You can automate invoice reminders in three ways: with a spreadsheet plus calendar alerts, with the reminder feature of your accounting or invoicing software, or with a dedicated payment reminder tool. A spreadsheet is free but still needs you to send every message. Accounting-software reminders are convenient when every invoice already lives there, but usually offer email only and limited scheduling. A dedicated tool sends a full schedule — before, on and after the due date — across channels and stops automatically when you record the payment.
The three approaches at a glance
| What you need | Spreadsheet + calendar | Accounting-software reminders | Dedicated reminder tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Usually included in your plan | Separate subscription |
| Who sends the message | You, by hand | The software | The software |
| Reminders before the due date | Only if you set alerts | Varies by product | Yes |
| Several steps after the due date | Manual | Often one or two | A full, editable schedule |
| Channels | Whatever you send yourself | Mostly email | Email, often SMS and WhatsApp |
| Stops when paid | Only if you remember | Yes, for invoices paid inside it | Yes, when you record the payment |
| Invoices created elsewhere | Yes | No — invoices must live there | Yes, by entry, import or API |
| Recurring payments | Manual | Varies | Yes, reminded automatically |
1. Spreadsheet and calendar alerts
List every invoice with its customer, amount and due date, then set calendar reminders a few days before and after each due date. When an alert fires, you send the message yourself.
Good for: a handful of invoices a month. Limits: nothing is sent unless you do it, follow-ups slip on busy weeks, and it is easy to remind someone who has already paid.
2. Reminders built into accounting or invoicing software
Many accounting and invoicing products can email a reminder when an invoice they issued becomes overdue. If every invoice you send is created in that software, this is the quickest option to switch on.
Good for: businesses that issue all invoices from one accounting system. Limits: the reminders usually only cover invoices created there, are typically email-only and follow a fixed pattern with limited control over timing, wording, send hours or weekends. Check what your own software offers before deciding.
3. A dedicated payment reminder tool
A dedicated tool focuses on one job: tracking what each customer owes and sending reminders on a schedule until it is paid. You record the receivable once — or import it — and the tool handles the follow-up, whatever system you used to create the invoice.
Good for: freelancers, agencies and small businesses with regular invoices, several customers or recurring payments, and anyone who wants SMS or WhatsApp as well as email. Limits: it is another subscription, and you need to record payments so reminders stop.
How to choose
- Fewer than about five invoices a month? A spreadsheet and calendar can be enough.
- All invoices issued from one accounting system and email is enough? Try its built-in reminders first.
- Invoices from several places, recurring payments, or you want control over every step and channel? A dedicated tool saves the most time.
Whichever you choose, the schedule matters more than the tool: remind a few days before the due date, on it and after it. See when to send payment reminders.
Setting it up in RemindCash
RemindCash is a dedicated reminder tool. Add a receivable — customer, amount and due date — or import many from CSV or Excel. Every company starts with a reminder 3 days before, on the due date and 3 days after; you can add steps, change the wording of your approved templates, set send hours and skip weekends. Reminders go out in your business's name and stop when you mark the receivable paid, pause it or record a dispute. Email is included in the plans; SMS and WhatsApp will use separate prepaid credits once each channel is enabled. See how RemindCash automates invoice reminders and pricing.