Text messages for an unpaid invoice or small claim
Small jobs are agreed by text far more often than by contract. When the invoice goes unpaid, the thread is the contract: the scope, the price, the deadline and the promises to pay are all in there, in order, with dates. What it is not, in its raw form, is a document you can attach to a claim.
ThreadProof turns those screenshots into one PDF with a cover page, continuous page numbers, a declaration and a hash appendix, all built in your browser.
Start with one screenshot. It stays on your device and you will see the first page in seconds.
Build my exhibit freeThe four messages that carry the claim
Most unpaid-invoice threads come down to four points: the message where the work is described, the message where a price is agreed, the message where the work is confirmed done or delivered, and every message where payment is promised or dodged. Find those first and build outwards only as far as you need.
Include your invoice reference if it appears in the thread. If it does not, put it in the case title so the exhibit can be matched to the invoice without guesswork.
- Scope of the work as described in writing
- The agreed price or rate
- Delivery or completion confirmation
- Every payment promise and every chase
Using it in a demand letter
A demand letter with a numbered exhibit attached is harder to ignore than one without. Cite page numbers in the letter, for example "see Exhibit A, page 4, where payment was promised by 14 March". Continuous numbering is what makes that possible, and it is on by default.
For a claim form, the Email profile keeps the file under the attachment limits most portals impose while keeping the text legible.
Keeping it neutral
Resist the urge to crop out your own chasing messages or an awkward reply. A complete, dated thread is more persuasive than a curated one, and the other side has the same messages. Redact bank details, other clients' names and anything unrelated; the log records each one.
ThreadProof formats documents and is not a law firm. Nothing here is legal advice.
Questions people ask
- Can I include the invoice PDF itself?
- Import a screenshot or image of it and it will be numbered in the same sequence as the messages.
- What if the client paid part of it?
- Include the payment confirmation messages. A partial payment usually helps, because it shows the debt was accepted.
- What does it cost and can I cancel?
- Personal is $9 per month or $79 per year. A one-time Case Pass is $24 for 90 days. Professional is $49 per month or $439 per year. Cancel anytime from your Account page in two taps; access continues to the end of the period you paid for. Every charge has a 14-day money-back policy: see the policy at /refunds.
Related guides
- Text messages as evidence in small claims
Use text messages in small claims: capture the agreement and the promises to pay in date order and bring one numbered PDF with copies for everyone in the room.
- How to organize text messages chronologically
Order text message screenshots by date, not by file name: capture in sequence, check the overlap, and lock the order into one numbered PDF exhibit.
- What is an exhibit cover page?
An exhibit cover page names the document before anyone reads it: matter, parties, platform, date range, page count, and exhibit label. Here is the full checklist.
- How to send text message evidence to your lawyer
Send your lawyer one numbered PDF instead of forty images: what to include, how to name the file, and what to keep on your own device afterwards.
ThreadProof formats documents. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
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