What upcoming payment reminders do
When Ignition is scheduled to collect a payment automatically, Ignition can email your client a few days beforehand to let them know a charge is coming, how much it's for, and which payment method will be used. This gives them time to make sure the funds are there, and cuts down on failed payments and disputes.
Availability: Upcoming payment reminders are available to practices in the United States collecting by card or bank (ACH). This is being rolled out gradually, so it may not appear in your account yet if you are not based in the US.
How this is different from invoice reminders
Ignition has two separate reminder settings, and they do different jobs:
Upcoming payment reminders (this article) go out before Ignition automatically collects a payment.
Invoice reminders go out after an invoice has been sent and is still unpaid, nudging your client to pay. Learn more here.
Turning one on or off has no effect on the other.
Before you start
An upcoming payment reminder is only sent when there's an automatic collection to remind your client about, and enough time before it to send the reminder. That means:
Your client has a payment method saved in Ignition,
The payment is scheduled to be collected automatically, and
Your collection schedule gives Ignition at least as many days as your reminder window.
If there's no scheduled automatic collection, there's nothing to remind your client about, so no email is sent.
Note: Your collection schedule is set in Settings → Payments → Collection schedule, and it is set to Same day by default. On Same day, payments are collected the day they are raised, so there is no window for a reminder and none is sent.
If you would like to use the upcoming payment reminders feature, set Automatic billing collection terms to at least the number of days in your reminder window.
Turn on upcoming payment reminders
Upcoming payment reminders are off by default, so you'll need to switch them on.
Navigate to Settings → Payments.
Find the Upcoming payment reminders setting.
Switch Upcoming payment reminders on.
Choose how many days before the charge the reminder should be sent. You can pick anywhere from 1 to 14 days (default is 3 days).
Your changes save automatically, so there's no separate Save button.
Note: This setting applies to your whole account. You can't set a different reminder timing for individual clients or invoices.
Your client's experience
A few days before the scheduled charge, your client receives an email that includes:
The amount and the date it will be collected with a clear headline
e.g. "You'll be charged $100.00 on July 20."
The payment method on file that will be charged
An invoice summary, including the invoice number and due date
The line items and total being charged
Who to contact if they have a question about the charge
The email carries your logo, practice name and brand color, just like your other client emails.
Your experience in Ignition
When an upcoming payment reminder is sent, it's recorded on that invoice's audit trail. So if a client asks whether they were told about a charge, you can check the invoice under your client's Invoices tab to confirm the reminder went out.
Good to know
One reminder per payment. Each upcoming payment triggers a single heads-up email, not a repeating series. If you want repeated follow-ups on unpaid invoices, that's the separate invoice reminders setting.
Always based on the current charge date. The reminder is timed off the payment's scheduled collection date, so if that date changes, the reminder timing follows it.
There needs to be enough lead time. If a payment is scheduled to be collected sooner than your chosen reminder window, there isn't time to send the reminder, so no email goes out for that payment. This is set by your collection schedule. For example, if your collection terms are Same day, payments are collected as soon as they are raised and no reminder is sent, no matter how many days you choose. Changing your collection schedule applies to payments raised after the change, so payments already scheduled keep their existing collection date.
3 days is a good starting point. It's usually enough notice for a client to act on, without arriving so early that they forget about it.
FAQs
Q: Will my client get a reminder for every invoice?
No. Reminders are only sent for payments that Ignition will collect automatically, where your client has a payment method saved, and where your collection schedule leaves enough days before collection for the reminder to go out. Invoices without a scheduled automatic collection won't trigger an upcoming payment reminder.
Q: I turned reminders on, but my clients aren't receiving them. Why?
The most common reason is your collection schedule. Reminders are sent a set number of days before a payment is collected, so Ignition needs that many days between billing and collection. If your collection terms are set to Same day, which is the default, payments are collected as soon as they are raised and there is no window for a reminder.
To fix this, go to Settings → Payments → Collection schedule and set Automatic billing collection terms to at least the number of days in your reminder window. Reminders will then send for payments raised after the change.
Also check that your client has a payment method saved and that the payment is scheduled to be collected automatically.
Q: Can I send more than one reminder before a charge?
Not at the moment. Upcoming payment reminders send one email per upcoming payment. What you can control is how many days ahead of the charge it goes out, anywhere from 1 to 14 days.
Q: If I turn this off, do I lose my timing setting?
No. Your chosen number of days is kept, so it's still there when you turn the feature back on.
Q: Does this replace invoice reminders?
No. They do different jobs and can both be switched on at the same time. Upcoming payment reminders warn your client about a charge that's about to happen, while invoice reminders chase invoices that are already due or overdue.
Q: Can I set a different reminder timing for a particular client?
Not at the moment. The setting applies across your whole account.