Automatic invoice reminders for FreshBooks

FreshBooks's built-in reminders

• FreshBooks can send up to three automatic reminder emails, set per client.
• Each reminder goes out a set number of days before or after the due date, and can include a personal message.
• FreshBooks can also add a one-time late fee: a percentage or a flat amount.
• You can send one-off reminders by hand from an invoice, too.

How to turn them on

1. Open a client's profile (or an invoice) and go to Client Settings.
2. Select Send Reminders and tick the box to send them automatically.
3. Set the number of days and before/after the due date for each reminder.
4. To apply the same settings to all clients, use Email Customization in settings.

Menus change from time to time. If something has moved, see FreshBooks help: late payment fees and reminders.

When the built-in reminders aren't enough

The main limit is reminders that are set client by client. That works for clients who simply forgot. It works less well for the ones who need a few nudges that get gradually firmer, and it leaves you to decide by hand when to stop emailing and follow up personally.

Ledgerhawk sits alongside FreshBooks. You keep sending invoices exactly the way you do now, and forward a copy to your Ledgerhawk address. Ledgerhawk then runs a five-step follow-up that changes tone as the invoice gets later:

Ledgerhawk can also add a one-time late fee once an invoice passes your grace period, update the payment link to the new total, and send optional text reminders to clients who sign up for them. See the wording of each reminder or work out a fee with the late fee calculator.

Good to know before you add Ledgerhawk

• Turn off FreshBooks's reminders for the invoices Ledgerhawk is handling, so clients don't get two sets of emails.
• You confirm the amount and due date once. Ledgerhawk saves the forwarded invoice, and you fill in those two details the first time.
• Ledgerhawk doesn't sync with FreshBooks. Payments made through Ledgerhawk's payment link stop the reminders automatically. If a client pays through FreshBooks instead, click "Mark fully paid" on that invoice in Ledgerhawk.
• Payments go to your own Stripe account, and reminders come from your business name, with replies going to you.