Automatically text back every call you miss
“I'm missing calls when I'm with a client, and those people just call the next place on the list.”
Invoicing & Payments
Stop chasing late payments
“I spend hours every week looking through Quickbooks and emailing clients who haven't paid their invoices.”
The short answer
Turn on automated invoice reminders inside your accounting software to send a polite nudge 3 days before, on the due date, and 3 days after an invoice is due. Most late payments aren't malicious; they are simply forgotten. Removing the human element from payment collection saves you time and preserves the client relationship by making the software the 'bad guy' asking for money.
- ~3 hours/week back (estimated)
- 15 minutes to set up
- Easy difficulty
How we estimated that: Assumes 12 open invoices and roughly 15 minutes a week each chasing payment across email and phone. This is a model, not a measurement — check it against your own numbers, because if the assumption does not match your business the figure will not either.
What you'll need
- QuickBooks Online leanest paid option
Built-in feature under Account and Settings > Sales > Reminders.
Only if you already have it. Worth knowing if this is already on your invoice. We would not suggest buying it just for this.
Watch the pricing: Advertised at $19/mo — that is 50% off for three months only. Simple Start reverts to $38/mo from month four.
Pricing checked 2026-08-01 — source. - Stripe
Available in Stripe Billing settings.
Watch the pricing: Standard card processing is 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction online. Stripe Invoicing is free for first 25 invoices/month, then 0.4% per paid invoice (up to $2 max). Stripe Billing adds 0.5%–0.8% fee on recurring payments.
Pricing checked 2026-08-02 — source. - Xero
Built-in feature under Settings > Invoice Settings > Invoice Reminders.
Watch the pricing: Advertised prices ($5/$11/$18 per month) are intro rates (80% off for first 3 months). Regular prices revert to $25/mo (Early), $55/mo (Growing), and $90/mo (Established). Early plan locks you to 20 invoices and 5 bills per month.
Pricing checked 2026-08-02 — source.
We are not paid by any tool listed here. If a cheaper or better option exists, that's what you'll see.
Pricing above was checked between 2026-08-01 and 2026-08-02. Vendors change their terms without notice, and free tiers do get withdrawn. We take no money from any vendor listed here. If something on this page is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Watch the quick setup (30s)
Original tutorial by Navigator Bookkeeping · Watch full video on YouTube →
How to set it up
- Locate reminder settings
Find the automated reminders section in your specific invoicing tool.
- Set the cadence
A good baseline is: 3 days before due (polite heads up), 0 days (due today), and 3 days overdue (firm reminder).
- Customize the copy
Keep it brief and neutral. 'Hi [Name], this is a quick reminder that invoice #[Number] is due on [Date]. You can pay securely online here: [Link].'
- Enable auto-pay if possible
For recurring clients, give them a checkbox to save their card and auto-charge it next time.
Common questions
- What if a client needs an extension?
- They will reply to the automated email. You can always pause reminders manually for specific invoices if needed.
- Does QuickBooks Online or Xero charge extra for automated payment reminders?
- No. Automatic unpaid invoice reminders are built directly into standard QuickBooks Online (/mo) and Xero (-/mo) subscriptions at no additional cost.
Last reviewed 2026-07-30. Tools change — if something here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.
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