Xero invoice reminders vs a credit control app: what changes

This page answers invoice chasing vs Xero payment reminders: the native-versus-app decision. For the ranked list of tools once you've decided to add an app, see credit control software for Xero. To see one app do the twelve jobs, go to credit control for Xero with Paidnice.

What do Xero invoice reminders do?

Xero's native reminders suit a business where every customer can get the same five emails; a credit control app suits one where a single customer group needs its own schedule, fee, statement or escalation. Xero invoice reminders are up to five automated emails per organisation, each fired a set number of days before or after the due date, with three enabled by default. There is no SMS, no contact-group targeting, and no scheduled statement.

Here is the full list of what the native feature does, taken from Xero's own setup articles (How invoice reminders work and Set up invoice reminders). The full walk-through is in Xero invoice reminders: how they work, and where they stop.

• Up to five reminders per organisation. Three are switched on by default the first time you enable the feature.
• Timing is days before or after the due date. Each reminder has one offset, and every invoice in the organisation gets the same offsets.
• Email only. The contact needs an email address on file, and the invoice must be marked as sent.
• A minimum-amount threshold. One setting: "Don't send reminders for amounts owing on an invoice under [amount]". Zero means every invoice qualifies.
• On or off at three levels. The whole organisation, a single contact, or a single invoice. There is no contact-group level.
• No statements on a schedule. Customer statements are sent by hand from the contact.

Xero's product ideas board shows which of those gaps are on the roadmap and which are not, and three matter here. Interest on late invoices has 1,114 votes, was posted on 29 March 2012, and Xero's latest reply (7 July 2025) calls it "early days" with no committed plans (source).

SMS reminders have 76 votes and a 17 June 2026 reply that says reminders by SMS are "not in our current roadmap" (source). Auto-emailed statements have 1,172 votes and sit "In discovery" (source).

Credit control starts at the due date. Xero Small Business Insights measures how many invoices pass it.

The rate is steady, so the work is continuous rather than seasonal.

What does a credit control app do that Xero reminders do not?

A dedicated credit control app connects to Xero, reads the same invoices and contacts, and runs twelve jobs on them. Xero's native reminders cover four of the twelve in part and none in full. The table shows each job side by side.

Xero's own Small Business Insights for the June 2026 quarter show UK small businesses waiting 29.1 days on average to be paid, 8.3 days past terms; the twelve-job gap above is what closes that difference (Xero SBI).

Rows 4 and 5 split the category in two, so check them before choosing an app. Chaser and Paidnice apply fees or interest; Satago does not document late-fee mechanics; Kolleno and Upflow document no late-fee capability. If a fee policy is part of your terms, the apps without one drop out of the list early.

When should a business move from Xero reminders to a credit control app?

The trigger is the second customer group. Xero's single schedule works while every customer can be treated the same way. It stops working the day one group needs a different schedule, fee, or tone from the rest.

Each quote maps to a row Xero does not run: rows 1, 8, 3, then 4 and 5. Two numbers put a cost on the trigger: the 8.3 days past terms from Xero SBI above, and the Atradius credit figures below.

Atradius's 2026 UK survey found roughly 68% of B2B sales are made on credit and late payment affects about 25% of invoiced B2B turnover (Atradius, 3 June 2026). A reminder feature that treats all of that turnover identically is doing one job on a problem that needs twelve.

What does a credit control process look like once an app runs it?

Once an app runs the process, each customer group gets its own ladder: pre-due reminder, due-date reminder, overdue reminder, SMS, statement, late fee or interest, then escalation to a person, each rung fired from the Xero due date.

1. Group the contacts. Key accounts, standard terms, slow payers, new customers. Apps that read Xero contact groups and tags can use them as the grouping, so this is usually a short job.
2. Set a reminder schedule per group. Key accounts might get one polite email at 7 days. Slow payers get a pre-due nudge, a due-date reminder, then 3, 7, and 14 days overdue, with an SMS at 7.
3. Put statements on a schedule. Monthly on the first for standard accounts, weekly for anyone with a balance over 60 days.
4. Attach the fee policy to the customer group. Standard terms: a fixed compensation sum plus interest at the statutory rate once an invoice passes 14 days. Key accounts: no fee, but the same reminders. The fee invoice lands on the Xero ledger so it enters the customer's payables run.
5. Set the escalation rung. At 30 days overdue, or above a balance you choose, the app creates a phone-call task for a named person and logs the outcome back to the invoice in Xero. At 45 days, a stop-credit flag. At 60, a letter before action.
6. Send from your domain. Reminders from accounts@yourcompany, the credit controller's name at 14 days, a director's name on the fee.
7. Watch DSO. Take the number before you switch on the first policy and again 30 days later.

Templates for steps 2 and 5 are in email templates for invoice payment reminders and letter before action template. The UK fee figures for step 4 are in late payment fees in the UK: 8% plus the Bank of England base rate under the 1998 Act, and fixed sums of £40, £70, or £100 by invoice size. Builders who invoice progress claims and retentions in Xero should set the retention invoice's due date to the contractual release date first, because every rung above fires from that date.

Which credit control app for Xero should you choose?

The right app depends on which rows you need. Paidnice runs fees, interest, statements, and plans in one plan. Chaser suits larger businesses that want credit checks. Satago pairs reminders with invoice finance. Kolleno leads on cash application. EzyCollect is the Australian option. A newer UK entrant, AutoSettle, sells multi-channel chasing for Xero as well; check it against the same twelve rows.

Verify current pricing before you buy. The six-tool ranking with fit-by-situation lives at credit control software for Xero: 6 tools compared. This page is the native-versus-app decision; that one is the app-versus-app decision.

• Paidnice runs fees, statement interest, statements, plans and escalation in one plan, from £49 a month.
• Chaser is the established tool for larger businesses: email, SMS and credit checks, from £199 a month.
• Satago pairs automated reminders with invoice finance; it does not document late fee support.
• Kolleno leads on cash application and analytics for larger finance teams, at $650 per user a month.
• EzyCollect is the Australian debtor management option, listed on the AU Xero App Store.

How do you measure whether the change succeeded?

Measure the switch with days sales outstanding (DSO) before and 30 days after. DSO can be calculated from Xero's Aged Receivables report and your sales figure, and most credit control apps show it on the dashboard, so it is a fair comparison.

The formula and an example are in DSO calculation formula. Read the result three ways:

• DSO falls, overdue count falls. The process is working. Extend it to the next group.
• DSO falls, overdue count does not. Big customers paid faster; small ones did not. Check the small-balance threshold and the SMS rung.
• Neither moves. Either the reminders are not being delivered (check the delivery report and the sending domain) or the customers in the group are disputing rather than delaying. Escalate instead of sending another reminder.

Questions people ask about Xero reminders and credit control apps

The five questions below are the ones readers ask about this decision, starting with the one Google shows against this search. Short answers, with the row of the table each one maps to.

Can you send invoice reminders on Xero? Yes. Sales, Invoice settings, Invoice reminders. Up to five per organisation, three on by default, timed in days before or after the due date, email only. Row 1.

Does Xero send SMS payment reminders? No. Xero can send the invoice itself by SMS in the UK, AU, NZ, and US, but reminders are email only, and Xero said on 17 June 2026 that SMS reminders are not on the current roadmap. Row 2. See SMS payment reminders for Xero.

Can Xero add interest or a late fee to an overdue invoice? Not automatically. You can raise a manual invoice for the fee. The automatic version has been an open product idea since 29 March 2012 with 1,114 votes. Rows 4 and 5. See how to add late payment fees in Xero.

Can Xero email statements automatically? No. Statements are sent by hand from the contact. The auto-email idea has 1,172 votes and is in discovery. Row 3. See automatic customer statements for Xero.

Can I set different reminders for different customers in Xero? Only by turning reminders off for a contact or an invoice. There is no second schedule. Row 1. See different Xero invoice reminders for different customers.

Written by

Denym Bird

Co-founder & CEO of Paidnice

Denym is a software entrepreneur and writes about accounts receivables management for small business.

LinkedIn X