Guides → Automatic, polite invoice reminders with Google Sheets and Make
Automatic, polite invoice reminders with Google Sheets and Make
Every morning Make finds open invoices past their due date and sends one polite reminder — and stops the moment the payment arrives. Two free blueprints and the mistake that makes them embarrassing.
Chasing payment is the job everyone postpones. The invoice gets noticed at month end, the reminder goes out irritated, and a relationship is dented over a small amount. A scheduled check in Make removes the awkward part: the reminder goes out on time, in the same polite words, every time.
Invoice past due → an automatic, polite reminder
Once a day it finds open invoices past their date and sends a reminder. The client no longer has to remember to chase.
How it works
- Every morning Make searches the invoices sheet for rows with status "open" and a due date before today.
- For each one it sends a short reminder email with the invoice number, amount and date.
- It writes "reminder sent" in the sheet so the same invoice is never reminded twice in a row.
The mistake that makes it embarrassing
The client paid yesterday, the sheet still says "open", and this morning they get a payment reminder. It is the fastest way to turn a useful automation into an embarrassing one. Close the loop: when the payment provider reports a payment, mark the invoice paid and thank the client.
Payment received → invoice marked "paid" → a thank-you to the client
The payment provider sends a webhook on payment; the invoice in the sheet is marked "paid" with the date, and the client gets a short confirmation. Payment reminders stop by themselves.
Before you switch it on
Test with your own email address as the client for a week. Check the wording in your language and your currency format, and decide how many days after the due date the first reminder should go out.
The file, the steps and what does not work — every morning in the channel. No spam, no sign-up.