Mahnungen — Payment Reminders Guide

What it does

Payment Reminders (Mahnungen) automates the process of chasing overdue invoices. When a client misses a payment deadline, you can send formal reminders at escalating levels — from a friendly first reminder to a formal demand letter. The system tracks which invoices are overdue, generates reminder PDFs, and keeps a full history of every dunning step.

You can create reminders one at a time or run an automated dunning batch (Mahnlauf) that scans all overdue invoices and proposes the appropriate action for each one.

How to set up

1. Configure reminder fees — go to Organization settings and set the fee amounts for each reminder level (1st, 2nd, and 3rd reminder). These fees are added to the reminder document automatically.
2. Set payment days — define how many days the client gets to pay after receiving a reminder (default is 10 days).
3. Set up document templates — go to Organization > Document Defaults and create default subject lines and body text for each reminder level and language (German, French, English). Use placeholders like :client_name and :amount.
4. Configure the reminder prefix — set a prefix for reminder numbers (e.g. "M" produces M-2026-000001).

Daily use

Creating a single reminder

1. Go to Payment Reminders > New and select the client.
2. The system shows all overdue invoices for that client. Tick the ones to include.
3. Choose the reminder level (1st, 2nd, or 3rd). The fee for that level is added automatically.
4. Review the reminder details and click Create. The reminder is saved as a draft.
5. Open the reminder, review the PDF preview, and click Send to email it to the client. You can also choose to send by post or registered mail.

Running a dunning batch (Mahnlauf)

1. Go to Payment Reminders > Dunning Run. The system scans all overdue invoices and groups them by client.
2. For each client, the system suggests the appropriate action: create a 1st reminder, escalate to 2nd, or escalate to 3rd. You can also skip individual clients.
3. Review the proposed actions, adjust if needed, and click Execute. The system creates all reminders in one go.
4. The created reminders appear in the reminder list as drafts, ready for review and sending.

Tracking and resolving

Open any reminder to see its full timeline: when it was created, sent, and whether the client has paid. Record a payment directly from the reminder page, or cancel the reminder if the situation is resolved. The dashboard shows statistics on open reminders, total outstanding amounts, and overdue trends.

Works together with

• Invoicing — reminders are linked to specific overdue invoices. Payment status on invoices updates automatically when you record payment on a reminder.
• Clients — reminders are grouped by client, so you can see all open dunning activity for any client at a glance.

Tips

• Use the dunning run for efficiency. Instead of creating reminders one by one, the Mahnlauf scans all overdue invoices at once and proposes the right action for each client.
• Review before sending. Reminders are created as drafts first, giving you a chance to adjust the text or exclude specific invoices before the client sees anything.
• Set appropriate fees per level. A CHF 0 fee on the first reminder keeps it friendly, while a higher fee on the 2nd and 3rd reminder encourages prompt payment.
• Track delivery method. For registered mail (Einschreiben), you can store the tracking number directly on the reminder for your records.
• Escalation to debt collection is coming. The 3rd-level reminder is currently the final step. A future update will add integration with the Swiss debt collection process (Betreibung).