Updated Jan 9, 2023
Automatic payment reminders are emails attached to payment plans that notify clients to pay an invoice. If you don’t set up any reminders, clients are not notified when a payment is due.
👋 Here’s a tip… To reduce the number of payment reminders you send, set up autopay.
In this article:
Add reminder emails to a payment plan
Go to Templates >> Payment Plans.
Choose the payment plan or click Create new template.
Under Reminders, click Add reminder.
Customize the following:
Click Apply.
Complete steps 3-5 to create multiple reminders for each installment.
Send date
The send date determines when the reminder email will send — choose either before due date or after due date. The due date is specific to each payment plan installment.
👋 Here's a tip... Some Dubsado users like to create a “payment due today” email. To set an email that goes out on the same day as the due date, use the send date 0 days before due date.
Reminder email
For the email that gets sent to the client, choose either Select an email or Write new canned email.
Select an email
Choose from an existing canned email template. To edit the default payment reminder email, go to Templates >> Canned Emails >> Edit Templates >> Payment Plan Reminder.
Write new canned email
Write a new email that will save in Templates >> Canned Emails.
Add smart fields to the reminder email
The default reminder email includes smart fields that initially look confusing but don't be alarmed!
Here's what the email looks like from the client's perspective:
What each smart field refers to:
{{scheduledPayment | paymentAmountDue : job.invoice.schedule : job.invoice}}Shows the amount the client must pay (example: $900.00)
Click Smart Field >> Payment Plan >> Amount Due
{{scheduledPayment | paymentDueDate : job}}Shows the due date that you set for the installment (example: February 21, 2021)
Click Smart Field >> Payment Plan >> Due Date
{{job | invoiceLink}}Adds a button with a link to pay the invoice
Click Smart Field >> Link >> Invoice Link
⛔ Heads up! Any smart fields under Smart Field >> Payment Plan can only be used in payment reminder emails.
FAQ
If the client pays off an installment, will the remaining reminders still send on that installment?
Nope! You can set as many reminders as you like — emails will not send once an invoice is paid in full.
How do I know if a reminder was sent?
If successful, reminders will say Sent in green text in the payment plan section in Projects >> Invoices. You will also find the sent reminder email in Projects >> Emails.
If unsuccessful, reminders will say Too late to send reminder in red text. Click on the installment to see why the reminder wasn’t sent. To send the reminder, click on the reminder to set a new date in the future.
Can you set reminders to send as many times as needed until an invoice is paid?
No. The only way to keep sending reminders is to add multiple reminders to the payment plan. To reduce the chances of unpaid invoices, require your clients to enroll in autopay.
I'm no longer going to finish a project and don't want any future reminders to send. How can I get them to stop?
If a client won't be paying their remaining balance, the best thing to do is to close their invoice. The invoice will zero out with an uncollectible balance and the remaining reminders will cancel.
Will my client still get payment reminders after I archive their project?
Emails may still go out even if you archive a project depending on whether you classified the project status as a lead or a job:
When a project with a lead status is archived, invoices are closed automatically and payment reminders won’t send.
When a project with a job status is archived, invoices remain open and payment reminders will continue to send. To stop email reminders, either close the invoice or delete the project.
Will editing a payment plan template update current projects that use that payment plan?
No. New edits to a payment plan template won’t affect any projects already containing that payment plan. You would need to edit the payment plan in each project.
Will editing a payment plan in a project change the payment plan template?
No. Any updates in individual projects don’t affect other payment plans.