Our verdict: automate the chasing, not the judgment
Overdue reminders are a good automation because the rule is clear and the work is repetitive. They are also risky, because one wrong email to a client who paid yesterday costs goodwill. Before building anything, check your accounting app's settings for a built-in reminder feature; if one exists and covers your schedule, it avoids a second system that can drift out of sync.
If you need more control, such as different wording by client, a Slack alert to you, or a stop for disputed invoices, build the workflow below. The example uses Xero because Make documents its invoice modules [1]; the same shape applies to other accounting apps with search and get modules. Make also lists a Xero Watch Invoices trigger that fires when an invoice is added or updated [5], but an invoice becomes overdue with the passing of time, not an edit, so a scheduled search fits this job better.
The workflow in six steps
- Schedule: run once each weekday morning. Overdue status changes daily, so faster checks add cost without benefit.
- Search: Xero Search for Invoices to find open invoices past their due date [1]. Make notes that Xero enforces volume threshold limits on GET modules, which can slow or stop searches in high-volume organizations [1].
- Decide the stage: compare days overdue with your cadence (for example 3, 10 and 21 days) and check your reminder log for the last stage sent.
- Re-check: Xero Get an Invoice for each candidate immediately before sending [1]. Stop if the amount due is zero or the invoice is no longer open.
- Send: Xero Send an Invoice via Email [1], or a Gmail message with the invoice link from Get an Invoice URL [1].
- Log: write invoice ID, stage and time to a sheet or data store, keyed on invoice ID plus stage, so the same stage is never sent twice.
Stop conditions that keep the workflow polite
The log is the piece most often skipped. Without it, a run that fails after sending and is retried can send the same reminder twice. Our duplicate-email guide explains the ledger pattern in more detail.
| Condition | Where to check it | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in full since the search | Get an Invoice just before sending | Skip and log Paid |
| Part-paid | Amount due less than total | Use a gentler template or alert a person |
| Disputed or on a payment plan | A tag or column you control | Skip until the tag is removed |
| Reminder stage already sent | Your log, keyed on invoice ID + stage | Skip |
| Third reminder already sent | Your log | Stop emailing; alert the owner to call |
| Invoice not found or error | Error handler route | Alert a person; do not retry the send blindly |
Make credits per month
Make's operations page says a trigger or search runs once per check, while each later module runs once per bundle it processes [2]; its billing FAQ says most actions use 1 credit and routers and error handlers do not consume credits [3]. Assumptions, labeled: 22 weekday runs, 60 candidate invoices found across the month, 40 reminders actually sent, one log row per reminder.
| Step | Runs per month | Make credits |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Search for Invoices | 22 | 22 |
| Get an Invoice (re-check every candidate) | 60 | 60 |
| Send an Invoice via Email | 40 | 40 |
| Log row | 40 | 40 |
| Total | About 162 credits |
Pabbly Connect tasks per month
Pabbly Connect counts a task only when an action is performed on an external app; triggers, Filter, Router, Formatter, Schedule and Iterator are free [4]. With the same assumptions, the search (22), re-checks (60), sends (40) and log rows (40) are all external actions, about 162 tasks. That is over the Free plan's 100 tasks and well inside Standard's 10,000, which Pabbly lists at $19 billed monthly or $194 billed yearly [4].
We have not checked which Xero search and get actions Pabbly offers in its builder; confirm both exist before choosing it. If Pabbly only offers a trigger on new or updated invoices, you would need a different design, such as storing due dates and running the check from a sheet.
| Make | Pabbly Connect | |
|---|---|---|
| Unit counted | Credits per module run [2] | Tasks per external action [4] |
| Schedule trigger | Counts as the first module run | Free [4] |
| This example | About 162 credits | About 162 tasks |
| Plan that fits | Free (1,000 credits) if little else runs [3] | Standard: $19/month or $194/year [4] |
| Main advantage | Documented Xero search, get and send modules [1] | Internal steps and checks are not billed [4] |
Test before real clients see it
- Use a test contact with your own email and create invoices due 3, 10 and 21 days ago.
- Mark one paid between the search and send steps and confirm it is skipped.
- Run the scenario twice in one day and confirm no stage is sent twice.
- Force an error (wrong invoice ID) and confirm a person is alerted and nothing is resent.
- Read every template aloud: friendly, specific amount and due date, a payment link, and a contact for questions.
Questions before you decide
What stops a paid client from getting a reminder?
Fetch the invoice again just before sending and stop if the amount due is zero or the invoice is no longer open. A daily search result can be hours old by the time the email step runs.
Should reminders come from the accounting app or from Gmail?
Make's Xero app includes Send an Invoice via Email, which keeps the message tied to the invoice. Sending from Gmail gives more control over wording. Either way, log the send so the next stage knows what already went out.
Is Make or Pabbly cheaper for this?
At about 160 actions a month, Make's 1,000-credit Free plan covers it if little else runs on the account. Pabbly's Free plan has 100 tasks, so the same volume needs Standard at $19 monthly or $194 yearly.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Make apps documentation: Xero Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Make Help Center: Operations Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Make pricing and billing FAQ Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Pabbly Connect plans and task counting (USD) Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Make integrations: Xero triggers Accessed 29 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.