CANADIAN INVOICE FOLLOW-UP · UPDATED OCTOBER 2, 2026
Before you text about an overdue invoice, check which rules apply.
There is no single permission slip called “Canadian debt collection compliance.” The answer can change with the province, whether the customer is a person or business, who owns the receivable, who sends the message, and what that message says.
Start with the creditor and the contact
Collecting your own invoice can differ from a third party collecting for you. For example, Alberta describes an original-creditor exclusion from its collection-agency rules, while Ontario regulates businesses that arrange payment of another person’s debt. Neither example settles how every service or invoice is classified across Canada.
Check the province where the customer is contacted and the actual arrangement with any service provider. See Alberta’s creditor and agency guidance and Ontario’s agency guide.
A five-part check before a message
1. Is this the right person and the right balance?
Match the invoice number, legal customer, amount due, credits, payments and phone number. Do not disclose invoice or debt details to an unverified third party. A wrong-number reply means stop and investigate.
2. Is it a payment reminder or a commercial message?
A text that promotes a service or other commercial activity can be a commercial electronic message under Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). If CASL applies, the CRTC says consent, identification and an unsubscribe mechanism are required. Do not assume that every transactional invoice reminder is marketing, or that adding a pitch to a reminder is harmless.
CRTC guidance on CASL and SMS3. Has the customer disputed, paid or opted out?
Pause automation and reconcile the record. A customer who says the work or amount is wrong needs a human review; someone who says they already paid needs a remittance check. Record a stop request and do not treat a later upload as permission to resume.
4. Are the tone and timing appropriate?
Identify the sender, state only verified facts, avoid legal threats you are not authorized to make, and check the recipient’s local time. Provincial rules about agency contact and notice vary; do not reuse one province’s limits nationally.
5. Is a separate deadline running?
Court limitation periods, construction lien dates and insolvency steps are different from reminder schedules. A payment conversation does not necessarily preserve a right. Get qualified advice promptly when a deadline or disputed legal claim could matter.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner describes debt details about an identifiable person as sensitive personal information. Read its PIPEDA case summary.
Find the regulator for the relevant province
These official starting points explain agency obligations and, in some cases, original-creditor distinctions. They are not a complete checklist for every business or every customer type.
British Columbia
Consumer Protection BC debt-collection guidanceFor other jurisdictions, use the federal directory of provincial and territorial consumer authorities. Review the current law and obtain local advice where needed.
Use RemitRight for an agreed overdue invoice
Review the invoice and customer contact before authorizing a first message. Remi can help ask for full payment or a voluntary 3- or 5-month plan and route disputes, payment claims and wrong numbers to owner review.
Review one overdue invoiceRead the Canadian invoice guideGeneral information, not legal advice or a representation that RemitRight is licensed or exempt in every jurisdiction. Confirm the rules for the specific sender, recipient, message and location before use.