Reminder letter (rykkerskrivelse)
Also known as reminder, payment reminder, dunning letter, rykker, rykkerbrev, betalingspåmindelse, venlig reminder
A reminder letter is a written notice that an invoice has fallen due and has still not been paid.
In practice
The reminder is the creditor’s own instrument — you do not need a debt collection agency to send it, and most payments do in fact come in at this stage. A reminder must identify the invoice, state the amount, set a new deadline and say what happens if payment is not made.
You may send as many reminders as you like. But you may only charge a fee for three of them, and at least 10 days must pass between each one. That is why a reminder cycle takes around a month in practice before the case is ripe for debt collection.
The third reminder is usually also where the notice of debt collection is included: one and the same letter can be both a reminder and the statutory formal demand, provided it contains the right information and a deadline of at least 10 days.
Where it commonly goes wrong
- The reminders are sent too close together. If less than 10 days pass between two reminders, the fee for the latter cannot be claimed.
- Reminders are sent indefinitely. After the third reminder, reminders stop working. Statistically, the likelihood of payment falls month by month — it is action, not more letters, that moves a debtor who does not intend to pay.
- The reminder does not state the consequence. A letter without a consequence is a notice, not a reminder.