WhatsApp payment reminder for parents: 6 ready-made messages

The short answer: a good payment reminder on WhatsApp is a short, private message with four things: addressing the parent by name, a list of the lessons with dates, the total and the way to pay. No apology and no accusation. When the message is factual and sent at a fixed time, it is read as a routine update and not as a complaint.

Below are six messages to copy, by situation. The names, dates and amounts are for illustration only, and you need to replace them with your own details.

6 ready-made messages

1. A first reminder (or a routine reminder)

Hello Ronit, I am attaching Yoav's lessons that have not been paid yet:

• 6/10 at 17:15 (private) NIS 150
• 13/10 at 17:15 (private) NIS 150

Total: NIS 300 You can pay by bank transfer or by Bit. Thank you! Michal

2. An end of month summary

Hello Avi, Here is the summary of Noa's lessons in October:

• 3/10 (private) NIS 150
• 10/10 (group) NIS 100
• 17/10 (private) NIS 150
• 24/10 (group) NIS 100

Total for the month: NIS 500 I would be glad to receive payment by the 10th of the month. Thank you and have a good week!

3. An accumulated debt

Hello Dana, I wanted to tidy things up: 6 lessons of Omer's from September and October are still open, a total of NIS 900. I am attaching the full list below. If it is easier to split into two payments, no problem, just tell me. [list of lessons]

In this message it is worth offering a solution (splitting into payments) already in the first message. It lowers the pressure and increases the chance of an answer. If the debt keeps growing, move to the order of action in the article a parent is not paying for private lessons?.

4. After a late cancellation

Hello Yossi, About Maya's lesson today, which was cancelled two hours before: as we agreed at the start of the year, a cancellation less than 24 hours in advance is charged as a regular lesson. I added it to the monthly account. See you next week!

This message works only if the cancellation policy was agreed in advance and in writing. If not, it is better to let it go this time and send the policy ahead of next time.

5. Before a holiday or before the end of the year

Hello Shira, Before the break I wanted to close Itai's account: 3 lessons are still open, NIS 450 (details below). I would be glad to receive payment by the end of the week, and have a pleasant holiday!

6. Thanks for payment

Hello Ronit, I received the payment, thank you very much! Everything is settled up to today.

A short thank-you message closes the circle: the parent knows the payment was received, and there is no doubt whether something remains open. It is also an opportunity to send a receipt.

What not to write

• No apology. "Sorry to bother you" presents the request as a personal favour. A lesson that took place is a service that was provided.
• No accusation. "You have not paid yet" or "I already asked" raise the tension. A factual breakdown does the job.
• No unnecessary question marks. "Could you maybe pay sometime?" invites a delay. A clear date is better.
• Not in a group. A debt is between the tutor and the family, always in a private message.
• Not at late hours, not on Shabbat and not on a holiday. A message that arrives at an inconvenient time is remembered for the hour, not for the content.
• Not an amount without a breakdown. A list of lessons with dates prevents an argument and lets the parent correct a mistake if there is one.

It is also worth keeping a fixed date. A reminder that always arrives on the 1st of the month becomes part of the routine, and parents start to expect it.

A simple schedule for reminders

Good wording works only if it is sent on time. Here is an order that suits most tutors who collect at the end of the month (the days are for illustration only, adapt them to your method):

1. The 1st of the month: a monthly summary (message 2) to all parents, the same morning.
2. The 7th of the month: a short reminder (message 1) only to those who have not paid yet.
3. The 14th of the month: a phone call to anyone who still has not paid. Not another message.
4. As soon as a payment arrives: a thank-you message (message 6), mark it as paid and issue a receipt.

A tutor who collects at every lesson does not need all this. Message 1 is enough when a payment is delayed, and message 6 when it arrived. A tutor who works with a lesson package mainly needs one reminder before the package runs out.

How to adapt the wording to your own voice

The messages above are a starting point. It is worth adapting them so they sound like you:

• Greeting. Tutors who talk to parents on an equal footing will write "Hi Ronit". Tutors whose relationship is more formal will write "Hello Ronit". Both are fine, the main thing is to keep the same tone in which you usually talk.
• Language. If the parent talks to you in English, Russian or Arabic, send the reminder in the same language. A message in the parent's language is read faster and leaves less room for misunderstanding.
• Payment details. If there is a preferred way to pay, write it in every message. A parent who has to ask "where do I transfer to?" is a parent who pays tomorrow instead of today.
• Signature. A first name at the end of the message makes it more personal, especially when the parent has saved your number under another name.

When there is no WhatsApp: SMS or email

Not every parent uses WhatsApp, and some prefer another channel for money matters.

• SMS: a long message may be split into several parts. It is better to shorten it to one line: "Hello Ronit, a reminder from Michal: balance for Yoav NIS 300. Thank you!"
• Email: suits an organised monthly summary with a full list of lessons, and parents who manage expenses on a computer. Less suitable for an urgent reminder, because emails are sometimes read late.

How Teaching fills in the template, and what stays in your hands

In Teaching you do not need to copy and paste. In the "Collection" screen there is a card for each student with a debt, with buttons: WhatsApp, SMS and email, according to the contact details on the student's card.

A tap on "WhatsApp" shows a preview of a ready message, which already includes:

• The parent's name and the student's name
• Your name, as you set it
• The list of unpaid lessons, each on a line: date, time, private or group, and price
• The total

From there the message opens in WhatsApp. The system does not send the message itself. You see it, can change a word or add a sentence, and press "send". You can keep the phone number on the student's card in the usual format (050...), and the system converts it to the international format that WhatsApp needs.

Your own wording. In settings there are three templates to edit: WhatsApp, SMS and email. Inside the template you put tags for the parent's name, the student's name, the tutor's name, the list of lessons and the amount, and the system fills them in for each parent. If you changed it and want to go back, there is a "Restore default" button.

Language. For each student you can set the language of messages to the parent. A template you edited is sent to parents who receive messages in your interface language. Parents in another language get the system's translated template.

After the parent has paid, you press "Mark payment", mark the lessons that were paid and press "Mark as paid". That way the next reminder will not include them.

What stays in your hands: deciding when to send, pressing "send", and receiving the payment. Parents pay you directly, not through Teaching.

Want the full picture, from setting rules to marking a payment? Read the full guide to collecting payment for private lessons. And if you are planning to raise a price, there is also a guide to raising a private lesson price.

Written by the Teaching team · Updated on 14 October 2026.