QuickBooks invoice reminders: how they work and when you need more

QuickBooks Online has two kinds of reminder.

Automatic reminders go out on a schedule. Reminder 1 is required once you turn the feature on, and you can add Reminder 2 and Reminder 3. Each is set as a number of days before or after the invoice due date, up to 90 days either way. QuickBooks sends a reminder only when the invoice matches your settings, is still unpaid, and was already emailed to the customer from QuickBooks.

Manual reminders are one-off emails for a single invoice. You open the invoice, choose Send reminder, adjust the message and send it.

On QuickBooks Online Advanced, Intuit says you can also use workflows to create invoice reminders, and reminders can be set up through Intuit Intelligence.

These steps follow Intuit's help article for QuickBooks Online in the US.

1. Select Settings (the gear icon), then Account and settings.
2. Open the Sales tab.
3. In the Reminders section, select Edit.
4. Turn on Automatic invoice reminders, then the toggle for Reminder 1.
5. Choose the number of days, and whether the reminder goes before or after the due date.
6. Edit the subject line. Intuit recommends keeping the word "reminder" in it.
7. Optionally turn on Use email greeting and choose how to address the customer.
8. Write your own message or keep the default. You can insert variables such as the invoice number and your company name.
9. Repeat for Reminder 2 and Reminder 3 if you want them.
10. Select Save, then Done.

To attach a PDF copy of the invoice, go to Sales, then Online delivery, select Edit, check PDF Attached, and save.

1. Go to All apps, then Sales & Get Paid, then Invoices.
2. Find the invoice.
3. From the Receive payment dropdown, select Send reminder.
4. Adjust the message and send it.

Use it to write about one invoice without changing your automatic schedule.

Credit where it is due. Built-in reminders have real strengths.

• They are already there. No new system, no new login and no data to move.
• They work from the source. Due dates and payment status come straight from your books, so a reminder goes only for an invoice that is still unpaid.
• They cover both sides of the due date. A courtesy note a few days before, and firmer follow-ups after, is the pattern most payment reminder email templates follow.
• They are editable. You choose the timing, subject and wording, so the messages can sound like you.

If most late invoices are paid after one or two nudges, that is a lot of value for little effort.

Reminders are scheduled emails. Intuit's help article describes when they send and what they say. It does not describe the reminders reading customer replies, recognizing a dispute, or recording a promised payment date, and nothing in it suggests they change course based on what a customer writes back. So the work that starts after a customer replies is still yours.

In practice, that means someone on your team still needs to:

• Read every reply and decide what it means.
• Handle disputes. If a customer says an amount is wrong, the next scheduled reminder has no way to know. Our guide to invoice disputes explains why chasing during a dispute does harm.
• Track promises. "We'll pay on the 20th" lives in your inbox, not in the reminder schedule.
• Fix blockers. A missing PO or a wrong billing contact needs a person to sort out before payment can happen.
• Follow up beyond the schedule. After the last reminder, the next step is up to you. Our collections email sequence covers what to send.

Invoices not emailed from QuickBooks are not covered by the automatic schedule.

Built-in reminders are probably all you need when:

• You have a small number of customers and know each of them.
• Late invoices are usually paid after one or two nudges.
• Replies are few, and one person has time to read and answer them.
• Disputes and payment plans are rare.

Spend your effort on clear wording. Our guide to past due invoice emails can help.

Consider adding something that reads replies when:

• Replies pile up and nobody is sure which customer said what.
• Customers promise dates and the dates slip without anyone noticing.
• Reminders keep going to someone who has left or who does not pay invoices.
• An invoice in dispute keeps receiving reminders.

An AI collections agent works from the same due dates in QuickBooks, but also reads the replies and decides the next step for each invoice, with a person approving where it matters. It does not replace your accounting system. If you use Xero instead, see our page on Xero invoice reminders.