EMI overdue reminder WhatsApp template

An EMI overdue reminder tells a borrower that an EMI is past due, how much is outstanding and how to pay or talk to you. It’s a collections message, so it follows RBI’s recovery rules: sent between 8 am and 7 pm, in polite words, to the borrower only, with a grievance contact.

Category UtilitySend Day 1, 3 and 7 overdue, 8 am to 7 pmVersions 3

Use this template See all 3 versions

Your lenderBusiness account

Today

Hi Arjun, your EMI of ₹9,800 for loan account ending 6614 was due on 5 Dec and is still unpaid. You can pay using the button below. For any concern, contact grievance@yourlender.example during working hours.Reply HELP to talk to our team10:00Pay EMIAlready paid

Copy-ready templates

Three versions, by days past due

Each step offers more help, not more pressure. The aim is a payment or a conversation.

1 day overdue

Sent the day after a missed EMI.

Category: Utility
Language: English (en)
Header: None
Footer: Reply HELP to talk to our team
Buttons: Visit website: “Pay EMI”
Quick reply: “Already paid”

Hi {{1}}, your EMI of ₹{{2}} for loan account ending {{3}} was due on {{4}} and is still unpaid. You can pay using the button below. For any concern, contact {{5}} during working hours.

Hi {{1}}, your EMI of ₹{{2}} for loan account ending {{3}} was due on {{4}} and is still unpaid. You can pay using the button below. For any concern, contact {{5}} during working hours.Reply HELP to talk to our team10:00Pay EMIAlready paid

3 days overdue: offer help

For borrowers who haven’t responded.

Category: Utility
Language: English (en)
Header: None
Footer: Reply HELP to talk to our team
Buttons: Visit website: “Pay now”
Quick reply: “Talk to the team”

Hi {{1}}, the EMI for your loan account ending {{2}} is now {{3}} days overdue. If you are facing difficulty, our team can discuss options with you. For any concern, contact {{4}} during working hours.

“Talk to the team” goes to a person. Borrowers in hardship respond to an offer of help, not to repeated payment links.

Hi {{1}}, the EMI for your loan account ending {{2}} is now {{3}} days overdue. If you are facing difficulty, our team can discuss options with you. For any concern, contact {{4}} during working hours.Reply HELP to talk to our team10:00Pay nowTalk to the team

Schedule a call

Day 7 and beyond, before field visits or calls.

Category: Utility
Language: English (en)
Header: None
Footer: Reply HELP to talk to our team
Buttons: Visit website: “Pick a time”
Quick reply: “Call me now”

Hi {{1}}, we would like to speak with you about the overdue amount of ₹{{2}} on your loan account ending {{3}}. Please choose a convenient time between 8 am and 7 pm. For any concern, contact {{4}} during working hours.

Hi {{1}}, we would like to speak with you about the overdue amount of ₹{{2}} on your loan account ending {{3}}. Please choose a convenient time between 8 am and 7 pm. For any concern, contact {{4}} during working hours.Reply HELP to talk to our team10:00Pick a timeCall me now

Variables

What each variable means

Variable	What goes in it	Sample value	Usually comes from
{{1}}	Borrower’s first name	Arjun	LMS
{{2}}	Overdue amount (version 2: loan last 4)	9,800	LMS dues
{{3}}	Loan last 4 (version 2: days past due)	6614	LMS
{{4}}	Due date (versions 2 and 3: grievance contact)	5 Dec	LMS / grievance policy
{{5}}	Grievance officer’s contact (version 1)	grievance@yourlender.example	Your grievance redressal policy

Send overdue reminders only to the borrower’s own number. Co-applicant and guarantor messages need their own consent and your compliance team’s wording.

Meta category

Why this is Utility, and why it’s still collections

An overdue EMI is an update about the borrower’s own loan, so Meta treats it as Utility.

But it’s a recovery communication, so RBI’s rules for recovery apply: no contact before 8 am or after 7 pm, no intimidation or humiliation, and no messages to third parties about the dues. RBI’s fair practices code also expects lenders to make their grievance officer easy to reach, so every version here carries a grievance contact.

What makes it non-compliant, not just MarketingThreats (“legal action within 24 hours”), shaming, contacting family or employers, or messages at night. Any of these can trigger complaints to RBI, as well as blocks that hurt your number’s quality.

Timing

When to send it

1
Day 1 overdue, 10 amVersion 1.8 am to 7 pm
2
Day 3, 11 amVersion 2.8 am to 7 pm
3
Day 7, 11 amVersion 3.8 am to 7 pm
4
After thatCalls or visits by your team, per your collections policy.

Three WhatsApp messages in a week is enough. More messages don’t recover more; they get the number blocked, which ends the channel for every borrower.

Approval

Why EMI overdue reminder templates get rejected

Threats or legal language

Meta rejects threatening templates, and RBI’s fair-practice rules forbid intimidation. State the amount, the options and the contact.

Sending outside 8 am to 7 pm

Campaigns scheduled late in the evening, or queued bounce files sent overnight, break the recovery window. Check the send time.

Variable at the start or end

Meta rejects a body that opens or closes with a variable. Every version above starts and ends with fixed words.

No grievance contact

A collections message with no way to complain draws complaints elsewhere. Keep the contact in a variable.

Send it from SAMWAD

Three ways to put this template to work

No codeCampaign upload

Upload your DPD bucket (day 1, 3 or 7) each morning and schedule the matching version for 10 to 11 am.

No codeJourney or Zapier

Zapier can read your daily DPD sheet and send the right version per row, inside the allowed hours.

DevelopersAPI from your system

Your collections system calls SAMWAD per borrower, with the send time capped to 8 am to 7 pm.

# Day 1 past due, between 8 am and 7 pm
POST https://www.app.samwad.tech/api/wpbox/sendtemplatemessage
{
  "token": "YOUR_API_KEY",
  "phone": "919800000210",
  "template_name": "emi_overdue_d1",
  "template_language": "en",
  "components": [{ "type": "body",
    "parameters": [
      { "type": "text", "text": "Arjun" },
      { "type": "text", "text": "9,800" },
      { "type": "text", "text": "6614" },
      { "type": "text", "text": "5 Dec" },
      { "type": "text", "text": "grievance@yourlender.example" }
    ] },
  { "type": "button", "sub_type": "url", "index": "0",
    "parameters": [{ "type": "text", "text": "LN-6614" }] }]
}

Full request format, button parameters and webhooks: developer documentation.

YARA can answer overdue replies politely within the same hours, resend the payment link and record promises to pay, and hands disputes and hardship cases to your team. It never negotiates settlements.

Compliance note for collections

Recovery hours. Once a payment is overdue, recovery rules apply: RBI bars recovery contact before 8 am or after 7 pm. Schedule this template between 8 am and 7 pm only.
Polite, factual wording. No threats, shaming or consequences beyond what the loan agreement states. Never message family, employers or references about the dues.
Grievance contact. Carry your grievance officer’s contact in a variable so the borrower always knows where to complain.
Borrower only. No messages to family, references or employers about the dues.
Opt-in first. Send only to borrowers who agreed to WhatsApp updates, and record when and where they agreed (loan application, app or branch form).

The sample wording on this page is a starting point, not legal advice. Have your compliance team review it before you submit.Sources: RBI recovery-hours direction, 12 Aug 2022 (Business Standard) · Meta: template categorization

FAQ

EMI overdue reminder template FAQs

Want help setting this up for your loans? We’ll walk through it with you on a call.

Book a demo

Is it legal to send EMI overdue reminders on WhatsApp?

Yes, if you follow the same rules as calls: 8 am to 7 pm, polite and factual wording, only to the borrower, with consent and a grievance contact. Check your policy with your compliance team.

What time can collections messages be sent?

Between 8 am and 7 pm, under RBI’s 2022 direction to banks, NBFCs and other regulated lenders.

Can we mention legal action?

Only wording your compliance team approved and that matches the loan agreement. Threats in a template risk rejection by Meta and complaints to RBI.

How many overdue reminders should we send?

Around three in the first week, then hand over to calls or visits.

Use it with these templates

All financial services templates →

UtilityEMI bounce alert templateTell borrowers a debit failed, and how to pay, within RBI’s hours.See the template →UtilityEMI due today templateA short morning message to manual payers who haven’t paid yet.See the template →UtilityEMI payment received templateConfirm every EMI payment with the amount and the next due date.See the template →

WhatsApp for financial services →The WhatsApp guide for lenders and insurers (free PDF) →WhatsApp EMI reminders: a guide for lenders →WhatsApp for NBFCs: templates, consent and KYC →AI agents for customer queries →

Use this template

Send this template to your borrowers this week.

Start a free trial, submit the template with SAGE checking it against Meta’s rules, and send it to your opted-in customers.

Use this template

For larger teams

Lending at scale?

Several numbers, your loan system connected through the API, YARA answering borrower questions, and on-prem or VPC AI for regulated teams.

Book a live demo