It can be frustrating when someone falls behind on a payment or debt, but it's a smart best practice to use a 60-Day Past Due Letter to make a second demand for the money owed to you. Having a letter on file not only helps protect your rights and obligations, it helps you build a paper trail in case you need to get more legal help with the situation later on.

Whether you're a landlord, business, lender, or an individual, you can use a 60-Day Past Due Letter to demand payment for a past-due amount of money. A simple reminder may be enough to get paid the money owed to you, but even if the person still refuses to pay, you can use this documentation of your efforts in court. Your 60-Day Past Due Letter should include details like: who is demanding payment; who owes the money; what the letter is regarding; when the last letter demanding payment was mailed, and how much was demanded (including interest and late charges); how much has already been paid; how much is owed as of this letter; when payment must be made to avoid legal action; how the debtor can contact you; and more. A 60-Day Past Due Letter is meant to be used by businesses, banks or individuals collecting their own debts, so if you're trying to collect a debt for someone else, talk to a lawyer to see if you qualify for an exception under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Other names for this document: Collections Letter, Letter of Demand, Past Due Invoice Letter