Run an overdue invoice review before contact
Send a checked reminder or authorised escalation from a verified receivables record.
- Preparation
- One receivables review before each authorised contact.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Task
- Resolve overdue invoices
Before you start
Get what you need before you start
- Bring the invoice, contract, payment record, dispute notes, and approved collection policy.
- Identify the person who approves messages and escalation.
Steps
Work through the method
Use the listed inputs and tools. Check the evidence when you need to verify a step.
Open the ageing detail
Run the accounts receivable ageing detail and verify the invoice, due date, balance, payments in transit, and dispute state.
Why it matters: The next contact must start from the current supported balance.
- Input
- The receivables report, invoice, and payment records.
- Output
- A verified overdue-invoice record.
Tools in this stepQuickBooks OnlineEvidence for this step
QuickBooks Online can display accounts receivable ageing summaries and details for outstanding customer balances.
Intuit QuickBooks Support: US edition, updated 5 August 2026; “Accounts receivable aging summary report” and “Accounts receivable aging detail report”.
Choose the authorised action
Compare the record with the contract and collection policy. Record the last contact, next allowed action, owner, and review date.
Why it matters: The policy and contract control escalation rather than the report age alone.
- Input
- The verified record, contract, and collection policy.
- Output
- An authorised reminder, pause, dispute route, or legal handoff.
Tools in this stepQuickBooks OnlineEvidence for this step
QuickBooks Online can display accounts receivable ageing summaries and details for outstanding customer balances.
Intuit QuickBooks Support: US edition, updated 5 August 2026; “Accounts receivable aging summary report” and “Accounts receivable aging detail report”.
Review and send the reminder
Draft a factual message, have the authorised person review it, send it through the approved channel, and save the status.
Why it matters: Human review protects accuracy, tone, and the customer relationship.
- Input
- The authorised action and verified invoice facts.
- Output
- A reviewed contact record and next review date.
Tools in this stepQuickBooks OnlineEvidence for this step
QuickBooks Online supports configured and manual invoice reminders and displays reminder status.
Intuit QuickBooks Support: UK edition accessed 26 September 2026; “Set up automatic invoice reminders”, “See who got a reminder”, and “Send invoice reminders manually”.
Success checks
Check the result before you finish
- The balance and dispute state were checked before contact.
- The action follows the contract and collection policy.
- A human approved the message and next review date.
Failure modes
Watch for these problems
- Age alone triggers escalation. Check the contract and policy.
- A payment in transit is ignored. Verify it before contact.
- A formal demand is drafted here. Send it to a lawyer.
Tools
Choose the tools you need
Tool
QuickBooks Online
An accounting workspace for receivables reports, invoices, receipt review, reconciliation, exports, recurring templates, and limited user roles.
Check fit, limits and pricingSources
Read the sources behind this practice
Check what each source supports and where the advice has limits.
- Reddit r/smallbusiness: How to get a very financially important client to pay overdue invoices?First-hand small-business operator account · Published 4 March 2025
- Intuit QuickBooks Support: Run an accounts receivable ageing reportOfficial product documentation · Publication date unavailable
- Intuit QuickBooks Support: Send invoice reminders automatically or manuallyOfficial product documentation · Publication date unavailable