Ten Minute Agents

How to stop chasing unpaid invoices in GoHighLevel

By Lisa McCarthy · 16 October 2026

Short answer: GoHighLevel can chase unpaid invoices for you, in two ways.

  • Reminder Settings (in Invoices → Settings) send email and SMS reminders on a schedule, before or after the due date.
  • An Invoice workflow gives you a custom chase sequence. The trigger is Invoice with status Sent, and a second workflow on status Paid thanks the customer and stops the chasing.

Connect Stripe or another payment provider so every invoice has a pay link.

Why automate it

Manual chasing eats evenings ('just checking you got invoice 1042…'). Automation keeps the tone consistent, gets the timing right and stops as soon as the money arrives. You only step in for the stubborn ones.

This is for businesses that send invoices from GoHighLevel Payments. If you invoice only from Xero or QuickBooks, keep chasing there.

Before you start

  1. Payments set up on your account, with Stripe or your provider connected, so invoices include a pay link. New to GoHighLevel? Try it here (affiliate link).
  2. A clear From name and reply-to address for reminder emails.
  3. Optional: late-payment wording for business customers (see the UK note below).
  4. A test contact (yourself), so you can try the sequence with a £1 invoice.

Option A: built-in invoice reminders (no workflow)

  1. Go to Invoices → Settings → Reminder Settings.
  2. Add a reminder. For each one, set:
    • the email (and SMS) template and subject
    • when it goes: every X days before or after the due date or sent date
    • the maximum number of reminders
  3. Add more reminders if you want a sequence, for example 3 days before, on the day, and 7 days after.
  4. Switch them on. They only run once enabled.

Two things to know:

  • Reminders only apply to invoices created after you switch them on. Older overdue invoices need a manual nudge.
  • Changing your default 'due after' days only affects future invoices.

Use this when a simple schedule is enough and you don't need tags, tasks or a firmer tone over time.

Option B: an Invoice workflow (a proper chase sequence)

Use workflows when you want the tone to firm up over time, an alert or task for you, or tags such as invoice:escalate.

The Invoice trigger can filter on these statuses:

  • Sent
  • Viewed
  • Partially Paid
  • Paid
  • Void

There's no separate 'overdue' status filter in the trigger list, so build the overdue steps with waits from the due date.

The sequence (plain English)

  1. Trigger: Invoice, status Sent.

  2. 3 days before the due date: a friendly reminder email with the pay link.

  3. On the due date: a short SMS with the pay link.

  4. 7 days after: a firmer, still polite, email.

  5. 14 days after: a final notice, a tag of invoice:escalate and a task for you to call.

  6. A second workflow, trigger Invoice, status Paid:

    • send a thank-you
    • remove the escalate tag
    • Remove from workflow → your chaser

    This is the step people forget.

How to build it

  1. Automation → Workflows → Create Workflow. Name it 'Invoice Chaser'.
  2. Add New Trigger → Invoice, filter status Sent. You can also filter by amount (for example, between 10 and 5,000) or by tag.
  3. Add the Wait and Send Email / Send SMS steps for each nudge.
  4. Create the Paid workflow (step 6 above).
  5. Test it. Send yourself a £1 invoice due tomorrow. Check the first reminder arrives, pay it, and check nothing else goes out.
  6. Publish both workflows.

Pick one approach, built-in reminders or the workflow, so customers aren't reminded twice.

Tone that works

  • Assume it's an oversight, not bad faith, in the early messages.
  • Always include the invoice number and the pay link.
  • Invite them to reply if there's a problem with the invoice.
  • Don't threaten legal action in an automated message.
  • Keep texts short and put the detail in the email.

Example due-day text:

Just a quick nudge: invoice {{invoice number}} for £{{amount}} is due today. You can pay here: {{pay link}}. Thanks!

Use the merge fields your email and SMS editor offers for invoice number, amount and link.

UK late-payment note

For business-to-business invoices in the UK, you may be able to claim statutory interest and fixed compensation on late payments. Whether to mention it is your call. Don't hard-code it into every reminder. Read the GOV.UK guidance before you add it to a final notice: Late commercial payments: charging interest and debt recovery.

Want it ready-made?

The AI Invoice Chasing agent from Ten Minute Agents sets this up for you:

  • a reminder before the due date
  • a text on the day
  • an AI-written firmer email at 7 days
  • a final notice and a call task at 14 days
  • it stops and says thank you the moment they pay

It comes with a plain-English guide designed to take about ten minutes. You can buy it on its own for £29, or get it with all five agents in the Small Business Agent Pack.

Not sure it's the one to start with? Take the 2-minute quiz.

FAQ

Will reminders stop when the invoice is paid? In a workflow, they stop when your Paid workflow removes the contact from the chaser, so build that step. With built-in reminders, test with a £1 invoice to confirm nothing goes out after payment.

Can I chase invoices I sent before turning reminders on? Not with built-in reminders. They only apply to invoices created after you enable them. Send those older ones a manual reminder.

Do I need Stripe? You need a connected payment provider so the customer gets a pay link. Stripe is the most common.

Can I use coupons on invoices? No. GoHighLevel coupons don't apply to estimates or invoices.

Is this the same as email marketing? No. These are transactional reminders tied to a specific invoice, not a newsletter.

Sources

Links marked (affiliate link) may earn Click Flow Grow a commission at no extra cost to you. Ten Minute Agents isn't affiliated with or endorsed by HighLevel.