bexio gives you the option to automate the dunning procedure. You can also continue to send your reminders manually (directly from a specific invoice or by creating bulk reminders via the dunning procedure).
In this article, we explain how to set up and use automatic payment reminders.
Please kindly note: If you activate the automatic reminder process, do not trigger reminders manually in parallel. Running a manual reminder while automation is active risks generating duplicates and sending multiple unnecessary reminders to your customers.
Content:
- Set up automatic reminder levels
- Understand the calculation of deadlines and dispatch dates
- "Before due date" logic
- "After due date" logic (Recommended standard)
- Set up email templates for reminders
- FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Set up automatic reminder levels
To enable and setup the automation for all your invoices:
- Go to Settings > All settings > Features & modules > Reminder levels.
- You will arrive at the overview of your reminder levels (e.g. Payment reminder, Reminder 1, Reminder 2).
- Click on the reminder level you wish to setup.
- In the configuration, under Send automatic payment reminders by email:
- Check the box of the reminder.
- Specify the number of days (e.g. 14 day(s)).
- Select whether the trigger occurs, for example,
after or before the due date
- Click Save.
- Repeat this step for each of your reminder levels.
Understand the calculation of deadlines and dispatch dates
The system uses two fields to schedule dispatches:
- Default credit period in days: Number of days granted to the customer to pay once the reminder is issued.
- Send reminder [X] days after/before: Buffer period before the automatic trigger of the email.
We recommend allowing a margin of 3 to 5 days after the theoretical due date before sending the first reminder. This allows sufficient time for bank transfers to be processed and avoids sending an unjustified reminder if the customer paid at the last minute.
"Before due date" logic
This option allows you to schedule preventive reminders before an invoice or a previous reminder falls due.
Set up of reminder levels
- Payment reminder: 5 days before the invoice due date (+14 days payment term)
- Reminder 1: 5 days before the due date of the 1st reminder (+10 days payment term)
- Reminder 2: 5 days before the due date of the 2nd reminder (+7 days payment term)
Example: Due date of the initial invoice = 24.07.2026
Payment reminder:
- Dispatch: 5 days before 24.07.2026 → 19.07.2026
- New due date (+14 days): 01.08.2026
Reminder 1:
- Dispatch: 5 days before 01.08.2026 → 27.07.2026
- New due date (+10 days): 05.08.2026
Reminder 2:
- Dispatch: 5 days before 05.08.2026 → 31.07.2026
- New due date (+7 days): 06.08.2026
In the Reminders tab of the invoice, the scheduled automatic dispatch dates will be displayed as follows:
"After due date" logic (Recommended standard)
This is the standard behavior: reminders naturally follow one another after due dates have passed.
Configuration of reminder levels
- Payment reminder: 5 days after the invoice due date (+14 days payment term)
- Reminder 1: 5 days after the due date of the 1st reminder (+10 days payment term)
- Reminder 2: 5 days after the due date of the 2nd reminder (+7 days payment term)
Example: Due date of the initial invoice = 24.07.2026
Payment reminder:
- Dispatch: 5 days after 24.07.2026 → 29.07.2026
- New due date (+14 days): 11.08.2026
Reminder 1:
- Dispatch: 5 days after 11.08.2026 → 16.08.2026
- New due date (+10 days): 25.08.2026
Reminder 2:
- Dispatch: 5 days after 25.08.2026 → 30.08.2026
- New due date (+7 days): 05.09.2026
In the Reminders tab of the invoice, the schedule is displayed in a clear and chronological manner:
Configure email templates for reminders
To ensure the email accompanying your reminders is ready to send:
- Go to: Settings > All settings > Features and modules > Email templates.
- Edit an existing template or create a new one.
Make sure your email templates are set as "Default" templates and linked to the correct corresponding reminder level so that reminders are sent automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
Q1. Can an automatic reminder be added for a specific invoice only?
Yes, if you do not wish to automate reminders for all your customers, you can configure automation directly on a case-by-case basis.
- Open the desired invoice.
- Go to the "Reminders" tab.
- Click on the pencil icon next to the relevant level to enable automation and set the specific due date.
How Sequential Reminders Work (Reminders 2 and 3)
Due to chronological due date management:
- Only the 1st reminder can be modified initially.
- The 2nd reminder becomes editable only after the 1st reminder has actually been sent.
- You cannot adjust a reminder until the previous one has been triggered.
Q2. Can I postpone or disable a reminder for a specific customer?
Yes. Open the invoice in question, go to the "Reminders" tab, then click the pencil icon to adjust the scheduled dispatch date or uncheck automation for this invoice.
Q3. Can reminder fees be charged automatically?
Find out how to add reminder fees in bexio in this support article: Reminder fees
Q4. Why is it strongly recommended to use the "After due date" logic?
The "After due date" mode follows a standard and intuitive chronology. Conversely, with the "Before due date" logic, the 3rd reminder risks being sent even before the deadline for the 2nd reminder has passed, which can confuse your customers.
Q5. What happens if the customer pays the invoice in the meantime?
As soon as a full payment is entered for the invoice or automatically reconciled from your e-banking, the automatic sending of subsequent reminders is immediately stopped.
Q6. How is the day of receipt counted towards the payment term of a reminder?
The day the reminder is issued is included in the payment term calculation: the day the customer receives the reminder therefore counts as the first day.
Q7. How is the dispatch date of a reminder calculated?
To determine the dispatch date, bexio does not count the starting day:
- Day D: Reference due date (does not count)
- Day D+1: Start of the countdown for the configured number of days (before or after)
Q8. What happens to the history of my documents when I activate the automatic reminder function?
When you activate automatic reminders, the system applies retroactively, but only over a period of 7 days in the past. Any reminder whose theoretical dispatch date exceeds these 7 days will not be sent automatically and must be executed manually.
Example:
- Invoice due date (Payable until): July 20, 2026
- Activation of automatic reminders: July 26, 2026
In this scenario, the automatic reminder will be triggered and sent:
- July 20, 2026 counts as the 1st day.
- The following 6 days cover the period up to July 26, 2026 (7 days total).
If your invoice due date is prior to July 20, 2026 (more than 7 full days past), the reminder will not be sent automatically. You will need to send it manually from the invoice or via the dunning procedure.