Statement of account template and email samples

A statement of account is a summary of all invoices, payments, and credits on a customer's account over a period, with the balance they still owe. Businesses send them monthly to keep accounts reconciled and politely prompt payment. Below you'll find a full sample, a free downloadable template, and three ready-to-send email examples.

Statement of account sample

Here is what a clear, professional statement of account looks like. It runs in date order from the opening balance to the closing balance, so the customer can see exactly how the amount owed was reached:

Best practice is to finish the statement with an ageing summary, so the customer sees at a glance what is current and what is overdue:

Free statement of account template (Excel and Google Sheets)

Download the free statement of account template here. It mirrors the sample above: your business details at the top, the customer's details, the statement period, a dated transaction list with debit, credit, and running balance columns, and an ageing summary at the bottom. Open it in Google Sheets or download it as Excel, fill in your transactions, and export to PDF before sending.

What is a statement of account?

A statement of account (often shortened to SOA) is a document a business sends a customer summarizing all account activity over a period, usually a month: invoices issued, payments received, credit notes applied, and the resulting balance owed. Unlike an invoice, it does not request payment for one transaction; it shows the whole position of the account.

Statements do quiet but important work in the accounts receivable process. They catch missed invoices, surface disputes early, keep your records and your customer's records reconciled, and act as a polite standing reminder of anything overdue. That matters more than it sounds: 92% of businesses report their invoices are paid late, and a regular statement cycle is one of the lowest-friction ways to keep balances visible.

Statement of account vs invoice: what is the difference?

An invoice bills one transaction; a statement summarizes the account. The comparison in full:

A billing statement is essentially the same document as a statement of account in most business contexts, and a bank statement is the same idea applied to a bank account: the bank's record of your transactions and balance, sent to you as the account holder.

What to include in a statement of account

• Your business details: name, address, and contact information, plus your logo
• The customer's details and their account reference
• The statement period and issue date, so there is no ambiguity about what it covers
• Opening balance carried forward from the previous period
• Every transaction in date order: invoices (debits), payments and credit notes (credits), each with its reference
• A running balance after each transaction
• The closing balance due, clearly emphasized
• An ageing summary showing current vs 30, 60, and 90+ day overdue amounts
• How to pay: bank details or a payment link, and who to contact with queries

Keep amounts inclusive of VAT so they match what the customer actually owes, and send the statement as a PDF so it cannot be edited in transit.

Statement of account email examples

The statement does the accounting; the covering email does the communication. Three copy-paste examples for the most common situations:

Email example 1: Standard monthly statement

Email example 2: Statement with an overdue balance

Email example 3: Short covering note

When and how to send statements of account

Send statements monthly, in the first few days of the month, covering the month just ended. Consistency is the point: customers reconcile faster when the statement arrives on a predictable date, and finance teams that follow up on 100% of their overdue invoices are 76% more likely to be paid within two weeks. Also send one immediately when a customer requests it, when a dispute needs resolving, or before escalating an overdue account, so everyone is arguing from the same numbers.

Attach the statement as a PDF with a clear subject line ("Your statement of account for June – Acme Supplies"), keep the covering email short, and address it to the person in accounts payable rather than a general inbox. Most accounting platforms, including Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage, can generate customer statements; the manual step they leave you with is remembering to send them, personalizing the message, and following up.

What happens after you send a statement?

Three outcomes, each with a next step. If the customer pays, allocate the payment and the cycle continues. If they dispute a line, resolve it against the invoices and delivery records the statement references; catching disputes at statement time is far cheaper than at escalation time. If they go quiet and the ageing column keeps growing, escalate: reminder emails and payment reminder texts, then a phone call, then a demand letter for payment, and finally debt collections.

Automate your statements and the follow-up

Producing statements is easy; the discipline of sending, personalizing, and following up on them every month is where time disappears. 40% of businesses spend six or more hours per week on accounts receivable tasks like these. Credit control software like Chaser automates the cycle: statements and reminders sent on schedule, personalized from your accounting data, with escalation to SMS, calls, letters, and collections when balances age, connected to Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage in about five minutes. Businesses using AR automation software are 52% more likely to be paid within two weeks.

Statement of account FAQs