Invoice reminders that do not sound unhinged

Outcome

Done when: Default reminder settings in Wave show the cadence below; a sample unpaid invoice lists scheduled reminders; a $1 test invoice to yourself received at least the “on due date” path (or you verified the schedule UI on a real unpaid draft); PDF of that invoice sits in your folder.

Not done when: The dashboard “looks Pro,” reminders are discussed in chat, or the agent enabled threats you did not write.

Where this runs

• Machine / account: Browser on your PC, logged into Wave for the business profile you invoice from (see the invoicing stack page).
• Time: ~15 minutes of clicks if payments or Pro are already on; longer if you still need Wave Payments approval.
• You must be present for: Login, 2FA, Pro upgrade payment, online payments application, and any reminder email wording.

Before you start

• Wave business profile exists; you can create and send invoices on Starter.
• Decision written down: stay on Starter with online payments enabled, or subscribe to Pro ($19/month or $190/year on Wave pricing as of 10 Sep 2026). Automated reminders require Pro, or accepting online payments — Wave’s own help text. Starter alone without payments means manual reminders only.
• Money: $0 if Starter + payments eligibility; otherwise Pro subscription on your card.
• Customer email addresses must exist on customer profiles or reminders have nowhere to go.

If you have not sent a real invoice yet, finish a $1 self-test first. Reminders on an empty account teach you nothing.

What you keep

• Passwords / passkeys
• 2FA
• Cards and Wave billing
• Bank link and payout details
• Legal identity / KYC for payments
• Reminder and invoice email wording

What the agent may touch

• Opening Business settings → Invoices and estimates → Reminder settings
• Checking the cadence boxes you already chose
• Confirming a single invoice’s scheduled reminders match defaults
• Saving a screenshot or notes of the settings page

What the agent must not invent

• Late fees, interest, or “collections” language
• Who gets shut off and when
• Enabling payments or entering bank credentials
• Marking invoices paid

Walkthrough

1. Confirm reminder eligibility

• Who: You
• Do: Sign in at waveapps.com. If you need automation on Starter, finish Wave Payments application (identity, business questions) or upgrade to Pro yourself. Do not paste bank credentials into a prompt.
• Verify: You can open an invoice and see reminder scheduling checkboxes, or Reminder settings under Business settings → Invoices and estimates. If Wave blocks automation, stop and finish eligibility before continuing.

2. Set the default cadence

• Who: Agent clicks; you approve the list first
• Do: Top-right business name → Business settings → Invoices and estimates → Reminder settings. Enable this cadence (recommended start):

• 3 days before due date
• On the due date
• 3 days after due date
• 7 days after due date

Leave 14-after off until you know your clients. Click Save all changes. Defaults apply to new invoices; existing ones need a per-invoice pass or Wave’s bulk off/on controls if you use them.

• Verify: Returning to Reminder settings shows those boxes checked.

3. Align one open invoice

• Who: You (or agent with you watching)
• Do: Sales & Payments → Invoices → open an unpaid invoice with a customer email on file → schedule the same reminders on that invoice if defaults did not attach. Do not edit copy to be hostile.
• Verify: The invoice shows scheduled reminders for those days. Reminders stop once the invoice is fully paid.

4. Send a controlled test

• Who: You
• Do: Create a $1 invoice to yourself (personal email you check). Due date = tomorrow. Confirm the before/on-due schedule appears. Pay it after you have seen at least the schedule UI — or wait for the due-date reminder if you want live proof and can stand a $1 loop.
• Verify: You receive Wave’s reminder email, or you have screenshot proof of the schedule on the invoice. Save the invoice PDF to your folder (YYYY-MM-test-reminders.pdf).

5. Write the human follow-up rule

• Who: You
• Do: On paper: after the 7-day-after reminder, you send one personal note or get on a call. No fourth automated nag in week one. No agent-authored guilt.
• Verify: The note exists somewhere you will see it when an invoice ages past 7 days overdue.

Prompt to paste

In my already-open Wave browser session, configure invoice payment reminder defaults only. Do not link banks, apply for payments, change payouts, upgrade billing, edit customer data, or change invoice email templates unless I paste approved text.

Go to Business settings → Invoices and estimates → Reminder settings. Enable reminders: 3 days before due, on due date, 3 days after, 7 days after. Disable 14-after unless I say otherwise. Save.

Then open one unpaid invoice I name and confirm the same schedule is attached (or attach it). Report what you clicked, what Wave showed about eligibility, and anything that required 2FA or a permissions wall. Stop.

Verify the whole job

1. Reminder settings match the four-point cadence.
2. One unpaid invoice shows those reminders scheduled.
3. PDF of the test invoice is in your disk folder, not only in Wave.

Backup

• What to copy: Screenshot of Reminder settings; quarterly Data Export (Business settings → Data Export) plus invoice PDFs.
• Where it lives: Your finance folder beside the PDF naming scheme from the invoicing page.
• How often: When you change cadence; export at least quarterly.

When it breaks

Do not

• Stack 14-day-after plus manual daily pings in week one
• Let the agent invent late fees or legal threats
• Disable exporting because “Wave is the archive”
• Hand the agent the bank login to “just finish payments”

Affiliate notes

None. Product pick lives on the invoicing stack page.

Last verified

• Date: 2026-09-10
• Ran on: Wave web UI paths described in Wave Help for payment reminders and Data Export; pricing from waveapps.com/pricing (Pro $19/mo or $190/yr; Starter free). Reminder eligibility: Pro or online payments per Wave’s reminder help article.
• Known drift: Exact Reminder settings labels; Pro promo pricing; whether Starter without payments still hides automation in your region.