Blog · Appraisers
Asking an AMC for Outstanding Payments: A Statement Template
When an AMC owes you for several orders, the worst way to ask is a vague email that says "I'm still waiting on some payments." It forces someone in accounts payable to go digging, and vague requests tend to sit at the bottom of the queue. The best way is a short statement: a list of exactly which orders are unpaid, for how much, and since when.
A statement makes the request easy to act on. The person reading it can check each line against their system, release what is due, and tell you what is holding up the rest. This post gives you a format for the statement and a cover email to send with it.
Before you send anything
Take ten minutes to make sure your statement is accurate. A statement with mistakes undermines the whole request.
- Check the AMC's portal. Many portals show payment status per order. Some "unpaid" orders may already be paid, scheduled, or on hold for a reason you can fix.
- Match recent deposits. If the AMC pays in batches, match each deposit to specific orders before you call anything unpaid. See getting paid by AMCs for a matching method.
- Confirm the fees. Use the fee on the engagement letter, plus any increase approved in writing. Do not include amounts you discussed but never got approved.
- Check for open revisions. If an order has an outstanding revision request, the AMC may hold payment until it is cleared. Clear it first, or note it.
- Check the AMC's billing process. Some AMCs want invoices through the portal or a specific accounts payable address. Their vendor guidelines usually say how.
What goes on the statement
Keep it to the facts the AMC needs to find each order. A good statement has a header and one line per order.
Header:
- Your name and company name
- Your vendor or appraiser ID with that AMC
- The statement date
- The AMC's name
One line per unpaid order:
- Order or reference number
- Property address
- Date the report was submitted (or the final revision, if later)
- Fee
- Amount already paid, if any
- Balance
- Days outstanding
End with the total balance. Leave out anything the AMC does not need, such as borrower names, loan amounts or details from the report itself.
Statement template
Copy this layout into an email, a spreadsheet or a PDF. The amounts below are placeholders, not typical fees.
Statement of outstanding orders
Jane Smith, Smith Valuation LLC
Vendor ID: 00000
To: Example AMC, Accounts Payable
Statement date: November 2, 2026
| Order # | Address | Submitted | Fee | Paid | Balance | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-10517 | 88 Pine Ave, Springfield | Sep 9, 2026 | $575.00 | $500.00 | $75.00 | 54 |
| A-10602 | 301 Lake Rd, Springfield | Sep 18, 2026 | $500.00 | $0.00 | $500.00 | 45 |
| A-10655 | 17 Hill St, Riverton | Sep 25, 2026 | $450.00 | $0.00 | $450.00 | 38 |
| Total outstanding | $1,025.00 | |||||
Notes you might add under the table, only if they apply:
- "Order A-10517: fee increase to $575 approved by email on Sep 5 (copy attached)."
- "No revisions are open on any of these orders."
Cover email template
Keep the email short. The statement does the work.
Subject: Outstanding payments: Smith Valuation LLC, vendor ID 00000
Hello,
I'm writing about three completed orders that show as unpaid on my side, totaling $1,025.00. The details are in the statement below (and attached).
Could you confirm the payment status of each order, or let me know if anything is needed from me to release payment? If any of these have already been paid, I'd appreciate the payment date and reference so I can match it.
Thank you for your help.
Jane Smith
Smith Valuation LLC
Phone and email
Where to send it
Send it to the contact the AMC designates for billing questions. That is often an accounts payable or vendor payments address listed in the vendor guidelines or the portal, not your usual order coordinator. If you cannot find one, ask your vendor manager where payment questions should go, then send the statement there and copy the vendor manager.
Always send from your own business email so the reply comes back to you and the thread stays in your records. Some order tracking tools can draft the statement for you from your order and payment history; the AppraiseQ tracker does this and leaves you to review it and send it from your own mailbox, since it never emails AMCs itself.
If you don't hear back
Give the AMC a reasonable window to respond, based on their stated payment terms. Then follow up in steps:
- Reply on the same thread after about a week, with the statement updated for anything paid since.
- Copy your vendor manager if the second message gets no response.
- Use the AMC's formal escalation route if one exists in their vendor agreement or guidelines.
- Keep records of every message, statement version and response.
Stay factual at every step. If a long-unpaid balance raises questions about your rights or remedies, that is a question for an attorney or your state's resources for appraisers, not something to threaten in an email.
Make it a routine
Statements work best as a regular habit rather than a reaction to frustration. Many appraisers send one to each AMC with an outstanding balance at the start of every month. Done that way, the email reads as routine bookkeeping, not a complaint, and small gaps get fixed before they grow.
Over time, your statements also tell you which clients pay reliably and which ones need chasing. That belongs in your decisions about where to spend your time; see earnings by client for a way to weigh it.
Checklist
- Portal checked for payment status and holds
- Recent deposits matched to orders
- Fees confirmed against engagement letters and written approvals
- Open revisions cleared or noted
- Statement lists order number, address, submitted date, fee, paid, balance and days
- Sent to the AMC's billing contact from your own business email
- Follow-up date on your calendar