What to Do If You're Not Getting Paid

Step-by-step escalation

Move in order. Do not skip ahead without reason, but do not stay too long on a step that is no longer working.

Verify the invoice amount, due date, approved scope, change work, and who is responsible for payment. If the file is not clear, fix that first.

Example: a remodeler chasing a $6,800 balance should confirm that signed change work is attached before sending a stronger demand.

Use a short email that states the invoice number, amount due, due date, and a firm request for payment. Do not argue by phone and then leave no record.

This step is appropriate when the account is newly overdue and there is no clear payment dispute yet.

If the client ignores follow-up or keeps delaying, move to a formal written notice. State the balance, the supporting documents, and the date by which you expect payment or a response.

This is often the right move before lien filing or court review. It shows that the account is no longer in ordinary collections.

If the job is on private property and the balance is material, review lien rights before the account gets old. Do not wait until the file is in crisis to check deadlines.

This matters most for subcontractors and suppliers, where notice and deadline rules can cut off leverage quickly.

Use lien pressure when the job is private, the amount owed justifies the effort, and timing still supports the claim. Use court review when the balance is smaller, the facts are disputed, the project is public, or lien timing is doubtful.

The point is not to sound aggressive. The point is to choose the path that still has practical value.

Keep copies of the contract, change approvals, invoices, delivery records, job communications, and your last day on site. Nonpayment is easier to resolve when the record is current and organized.

• 1. Confirm the account before you press the client
• 2. Send a direct written reminder
• 3. Send a formal notice when reminders stop working
• 4. Review lien rights early on private projects
• 5. Decide between lien pressure and court review
• 6. Preserve the record while the account is still active

When to act

Time is part of the claim. If you wait too long, the practical options narrow.

Confirm the account and send a written reminder. This is still a collection issue, not yet a formal escalation issue.

Move to formal notice if the client is ignoring reminders or giving vague promises. This is also the point to check whether lien rights may matter.

Treat the account as urgent. If the amount matters, review lien eligibility and filing deadlines immediately.

Do not continue with routine reminders. Decide promptly whether the account should move into lien action, court review, or another formal collection path.

• 1 to 14 days overdue
• 15 to 45 days overdue
• 46 to 90 days overdue
• Over 90 days overdue

Common mistakes

Courtesy does not stop deadlines. A polite delay can still cost you a lien right.

If the account history only exists in voicemail and memory, you lose clarity when the dispute hardens.

A $900 service invoice, a $9,000 private remodel balance, and a public-project retention dispute do not call for the same response.

Contractors often wait until the account is months old before they ask whether lien rights were available. That review should happen much earlier.

If the amount due depends on undocumented extras or unclear completion status, formal escalation gets harder, not easier.

• Waiting because the client sounds cooperative
• Relying on calls instead of written records
• Treating every unpaid invoice the same way
• Checking lien rights too late
• Escalating without a clean file

Use the lien tools in order

If the account may need formal payment protection, use the tools in a practical sequence.

Use the unpaid invoice decision tool to decide whether the next move is follow-up, notice, lien review, or court review.

Use the lien eligibility checker to screen whether the job facts support a lien path at all.

Use the mechanics lien deadline calculator before delay takes the option away.

Use the lien vs small claims tool if you need to choose between property leverage and a direct court route.

• Start with unpaid invoice triage
• Then check lien fit
• Then check timing
• Then choose the path