Step‑by‑Step Guide to Configure Automated Email Reminders for Overdue Invoices in Odoo 16

Small and medium‑size businesses often lose cash flow because customers forget to pay on time. Manually chasing every overdue invoice is time‑consuming and error‑prone. Odoo 16 includes a built‑in scheduler that can send polite reminder emails automatically, helping you get paid faster without adding extra workload.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

• An active Odoo 16 database with the Accounting app installed.
• Administrator access (or a user with Settings > Technical > Automation > Scheduled Actions rights).
• Outgoing mail server configured (Settings > General Settings > Outgoing Mail Servers).
• A Cloud VPS to host your Odoo instance if you don’t already have one.

Configuration

1. Activate the “Payment Follow‑up” Feature

1. Navigate to Accounting › Configuration › Settings.
2. Scroll to the Payments section.
3. Check the box Payment Follow‑up and click Save.

2. Define Follow‑up Levels

1. Go to Accounting › Customers › Payment Follow‑up.
2. Click the Create button to add a new level (e.g., “First Reminder”).
3. Set the Delay (days) after the invoice due date (e.g., 5 days).
4. Enter the email Subject and Body. Use the available placeholders such as ${partner_name}, ${invoice_number}, and ${amount_due} to personalize the message.
5. Repeat the process for additional levels (e.g., “Second Reminder” at 10 days, “Final Notice” at 15 days).
6. When finished, click Save.

3. Assign Follow‑up Levels to Customers (Optional)

If you want specific customers to receive a custom schedule, you can override the default levels:

1. Open Sales › Customers and select a partner.
2. Click the Edit button.
3. In the Accounting tab, choose a different Follow‑up Level from the dropdown.
4. Save the record.

4. Set Up the Scheduled Action

Odoo uses a cron job called Send follow‑up emails to trigger reminders.

1. Navigate to Settings › Technical › Automation › Scheduled Actions.
2. Search for Send follow‑up emails. If it does not exist, create a new action:
   • Name: Send follow‑up emails
   • Model: account.move
   • Action To Do: Execute Python Code
   • Python Code: self.env['account.move']._send_followup()
   • Interval Number: 1
   • Interval Unit: Days
   • Check Active.
3. Click Save. The action will now run once a day and send any pending reminders.

5. Test the Email Template

1. Open Accounting › Customers › Invoices and create a draft invoice for a test partner.
2. Validate the invoice and set the Due Date to a past date (e.g., 7 days ago).
3. From the invoice form, click Action › Send Follow‑up. Choose the appropriate level and click Send.
4. Check the test partner’s email inbox to confirm that the reminder arrived with the correct placeholders.

Testing the Automated Workflow

1. Simulate a Daily Run

If you want to verify the scheduler without waiting 24 hours, you can manually trigger it:

1. Go back to Settings › Technical › Automation › Scheduled Actions.
2. Select Send follow‑up emails and click Run Manually.
3. Review the Odoo log (Settings › Technical › Logs › Scheduler Log) for any errors.

2. Monitor Follow‑up History

Odoo records each reminder sent:

1. Open an overdue invoice and scroll to the Follow‑up History tab.
2. You will see a list of dates, levels, and email status (Sent / Failed).

3. Adjust Frequency or Content

If you notice that customers are not responding, consider:

• Changing the Delay (days) values in the follow‑up level.
• Adding a stronger call‑to‑action in the email body.
• Increasing the number of reminder levels.

Conclusion

Automating overdue‑invoice reminders in Odoo 16 eliminates the tedious task of manual follow‑ups, improves cash flow, and maintains a professional relationship with your clients. By configuring follow‑up levels, ensuring a functional outgoing mail server, and enabling the built‑in scheduled action, you create a reliable, hands‑free reminder system that scales with your business. For a smooth hosting experience, you can rely on Cloud VPS to run Odoo securely and efficiently.