Guides · · Hunter Hammonds
How to Send Automatic Invoice Reminders in QuickBooks Online (2026)
How to set up QuickBooks Online automatic invoice reminders in 2026: exact settings, cadence, plan limits, and where the reminders stop working.
To turn on automatic invoice reminders in QuickBooks Online, go to Settings (the gear icon), select Account and settings, open the Sales tab, find the Reminders section, select Edit, and turn on Automatic invoice reminders. Set Reminder 1 with a number of days and before or after the due date, then add Reminder 2 and Reminder 3 if you want. QuickBooks then emails those reminders to customers on unpaid invoices you have already sent.
That is the whole feature, and it is genuinely useful for the first nudge. This guide gives you the exact setup, the timing options, which plans include it, and a copy-paste reminder message. It also draws the honest line: QuickBooks reminders are email-only, fire on a fixed calendar, and apply the same message to every customer. They do not text, do not call, do not chase a quote that went quiet, and do not decide which client actually needs a firmer nudge. That last mile is where a teammate like Remi, or you at 9pm, picks up.
Where are invoice reminders in QuickBooks Online?
Invoice reminder settings live under Settings, then Account and settings, then the Sales tab, in a section called Reminders. This is the same place whether you want one reminder or three. As of 2026, the feature is on the account-settings side, not inside an individual invoice.
Here is the full setup, based on Intuit's current help documentation (Send invoice reminders automatically or manually in QuickBooks Online):
- Select Settings, the gear icon in the top right.
- Select Account and settings.
- Open the Sales tab.
- In the Reminders section, select Edit.
- Turn on Automatic invoice reminders.
- Select the dropdown for Reminder 1 and turn on its toggle.
- Choose the number of days, then choose before or after the invoice due date.
- Optionally repeat for Reminder 2 and Reminder 3.
- Customize the subject line and message if you want, then Save.
QuickBooks lets you schedule reminders up to 90 days before or after the due date, so you can run a light pre-due nudge and a couple of after-due follow-ups. It only sends a reminder if the invoice is still unpaid and only for invoices you originally emailed through QuickBooks.
How many reminders can QuickBooks send, and on what schedule?
QuickBooks Online supports up to three automatic reminders per invoice: Reminder 1, Reminder 2, and Reminder 3. Each one is timed independently. You pick the number of days and whether it goes out before or after the due date, anywhere inside the 90-day window on either side.
A common setup for a service business looks like this. Because you control the days, you can match your own terms.
| Reminder | Timing | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Reminder 1 | 3 days before due date | Friendly heads-up the invoice is coming due |
| Reminder 2 | 7 days after due date | First real follow-up on a late invoice |
| Reminder 3 | 21 days after due date | Firmer nudge before you follow up by hand |
The catch is that all three go out on the calendar you set, to whoever hits that timing, with the same wording. QuickBooks does not read the room. A brand-new customer and a client who is 45 days late and dodging you get the identical email. There is no escalation in tone and no logic that says "this one needs a phone call, not another email."
How to customize the reminder email
You can edit each reminder's email before it ever goes out. In the same Reminders settings, each reminder has its own template where you can rewrite the subject line, clear the default text, and write your own message. QuickBooks supports variables such as Invoice Number and Company Name so the email fills in the specifics automatically.
Keep it short, plain, and free of guilt. Here is a template you can paste into Reminder 2 (the first after-due follow-up) and adjust:
Subject: Invoice [Invoice Number] from [Company Name] is past due
>
Hi there,
>
A quick note that invoice [Invoice Number] is now past its due date. The amount and a payment link are below so you can take care of it in a couple of minutes.
>
If it is already on its way, thank you and please ignore this. If something is holding it up, just reply here and we will sort it out.
>
Thanks,
[Company Name]
For a later reminder, keep the same calm tone but make the ask sharper: name the number of days past due and offer a direct line to talk. The goal is to get a reply, not to win an argument by email.
Which QuickBooks Online plans include automatic reminders?
Automatic invoice reminders are included in QuickBooks Online Simple Start, Essentials, and Plus. If you have any of those three, the Reminders setting is available at no extra cost. QuickBooks Online Advanced handles reminders differently: instead of the toggle, it builds them through its workflows feature, which can also trigger other automated actions.
| Plan | Automatic invoice reminders |
|---|---|
| Simple Start | Yes, via Sales settings |
| Essentials | Yes, via Sales settings |
| Plus | Yes, via Sales settings |
| Advanced | Yes, built through Workflows instead |
Pricing and plan features change often, so confirm your current tier on Intuit's QuickBooks Online pricing page before assuming a feature is or is not included.
How to send a reminder manually for a single invoice
If you would rather nudge one invoice by hand instead of turning on the automatic schedule, QuickBooks lets you do that too. Go to your invoice list, find the unpaid invoice, and use the Send reminder option from the invoice's action or Receive payment dropdown. QuickBooks sends that customer the reminder email on the spot.
Manual reminders are useful when you want to follow up on one stubborn account without emailing everyone on the same clock. They are still email-only, and you are still the one deciding, one invoice at a time, who to chase and when.
Where QuickBooks invoice reminders stop
QuickBooks reminders are a good automatic first touch. They are not a collections system, and it helps to be clear about the four places they stop:
- They are email only. There is no text, iMessage, WhatsApp, or phone reminder built in. If your customer ignores email, so does the reminder.
- They fire on a fixed calendar with no judgment. Every customer at a given timing gets the same message. QuickBooks will not decide that one client needs a harder nudge and another needs a gentle one.
- They only cover invoices you emailed through QuickBooks. An invoice you texted, printed, or entered without sending will never trigger a reminder.
- They ignore silent quotes. Reminders follow up on invoices, not estimates. A quote that got no reply, often the most expensive thing to lose, is not chased at all.
None of this makes QuickBooks wrong. It is accounting software doing an accounting job well. But the money you are actually worried about is usually the invoice that is 40 days late from a client who stopped opening your emails, plus the quote that went quiet three weeks ago. That is exactly the gap.
For context on why this matters: Intuit's own 2025 Small Business Late Payments Report found that small businesses with outstanding invoices were owed about $17,500 on average, and 47% reported invoices more than 30 days overdue. In construction specifically, Built's 2025 research found roughly 70% of contractors face regular payment delays. A single automatic email is rarely what closes that gap.
Where Remi picks up
You can run everything above yourself. Turn on the three reminders, write good templates, and send the manual nudges by hand. For a lot of owners that is enough, and you should start there before you pay for anything.
If you would rather not be the one doing it at 9pm, this is the exact job Remi was built for. Remi is an AI teammate that connects to the tools you already run, including QuickBooks and your inbox. Remi watches the books and flags what QuickBooks reminders miss: the invoice going stale, the client who stopped replying, the quote that got no answer. Instead of one email on a fixed clock, Remi drafts the follow-up in your voice, across text, email, or Slack, and hands it to you to approve.
Nothing goes out without your say-so. Remi prepares, drafts, and reminds; you approve, and only then is it sent. Every action carries a receipt, and the full history is exportable, so if you ever fire Remi you keep all of it. Remi is an AI teammate. We say so because Remi will never pretend otherwise, and neither will we.
The difference is judgment. QuickBooks sends the same email to everyone at day seven. Remi tells you which client to nudge, how hard, and on which channel, then writes it so you just have to say yes.
FAQ
Which QuickBooks Online plans have automatic invoice reminders?
Automatic invoice reminders are available in Simple Start, Essentials, and Plus. Advanced does not use the same toggle; it builds reminders through its workflows feature instead. Confirm your tier on Intuit's pricing page, since plan features change.
How many automatic reminders can QuickBooks Online send per invoice?
Up to three. You can set Reminder 1, Reminder 2, and Reminder 3, each timed a chosen number of days before or after the due date, up to 90 days out. All three use the schedule and wording you set.
Can QuickBooks Online send invoice reminders by text message?
No. Built-in reminders are email only. There is no text, iMessage, WhatsApp, or phone option. You can copy an invoice link and text it yourself, but that is a manual step, not automation.
Why is my QuickBooks invoice reminder not sending?
QuickBooks only sends reminders for invoices you already emailed through QuickBooks and that are still unpaid. An invoice you printed, texted, or entered without emailing will not trigger a reminder, and a paid invoice stops reminders automatically.
Do QuickBooks reminders work for estimates or quotes?
No. The reminders feature only follows up on invoices. A quote or estimate that got no reply is not covered, so silent quotes still need a manual follow-up or a teammate watching for them.