A payment reminder is a message telling a customer that a payment is coming due, due today or overdue. A reminder a few days before each due date gives the customer time to pay, and one soon after a miss reaches the balance while it is small. A good reminder states the amount, the due date, what the payment is for and how to pay. For autopay debits from a consumer's bank account, Regulation E requires written notice of the amount and date at least 10 days before any debit that varies in amount, unless the consumer chose a range.
What is a payment reminder?
It is a short message, usually email or text, that tells a customer about a payment. There are three kinds:
- Upcoming: a payment is due soon.
- Due today: for customers who pay manually.
- Overdue: a payment was missed or declined.
When should you send payment reminders?
A simple schedule for a payment plan:
| When | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 3 to 5 days before the due date | Lets the customer fund the account or update the card |
| On the due date | For manual payers |
| 1 to 3 days after a miss | Reaches the customer while only one payment is late |
| About 2 weeks after a miss | A firmer note with any late fee and the next step |
There is no rule that fixes these days. Pick a schedule, put it in your payment plan agreement and keep to it. The 1–30 bucket of your aging report is the list to work from.
What should a payment reminder say?
- The amount and the due date.
- What it's for, such as "Payment 4 of 12, Medical Assistant program."
- The balance left after this payment.
- How to pay, with a link.
- Who to contact with a question.
Keep it plain. On a failed payment, say what happened ("your card was declined") and how to fix it. Offer a second method, such as paying by bank transfer instead of card.
Do customers on autopay need reminders?
Yes. A reminder before an autopay charge gives the customer time to fund their account or replace an expired card. That can head off a decline or a bank return.
For debits from a consumer's bank account there is also a legal notice rule. Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.10(d), says that when a preauthorized transfer "will vary in amount from the previous transfer under the same authorization or from the preauthorized amount," the payee or bank "shall send the consumer written notice of the amount and date of the transfer at least 10 days before the scheduled date of transfer."
The consumer must be told of their right to notice of every varying transfer. You may give them the option of notice only when a transfer falls outside a set range, or differs from the last one by more than an agreed amount.
Does a small change in amount count?
A worked example. A $14,800 plan with a $1,500 deposit has eleven payments of $1,108.33 and a last payment of $1,108.37 to absorb rounding. That last debit varies from the previous one. Listing every amount and date in the signed authorization, or agreeing a range with the customer, is one way to handle it. Changing an amount mid-plan, after a split or recalculation, is another reason to send a notice. Ask counsel how the rule applies to your plans.
Can a processor send reminders for you?
Stripe's docs say it can email customers about invoices, including reminders for unpaid recurring invoices sent before, on or after the due date, notices when a card payment fails, and emails about cards about to expire. Turn them on under Billing settings.
General information, not legal advice.
Every figure on this page was checked against these sources on Oct 6, 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.