GuideFeb 12, 2026
How to automate invoice reminders in Xero (2026 guide)
Step-by-step guide to setting up Xero's built-in reminders — and how to go beyond its limits with SMS, smart scheduling, and auto-stop.
Read articleMost businesses send invoice reminders too late. By the time you follow up, your client has already forgotten the invoice exists, moved on to other priorities, and buried your email under a hundred others.
The timing of your reminder matters just as much as the message itself. Send too early and it feels pushy. Send too late and the money is already overdue. Get the optimal payment reminder schedule right, and you can reduce late payments by up to 50%.
“Send an invoice, mark a calendar reminder, follow up manually, repeat. It works… but barely. And it pulls me out of creative flow.”
– Reddit user on r/smallbusiness
“I send invoices from wherever I’m working, but I always stress about when to follow up. Sometimes I just avoid it and hope they remember.”
– Reddit user on r/smallbusiness
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Not all days and times are created equal when it comes to invoice reminder timing. Here's what the data says about when your reminders are most likely to get opened, read, and acted on.
Midweek reminders consistently outperform other days. People are settled into their work routine, actively processing emails, and more likely to take action on financial tasks. Tuesday through Thursday sees the highest open rates and fastest response times.
Monday inboxes are flooded with weekend backlog, and your reminder gets buried. Friday afternoons, people are mentally checked out. Weekend sends feel unprofessional and get ignored. If you must send on these days, aim for Tuesday morning instead.
Knowing when to send invoice reminders is about more than picking the right day. You need a complete sequence that starts before the due date and escalates appropriately. Here's the exact 10-step timeline used by businesses that get paid on time.
For the actual message copy, check our invoice reminder email templates and SMS payment reminder templates.
Friendly email letting your client know their invoice is coming due next week. Sets expectations and gives them time to arrange payment. No urgency needed.
A clear reminder with the invoice amount, due date, and a direct payment link. This is your highest-converting touchpoint — clients who pay early usually pay here.
"Your invoice is due today." Send both an email with full details and an SMS nudge with a payment link. This combination catches clients regardless of which channel they prefer.
"Just a quick reminder, invoice #[INV] was due yesterday." A short, friendly text the day after. No pressure, just a gentle nudge that’s hard to ignore.
Re-send the invoice as an attachment in case they lost it. Include payment instructions and a clear call-to-action. Keep the tone helpful, not accusatory.
"Now 7 days overdue." Escalate visibility with both channels. The email provides detail and documentation; the SMS ensures it’s seen immediately.
Two weeks overdue warrants a firmer tone. Reference your payment terms, mention any applicable late fees, and request immediate payment. Still professional.
"Action needed: invoice #[INV] is 21 days overdue." A direct, urgent text message. At this stage, SMS cuts through where emails have clearly failed.
Formal overdue notice via email with a final payment deadline. Paired with an SMS for maximum visibility. Reference consequences of continued non-payment.
Last chance email before escalating to collections, legal action, or account suspension. Clear, professional, and documented. This is your paper trail.
Critical rule: Every reminder in this sequence stops the instant your client pays. No accidental follow-ups, no embarrassing “please pay” messages after payment is received. This requires real-time sync with your accounting software, which is exactly what ChaseBot's invoice reminder software does with Xero.
The biggest misconception about late payments is that clients are deliberately withholding money. In reality, research shows that approximately 70% of late payments are simply forgotten. Your client isn't avoiding you. They just lost track.
Most clients fully intend to pay on time. Life gets busy, the invoice slips down the inbox, and suddenly it’s two weeks overdue.
A simple reminder before the due date is often all it takes. It moves your invoice from "I’ll do it later" to "let me do it now."
Pre-due reminders feel like helpful service, not debt collection. They preserve the client relationship while getting you paid faster.
Businesses that send at least one pre-due reminder see 25% faster payment on average. Two pre-due reminders (at Day -7 and Day -3) are even more effective. The cost of sending an extra email is near zero, but the cost of a late payment is not. For more on the financial impact, see our guide on the accounts receivable automation process.
SMS and email have very different consumption patterns. The timing rules that work for one don't necessarily apply to the other. Understanding these differences is key to an effective payment reminder timing strategy. For a deeper comparison, see our SMS vs email invoice reminders guide.
SMS is read almost instantly. Send at the exact moment you want your client to see it and take action.
9 AM - 5 PM in the client’s local time zone. A text outside business hours feels intrusive and unprofessional.
10 AM - 11 AM is ideal. Clients are at their desks, past the morning rush, and ready to handle quick tasks.
Business SMS on weekends has much lower action rates and can damage your professional reputation.
Unlike SMS, email is not read instantly. You’re competing for attention in a crowded inbox, so timing affects visibility.
8 AM - 9 AM emails land at the top of the inbox when clients start their day. This is often the highest open-rate window.
The best combination is a midweek send between 8 AM and 10 AM. This avoids the Monday backlog and Friday wind-down.
Emails sent after 3 PM have 30% lower open rates. They get buried overnight and lose priority by morning.
The right invoice reminder timing depends on your industry and client type. What works for a freelancer billing a startup is different from a wholesaler invoicing a retailer.
Even businesses that send reminders often get the timing wrong. Here are the most common mistakes and how to fix them.
Fix: Start 7 days before the due date. Pre-due reminders prevent late payments instead of chasing them.
Fix: Space reminders 3-7 days apart. Bombarding clients damages relationships and triggers email filters.
Fix: Aim for 9-11 AM in the client’s time zone. Avoid evenings, early mornings, and weekends.
Fix: Email-only strategies miss 80% of their audience. Add SMS for due-date and overdue reminders to dramatically increase response rates.
Fix: Start friendly and escalate gradually. A Day +3 reminder should sound very different from a Day +30 notice.
Fix: A full 45-day sequence with 8-10 touchpoints is standard. Most payments come between Day +3 and Day +14 when you stay persistent.
For templates that match each stage of the reminder sequence, see our overdue invoice email templates guide.
Building and managing the perfect payment reminder schedule manually is exhausting, especially when you have dozens or hundreds of invoices at different stages. ChaseBot automates the entire sequence.
Define your reminder sequence once. ChaseBot automatically calculates send dates for every invoice based on its due date. Pre-due, due-date, and overdue reminders all fire on schedule.
Reminders are sent during the best window (9-11 AM) in your client’s local time zone. No 2 AM texts, no weekend messages, no Monday-morning inbox bombs.
ChaseBot pulls invoices directly from Xero and monitors payment status continuously. New invoices are picked up automatically. Paid invoices are removed instantly.
The moment Xero registers a payment, all scheduled reminders for that invoice are cancelled. No embarrassing follow-ups after your client has already paid.
Set up multi-channel sequences that use email for pre-due and formal notices, SMS for urgent nudges, and both channels for critical touchpoints. All from one dashboard.
Your reminder tone and urgency automatically escalate through the sequence. Friendly at Day -7, firm at Day +14, formal at Day +30. No manual adjustments needed.
ChaseBot is purpose-built invoice reminder software that takes the guesswork out of when to send invoice reminders. Connect your Xero account, define your sequence, and let ChaseBot handle the timing so you can focus on the work that actually earns the money.
Professional email templates for pre-due, due-date, and overdue reminders.
Copy-paste SMS templates with 98% open rates for every stage of collections.
The complete comparison of SMS and email channels for invoice collection.
Ready-to-use templates for every stage from 1 day to 90 days overdue.
The complete guide to automating your AR process and reducing DSO.
How ChaseBot automates SMS + email reminders with Xero integration.
ChaseBot sends the right reminder, on the right channel, at the right time, for every invoice, automatically. Connect Xero and start getting paid faster in under 60 seconds.
Try ChaseBot freeStep-by-step guide to setting up Xero's built-in reminders — and how to go beyond its limits with SMS, smart scheduling, and auto-stop.
Read articleLearn how to automate your AR process. Reduce DSO, eliminate manual follow-ups, and get paid faster. Step-by-step for small businesses.
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