Xero automatic invoice reminders: setup and limits
Xero can email your customers a reminder when an invoice falls due, and it's worth turning on. But reminders stop at email — they don't call, and they don't tell you why an invoice hasn't been paid. Here's how to set them up, and what to do when they go unanswered.
How to turn on Xero invoice reminders
- In Xero, go to Business → Invoices, then Invoice Reminders (or Settings for the organisation).
- Switch reminders on.
- Set the schedule — for example, a reminder a few days before due, on the due date, and at 7, 14 and 21 days overdue.
- Edit the message so it reads like you, not a robot, and set a minimum amount so tiny invoices don't trigger emails.
That's it. From then on, Xero emails the contact on each overdue invoice on your schedule, and stops once the invoice is paid.
What Xero reminders do well
- They're automatic. No more remembering to nudge.
- They catch the honest slips. Most late invoices are forgotten, and an email fixes those.
- They're free and already in your accounting.
Where they stop
- Email only. If a customer ignores email — or never sees it — reminders have nowhere else to go.
- No reply handling. A reminder can't tell you the invoice went to the wrong person, that there's a query, or when they'll actually pay.
- Easy to tune out. A customer who's late on purpose learns to ignore the automated emails.
This is the gap every business hits: the emails are handled, but the invoices that need a human touch still sit there.
Add a phone step where email runs out
The next step after an ignored reminder is a call — that's where payment dates, queries and "never got it" replies come out. Doing it by hand is the part everyone dreads. Gary adds that step automatically: it reads your overdue invoices from Xero, rings the customers you switch on in a friendly voice during business hours, and reports back what it found. See Xero invoice follow-up for how the two fit together, or the full follow-up sequence.
Common questions
Does Xero call customers about unpaid invoices?
No. Xero reminders are email only. For a phone follow-up you need a person or a tool like Gary that reads your Xero invoices and makes the calls.
Why aren't my Xero reminders working?
Usually the schedule, the minimum amount, or a wrong contact email. Check those first — but if customers are seeing the emails and still not paying, the issue isn't the reminder, it's that email alone has stopped working.
Can I automate a phone call from Xero?
Not in Xero itself. Gary connects to your Xero org and makes the follow-up calls for you, then writes the outcome back so your records stay in one place.