Create automated payment reminders for invoices and statements

Learn how to create automated payment reminders for invoices and statements in QuickBooks Desktop.

In QuickBooks Desktop, you can use payment reminders to schedule statements for your customers or let them know when they have invoices they still need to pay you for.

Once you've set up payment reminders, QuickBooks will let you know when you have statements or invoices available to send. Then, you can review and approve them before they go out.

Note: This is for QuickBooks Desktop. Here’s how to send payment reminders in QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Online Advanced.

How to set up payment reminders

Here’s how to turn on automated payment reminders for invoices and statements.

1. Go to the Edit menu, then select Preferences.
2. Select the Payments tab, then select Company Preferences.
3. From Do you want to send payment reminders? select Yes.
4. Set the time and frequency that you’d like to be reminded to review and approve reminders.
5. Select OK, then select Finish.

How to automate statements using payment reminders

After you turn on payment reminders, you can create a schedule for when you email your customers statements. You can set up multiple statement schedules and messages for different mailing lists. Here’s how.

1. Go to the Customers menu, then select Payment Reminders.
2. Select Schedule Payment Reminders.
3. To add a new statement schedule, select New schedule and then select Statement and give the reminder a name by selecting .
4. From the Select customer group dropdown, select Add new.
5. Add a Name and Description for the customer group, then select Next.
6. Select the Field, Operator, and Value to define a criteria for creating this customer group. For example, this can be the location, open balance amount, customer type, etc., then select Next.
7. Review the customers you’d like to add to the group, then select Finish.
8. From the new list, select Add reminder.
9. Customize your reminder with the statement date, statement period or if the statement is overdue, and the invoice details.
10. Select the statement and email design templates, then select OK.

How to schedule payment reminders for invoices

Using payment reminders, you can create a reminder that automates sending invoices to your customers. For example, you can create a reminder that is sent on the 1st day of the month for any invoices overdue by 30 days.

1. Go to the Customers menu, then select Payment Reminders.
2. Select Schedule Payment Reminders.
3. To add a new payment reminder, select New schedule and give the reminder a name by selecting .
4.  Select the Select customer group dropdown, then Add New.
5. Add a name for the mailing list, then select Next.
6. Select the customers you’d like to add to the list, then select Save.
7. From the new list, select Add Reminder.
8. From When do you want to send this reminder? choose how many days before or after the due date to send the reminder.
9. Update the message to match your business. To add a new field to populate, select the Insert Field dropdown.
10. When you’re done, select OK.

How to review and send reminders

While you’re working in QuickBooks, you’ll see a prompt to review and send your statements or invoices. You can choose to:

• Close: This closes the prompt and nothing is sent.
• Send now: This sends the day’s scheduled reminders.
• Review and send: This allows you to review and send reminders.

If you want to review your payment reminders later, here’s how to find them:

1. Go to the Customers menu, then select Payment Reminders.
2. Select Review & Send Payment Reminders.
3. Select the payment reminders you want to review and send.
4. Once you’ve reviewed them, select Send Now.

How to track payment reminders

There are two ways you can see the details of the payment reminders you’ve sent.

1. Go to the Customers menu, then select Customer Centre.
2. Select the customer, then select the Sent Email tab.

You can also find the details of the payment reminder on the invoice by selecting See History.