late payment excuses. They cause cash flow problems, interfere with forecasting, and put undue strain on your staff. Whether you’re invoicing project-based clients, managing retainers, or operating a subscription-based service, collecting payments takes time away from expansion.

These delays are typically accompanied by a lengthy list of late payment justifications, some of which are legitimate and some of which are not. But here’s the thing: if you have the proper billing system in place, you can avoid or at least handle the majority of late payment excuses much more effectively.

That’s where BillPro comes in. As a powerful automated billing platform, BillPro helps you stay ahead of common billing issues while giving clients a seamless payment experience.

Let’s look at the most common late payment excuses – and how BillPro can help you handle them with ease.

1. “I Never Got the Invoice”

It’s annoying when a customer claims they never received the invoice. Sometimes it’s accurate; perhaps they were copied to the incorrect address or it ended up in their spam folder. In other cases, it’s merely a practical delay strategy. In either case, it results in lost time and delayed account funds.

It also brings up a more significant problem: visibility. You’re left guessing if you’re using a tool that doesn’t track delivery or manual invoicing.

💡Did you know?

More than 30% of late-paying customers claim they “never received the invoice” – even when it was sent on time. This remains one of the most common late payment excuses businesses encounter.

BillPro takes the guesswork out of it. When the client receives and opens the automatically generated invoices, you will receive a real-time confirmation. BillPro can send a follow-up without you having to do anything if they haven’t opened it after a day.

To ensure that clients never miss them, you can send invoices through a variety of channels, including SMS, secure links, and email. You are always aware of what is going on behind the scenes because everything is monitored and recorded.

2. “I Forgot to Pay”

To be honest, it’s very human to forget to pay. Even the most well-organised clients occasionally make mistakes, particularly when they’re juggling multiple deadlines or overflowing inboxes. One of the simplest excuses for late payments that clients can use is “I forgot.”

However, you aren’t spending time on higher-value work if you are continuously pursuing clients who are forgetful. Additionally, it turns into a never-ending cycle of follow-up emails and frustration in the absence of a systematic reminder system.

💡Did you know?

Automated reminders can reduce late payments by up to 50%.

One of the best ways to make sure you get paid on time is to use a scheduled card payment. This eliminates uncertainty and maintains consistency for both you and your clients. However, BillPro helps you stay on top of collecting the payment by sending automated notifications in the event that a card payment is declined. Your follow-up procedure remains consistent without the need for additional admin because these alerts are triggered by retry settings that are set at the merchant profile level.

👉 Discover more in Automated Recurring Billing: The Key to Saving Time & Avoiding Payment Delays.

BillPro makes it easy to stay on top of payments. Billing events are used to automatically schedule all recurring charges, whether they are for subscriptions, installments, or usage-based billing. As a result, payments are made automatically and on schedule.

However, BillPro intervenes if a transaction is rejected. Based on the merchant profile’s retry settings, it automatically notifies users. In this manner, you can stay informed and recover revenue more quickly without having to do any work.

👉 Explore automated dunning tools in BillPro Retry & Dunning Automation.

3. “My Card Was Declined”

One of the most frequent—and reversible—causes of unsuccessful payments is declined cards. The result is the same whether the payment fails and you are left waiting because of a technical problem, an expired card, or a lack of funds. Regretfully, a rejected card frequently turns into just another reason for a late payment.

The actual problem? A lot of businesses don’t have a plan for what will happen next. They then send the client an email, watch for a response, and hope the problem goes away on its own.

👉 Learn how to prevent card declines in How to Reduce Payment Failures and Improve Cash Flow.

With BillPro, you don’t need to chase payments manually. The system automatically retries failed cards at smart intervals, increasing your chances of success. You can set how many times to retry and when, so it works with your revenue cycle.

Plus, clients receive a secure link where they can update their payment method themselves – no awkward emails or delays.

4. “I Need More Time”

Occasionally, a customer simply isn’t prepared to pay. Perhaps they are also awaiting payment. They may be experiencing cash flow problems. Or perhaps they simply need some breathing room.

This is an example of an excuse where being flexible can really help you. But only if your system can handle it without making it a hassle for administrators.

💡Did you know?

Flexible billing options reduce churn by 18% among subscription-based customers.

👉 Learn how to improve customer loyalty with How Payment Flexibility Boosts Customer Retention.

BillPro lets you offer flexible billing terms without the stress. Need to split a bill into instalments? Push back a due date? Offer a temporary pause? It’s all easy to manage through the platform.

And because it’s automated, there’s no need to manually adjust every invoice. You keep control, while your clients stay happy.

When you meet your clients where they are, they’re more likely to pay – and keep coming back.

5. “I Don’t Recognise This Charge”

Clarity is usually the key here. Clients may honestly forget what they are paying for, or they may use it as a reason to put off payment, if an invoice is not itemized correctly or has unclear labels. You frequently hear the same excuses for late payments, and these types of misunderstandings are frequently added to the list.

Businesses with add-ons, usage-based pricing, or project-based fees are particularly at risk from this.

BillPro enables you to generate branded, transparent invoices that detail each charge. It’s an easy method to decrease conflict and foster trust. Additionally, customers pay you more quickly when they trust your invoices.

Quick tip: To cut down on pointless inquiries, name all goods and services consistently.

Result? Clarity builds confidence, and confidence speeds up payments.

6. “I Didn’t Authorise This Payment”

This excuse can be a red flag. Whether it’s a misunderstanding or an intentional attempt to reverse a charge, it can lead to serious consequences, like chargebacks, expensive fees, and revenue loss.

The key here is to have a clear digital trail that proves the client authorised the payment.

💡Did you know?

Clients are 40% more likely to dispute a charge if they don’t recognise or recall the authorisation step.

BillPro uses secure authorisation methods like 3D Secure. When a customer completes their first payment, they authenticate it securely. This initial approval is required before any recurring billing transactions can occur.

Future charges are then tied to this authorisation – ensuring compliance, reducing fraud, and keeping things smooth for both sides. It’s a simple way to stay professional, protect your revenue, and build customer trust.

7. “Our Finance Team Is Still Reviewing It”

You’ve undoubtedly heard this one before if you deal with bigger clients. Even when the invoice is correct and approved, payment may be delayed due to internal approvals, finance bottlenecks, and protracted procurement cycles. Regretfully, this is just another of the numerous justifications for late payments that companies frequently encounter.

Although it’s annoying, using better tools and more understandable terminology can help you cut down on delays.

Your team can view all invoices and transactions from a single, secure dashboard with BillPro’s merchant-only access. Customers will eventually be able to view their orders through secure one-time links without the need for role management or login.

You can also include payment terms and late fee policies directly on your invoices to set clear expectations from the start.

In short: You’ll spend less time following up, and more time focused on growing your business.

How to Reduce Late Payments – Pro Tips with BillPro

Tired of chasing invoices? Here are a few of our practical steps to reduce late payments and stay in control:

1. Use Subscription Billing Software

Automated, recurring billing takes the guesswork out of monthly payments.

2. Choose the Right Billing Model

Flat fees? Usage-based? Hybrid? The right model matters.

3. Automate Everything

From invoicing to reconciliation, automation frees your team to focus on growth.

4. Offer Multiple Payment Methods

Give clients the flexibility to pay how they want, and they’ll pay faster.

👉 Looking ahead? Don’t miss Top Subscription Growth Trends to Watch in 2025.

Final Thoughts

Excuses for late payments are inevitable for any business, but they don’t have to hold you back. You can transform a tedious procedure into a smooth one with the correct billing platform.

BillPro’s automated billing platform is built for businesses that want to grow without the stress of managing billing manually. From sending the first invoice to managing retries, reminders, and reconciliations, BillPro takes care of the details – so you don’t have to.

Are you prepared to give up chasing payments and begin expanding more quickly? Register at bill.pro for free.

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BillPro Limited is a company registered in Gibraltar under company number 115795. Registered office address Suite 1 Burns House | 19 Town Range | GX11 1AA | Gibraltar. BillPro Limited works with a number of Merchant Acquirers. These acquirers undertake the processing of card transactions. Businesses will be required to enter into and maintain a separate contract with an acquiring bank nominated by BillPro for the processing of card transactions. Under the contract with the acquiring bank, transaction charges and other fees will apply. Fees are described in the pricing section of our website are representative of the fees charged by our nominated acquirers, but may not be exhaustive.

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