Demand Letter Pack

California · Unpaid invoice

A demand letter for an unpaid invoice in California

In California, small claims court asks you to request payment before you sue. A demand letter names each unpaid invoice, the amount and a final date to pay, and states the next step you are prepared to take. It is for invoices owed by a business: letters about an invoice owed by a private individual are not available in California yet. You get the letter in English or Spanish.

Start your letterFrom $49, paid once. No account needed.

The questions, and the documents that come with the letters (checklist, timeline, next steps and memo), are in English. The letters can be written in English or Spanish.

The rules your letter follows

Taken from the official sources listed below. Interest rates change from time to time; these are the current ones.

Final date the letter gives
14 days
No law sets the period. You can choose up to 30 days.
Interest where the contract sets no rate
10% a year
Simple interest after the breach, on a contract that states no rate. If your contract states a rate, that rate continues instead.
Limitation period
4 years
On a written contract, a book account or a sale of goods, from the breach. Shorter on an oral contract for services. A signed written acknowledgment starts it again.
Collection costs
None by law
Collection costs and attorney fees can be claimed only if your contract or a specific statute provides for them.
Small claims court
Up to $12,500
For an individual or sole proprietor. A lower limit applies to corporations, partnerships and other businesses. Attorneys generally may not represent parties there.
How to send it
Certified mail
Return receipt requested, with a copy by first-class mail and by email. The receipt proves the date it arrived.

What the letter does

It names each unpaid invoice, with its number, date, amount and due date, and the work or goods you delivered. It says that payment is overdue, mentions earlier reminders only if you sent them, and asks for payment by a clear date. It mentions small claims court only if you say you are prepared to go there, and claims interest only where the law or your contract allows it.

Who can use it

The letter is for an invoice owed by a company, a partnership or another business. In California, letters about an invoice or a loan owed by a private individual are not available yet: state law may treat whoever writes collection letters for others as a debt collector who needs a state license. Deposit and refund letters are available.

If they still do not pay

An individual or sole proprietor can claim up to $12,500 in small claims court, and a business less. The filing fee depends on the amount claimed and on how many claims the filer has made recently. The escalation memo in the Complete pack describes these steps; it does not tell you which one to take.

Where the rules come from

What is in the envelope

Word and PDF files you can edit before you send anything.

  1. 01

    Demand letter

    The formal letter, in the language you choose, with your amount and payment details. The deadline, and any interest and costs, follow the local rules.

  2. 02

    Evidence checklist

    What to keep and what to enclose, checked against the files you uploaded.

  3. 03

    Timeline

    Your dispute date by date, including the dates still to come.

  4. 04

    Next steps

    How to send the letter so you can prove it arrived, and what to do with each kind of reply.

  5. 05

    Final DemandComplete

    A shorter second letter with a last deadline, for when the first one passes.

  6. 06

    Escalation memoComplete

    Court, collection agencies and lawyers: what each route involves. It describes the options; it does not choose one for you.

How it works

  1. Today

    You answer the questions. It takes about ten minutes, and your answers are saved as you go.

  2. Today

    You check the summary and pay. A few minutes later your documents are ready, in Word and PDF.

  3. When you are ready

    You sign the letter and send it yourself, so it comes from you.

Questions

Do I have to send a demand letter before small claims court?

Where possible, yes. The small claims form asks you to confirm that you asked the other side to pay before you sued, in person, in writing or by phone. After asking you can wait for an answer or file straight away.

Can I claim interest on a late invoice?

If your contract states a rate, that rate continues after a breach. If it states none, California law sets a statutory rate, simple, from the breach: the list above shows it. The letter claims interest only if you switch it on.

My client is a private person. Can I use this?

Not yet in California. Letters about an invoice or a loan owed by a private individual are held back there, because state law may treat whoever writes collection letters as a debt collector.

What does it cost?

$49 for the Standard pack and $79 for Complete, plus sales tax where it applies. You pay once.

P.S.

Your documents are written by an AI system and checked automatically against your answers and the local rules. No lawyer reviews them. They are document drafts and general information, not legal advice. Your answers are deleted 30 days after delivery, or sooner if you ask.

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