Invoice reminders for handymen
Small invoices after the repair
Handymen often leave with a small invoice: a faucet, a door, a list of punch items, materials plus an hour of labor. The amounts are not huge, and that is why they get forgotten. The client meant to pay. You meant to follow up after the next job. A schedule is worth using on a $90 invoice for the same reason it is worth using on a $2,000 invoice. You should not have to remember each one at night.
InvoicePay is a list of those open invoices and the days you want a note sent. It is not a full accounting suite, and it does not price your materials for you. You enter the client, the amount still unpaid, and the due date. The reminder names that invoice.
Put the total that is still unpaid on the invoice
Materials and labor can live in the description if you want the client to see the split. The reminder uses the open amount. If they already paid you for the parts and only labor remains, enter the labor balance, or record the parts payment so the balance drops. The next note should not ask for the parts again.
A single afternoon can produce several invoices for several houses. Each one gets its own number, due date, and queue. Paying one does not stop the reminders on the others. That is what you want when three different people owe you for three different repairs.
Timing that fits a short job
| When | For a repair invoice |
|---|---|
| 3 days before due | Useful if you gave them a week to pay. Skip this offset if the invoice is due the day you finish. |
| Due date | A short note: the invoice number, the amount, and a question about whether payment is on the way. |
| 3 days after | The first “this is still open” note. Keep it to the balance. |
| 7 and 14 days after | Same facts. If they paid in cash last week, record it so these do not send. |
Change the offsets in Settings if almost everything you bill is due on receipt. You might keep the due date, the 3-day note, and the 14-day note, and drop the others. The queue follows the list you saved.
Notes that sound like a person, not a department
The starting friendly nudge says the invoice amount is due on a date and that they can reply with questions. The due-today note asks if payment is already on the way. The overdue note says the invoice remains unpaid and asks them to pay or reply. Edit any line. Mention the repair in the invoice title, such as “kitchen faucet,” so they do not have to reconstruct which visit this was.
Do not add a late fee to the first reminder for a small repair. If you charge a fee, that belongs in a policy you already told them about, and in an invoice total you updated, not as a surprise sentence in the first follow-up. A final notice, if you still need one at 14 days, should state the amount and the original due date. Read that template and change anything that does not sound like you.
When the money shows up the same day
Record the payment, including a partial payment if they paid the labor and not the materials, or the other way around. Queued reminders for that invoice stop once the balance is gone. You still have the log of what was sent, which is useful when a client says they never saw a bill.
Email goes out when Resend or SMTP is connected. SMS templates are on the paid plan. A phone carrier is not connected in this version, so those texts stay in the reminder log. The trial is 14 days with no card and up to 40 open invoices, then $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. See pricing, the reminder schedule, and the pages for plumbers, cleaning services, and contractors.
Built by REKKY Consulting LLC. Inquiries Text First Then Call: 801.319.1061.
Questions
- Is a small repair invoice worth a reminder schedule?
- Yes. The schedule is the same for a short repair and a larger job. You enter the amount and the due date, and the notes go out on those days.
- How do I show materials and labor?
- Put the total that is still unpaid on the invoice. The reminder names that open amount. You can describe materials and labor in the invoice line if you want the client to see the split.
- What happens when the client pays the same day?
- Record the payment. Queued reminders for that invoice stop, so a later note does not ask again.