Automated reminders & dunning
Platybooks can chase overdue invoices and follow up on open quotes for you automatically, and it always sends a payment receipt the moment money comes in. Once you're on a plan that includes automation, this runs in the background with nothing for you to remember.
How automatic overdue reminders work
When an invoice goes past its due date and still has an outstanding balance, the app emails the client a polite reminder at three points: 3 days, 7 days, and 14 days past due. The reminder shows the invoice number, the amount still owed, and a button to view the invoice. Each stage is sent only once per invoice, so a client never gets the same reminder twice.
An invoice only enters the reminder cycle if it has actually been sent to the client (status Sent or Partially paid) and money is still outstanding. Drafts, fully paid invoices, and voided invoices are left alone. As soon as an invoice is paid in full or marked void, the remaining reminders stop on their own. You don't tag invoices or set anything up per-invoice — the app finds the eligible ones for you every hour.
Automatic quote follow-ups
Open quotes get a gentle nudge too. If a quote you've sent is approaching its "valid until" date and the client still hasn't accepted or declined, the app emails a short follow-up letting them know the quote is still open and inviting them to proceed. This fires in the final couple of days before the quote expires, once per quote, so a stalled quote gets one last chance to convert instead of quietly lapsing.
Receipts are sent automatically on payment
Whenever a payment is recorded against an invoice, the app emails the client a receipt confirming the amount received. If the invoice still has a balance, the receipt notes the remaining amount; if it's now settled, it confirms the invoice is paid in full. This happens for every non-refund payment, whether the payment came in through an online payment link or you recorded it by hand with "Record payment". Receipts go out regardless of your monthly email allowance — they're treated as transactional, so they aren't held back even if you've used up your sending quota for the month.
- Sent for online (gateway) payments and manual "Record payment" entries alike
- Refunds do not trigger a receipt
- Receipts don't count against your monthly email limit
Turning it on (plan and roles)
Automated reminders, quote follow-ups, and scheduled sending are part of the automation feature, which is included on the Pro and Business plans. On Free and Starter these are switched off — you can still send invoices and reminders manually, but the app won't chase overdue invoices for you. Receipts on payment are part of the same automation feature.
There's nothing to configure to get reminders running once you're on a qualifying plan — having an automation-enabled plan is the switch. The app scans for newly-due reminders and follow-ups every hour and sends them. If you're on Free or Starter and try to use "Schedule send" in the editor, you'll see an "Upgrade to schedule sends" prompt pointing you to the billing page. Changing plans is handled by the workspace owner from Settings, under Billing.
- Pro and Business: overdue reminders, quote follow-ups, scheduled sends, and payment receipts are active
- Free and Starter: automated chasing is off; sending is manual
- Plan changes are made by the workspace owner in Settings → Billing
Scheduling a one-off send
Separate from the automatic chasing, you can also schedule a single document to go out at a future time. This is the same automation feature, so it's available on Pro and Business.
- Open the invoice or quote in the editor.
- Click "Schedule send" in the tools bar on the right.
- Confirm the recipient email and pick a future date and time (the time must be in the future).
- Click Schedule — the app emails the document at that time.
Keeping an eye on it
Every reminder, follow-up, scheduled send, and receipt tied to a document shows up in the "Scheduled & reminders" panel inside that invoice or quote's editor. Each entry shows what it is, when it's due or was sent, the recipient, and a status badge — pending, processing, done, failed, or canceled. A scheduled one-off send that hasn't gone out yet can be canceled from here; the automatic reminders and follow-ups run themselves and don't need managing. If something failed to send, it's flagged in red so you can spot it.
A note on volume: reminders, follow-ups, and scheduled sends count toward your plan's monthly email allowance, while payment receipts do not. If you ever hit your monthly email limit, automated reminders for that month pause until the next month or until you move to a plan with a higher allowance.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to set up reminders for each invoice?
No. As long as your plan includes automation (Pro or Business), the app automatically finds overdue invoices and sends reminders at 3, 7, and 14 days past due. You don't flag invoices or schedule anything — just send the invoice as usual and the chasing is hands-off.
Will my client keep getting reminders after they pay?
No. Reminders only go out while an invoice is past due and still has a balance. The moment it's paid in full (or you void it), the remaining reminders stop automatically, and a payment receipt is sent confirming the payment.
Why aren't any reminders being sent?
The most common reasons are that your plan doesn't include automation (Free and Starter don't), the invoice hasn't been sent to the client yet, it isn't actually past its due date, it has no amount outstanding, or you've used up your monthly email allowance. Reminders and follow-ups count toward that allowance; receipts don't.
Are payments and receipts going through a real payment provider?
By default the app runs payments on a built-in test gateway, so online payment flows and the receipts that follow them work end-to-end for trying things out. Receipts are still sent automatically on every payment, including ones you record manually. A live card provider can be switched on later without changing how reminders or receipts behave for you.
Ready to put this into practice?
Open your workspace