CANADIAN B2B GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 2, 2026
B2B overdue invoices in Canada: check the payment hold first.
B2B debt collection often starts with a billing problem: the wrong accounts-payable contact, a missing purchase order, or an invoice stuck outside a vendor portal. Find the hold first. If the balance is agreed and the customer needs time, offer a simple way to pay.
The short answer
Confirm the debt and the payer’s process, ask what is blocking payment, then choose the response that fits. For an agreed invoice, RemitRight can text an appropriate customer contact and offer full payment or a voluntary 3- or 5-month plan. It does not buy the debt, advance funds, guarantee recovery or enforce a judgment.
No RemitRight business subscription, setup fee or collection commission.
Four checks before any demand for payment
Your customer’s accounts payable (AP) team pays supplier invoices. Your own accounts receivable (AR) team tracks the amount owed. Ask AP about processing status before treating silence as refusal.
- 01
Right company and contact
Confirm the legal customer name, billing address and person or accounts-payable team responsible for the invoice. The buyer, site contact and payer may be different people.
- 02
Invoice received and accepted
Ask whether AP received the invoice and supporting documents. Check for a missing purchase order, vendor onboarding form, job number, approval or portal submission.
- 03
Amount and payment status
Match the agreed terms, taxes, deposits and credits to your ledger. Check for an existing EFT, cheque or card payment before asking again.
- 04
Reason for the hold
Ask whether the work, delivery or amount is disputed. If so, pause reminders and resolve that issue with the buyer; a payment link will not fix a genuine dispute.
This is a practical checklist, not a legal determination that an invoice is collectible. BDC recommends clear billing responsibilities, reviewing invoice mistakes and calibrating follow-up to the reason for delay. Read BDC’s invoicing guidance.
Choose the next move based on the answer
AP never received the invoice
Resend it through the requested channel and confirm the date it enters their payment queue.
RemitRight: Fix the billing handoff first.
Agreed balance; payer needs time
Offer a clear full-payment option or a written installment arrangement the payer can authorize.
RemitRight: This is the best RemitRight fit when you have an appropriate mobile contact.
Work or amount is disputed
Ask for specifics, gather contract and delivery records, and have the business owner review the claim.
RemitRight: Pause automated follow-up.
No response, insolvency or a deadline
Assess recoverability and get qualified advice about the applicable provincial process.
RemitRight: A reminder does not preserve a limitation period or lien.
For a general unpaid-invoice walkthrough, see the Canadian invoice guide.
An AP question that is easy to answer
Send this yourself through the billing channel the customer uses. Confirm the facts and adapt it to your relationship; it is an example, not an automated RemitRight email.
Hi [name], could you confirm whether invoice [number] for [amount], due [date], is in your payment queue? If it is on hold, is there a purchase order, vendor form or other detail you need from us? If it has already been paid, please send the remittance reference so I can reconcile it. Thanks, [your name].
If AP confirms the invoice is approved but payment is difficult, ask whether a clear installment option would help. Keep any fee and payment timing visible before the payer agrees. If they dispute the amount or work, stop automated payment requests and let a person resolve it.
For a missing purchase order, a payment already sent or an agreed balance needing more time, adapt the Canadian B2B payment reminder examples to the customer’s billing process.
Where RemitRight fits in a B2B process
A good pilot invoice
- Past due, with the correct payer and amount confirmed.
- Undisputed, with no known payment already in transit.
- A valid, appropriate mobile contact for the customer.
- Owner is willing to offer full payment or the available 3- or 5-month plan.
Keep it outside automation
- A purchase order or vendor-portal issue AP still needs fixed.
- A disputed invoice, wrong number, opt-out or payment claim.
- An assigned or sold receivable with unclear authority to contact the payer.
- Insolvency, a court process, construction lien or approaching legal deadline.
What the payer sees
On a $1,200 agreed invoice, full payment is $1,200 with no RemitRight plan fee. Three monthly payments are $412 each ($1,236 total, including a 3% plan fee); five are $252 each ($1,260 total, including a 5% fee). The plan fee applies once across the plan. Each payment must succeed; the plan is not a guarantee.
See how payment plans workWhen you need a different kind of help
Formal collection, legal enforcement and invoice financing are different services. The rules for collecting on someone else’s behalf vary by province. Ontario says collection agencies must be registered; BC has licensing requirements for debt-collection businesses. Check the applicable rules and get qualified advice before relying on a service for a disputed or time-sensitive claim. RemitRight is a software-assisted follow-up and voluntary payment-plan option, not a substitute for legal advice or formal enforcement.
Questions business owners ask
Should I contact accounts payable or accounts receivable?
Contact accounts payable at the customer company: that team processes the money they owe you. Accounts receivable is your own team tracking what customers owe your business.
Can RemitRight email a shared AP inbox?
RemitRight’s current automated follow-up is by text. If the customer only accepts invoices through an AP email address or vendor portal, complete that process first. Do not assume a general office phone reaches the person who can discuss payment.
Does a payment plan replace a collection agency?
No. A voluntary plan can help when the amount is agreed and the payer is willing to engage. A licensed agency or lawyer may be appropriate for a different stage or type of claim. Hiring an agency does not necessarily mean selling the debt.
What does RemitRight cost?
There is no RemitRight business subscription or setup fee. Credit card processing fees apply. A customer who chooses 3 monthly payments pays a disclosed 3% plan fee; 5 monthly payments carry a 5% fee. Full payment has no RemitRight plan fee.
Have one agreed overdue invoice?
Check the AP details, then try RemitRight with a suitable contact. Review the invoice and connect your Stripe account before any payment plan can start.
Add one overdue invoiceNo RemitRight business subscription or setup fee.