QuickBooks invoice reminders vs. CashWatchdog
People often ask whether they need CashWatchdog if QuickBooks Online already sends invoice reminders. The short answer: they do different jobs. QuickBooks reminders talk to your customers. CashWatchdog talks to you.
Side by side
| QuickBooks automatic reminders | CashWatchdog | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets the email | Your customer | You (and your bookkeeper or partner, if you add them) |
| What it's for | Nudging the customer to pay | Telling you which invoices need your attention |
| When it's sent | On a schedule you set, relative to each due date | The morning an invoice goes past due, and again at 30 days |
| Shows you the whole picture | No, each reminder is about one invoice | Yes, one email lists every newly overdue invoice with amounts and days late |
| Changes anything in QuickBooks | Sends emails from QuickBooks | No, it only reads invoices |
| Cost | Included in QuickBooks Online | $49/month, 14-day free trial |
What QuickBooks reminders do well
- They're built in and free with your subscription.
- Once set up, they go out on schedule without anyone remembering.
- For customers who simply forgot, a polite automatic reminder is often all it takes.
If you haven't turned them on yet, here's how to set up QuickBooks payment reminders.
Where reminders leave a gap
- You aren't told. Reminders go out silently. You only learn an invoice is overdue by opening QuickBooks or running an aging report.
- They can't escalate. A large invoice, or a good customer who's suddenly late, needs a phone call. Automatic emails can't make that judgment, and you can't make it if you don't know.
- They run out. After the last scheduled reminder, nothing else happens unless someone steps in.
- Your bookkeeper may not see them. If someone else manages your books, they're in the dark too.
What CashWatchdog adds
Every morning, CashWatchdog checks your QuickBooks Online company. When an invoice has just gone past due, you get one short email with the invoice number, customer, amount and how many days late it is. If it's still unpaid at 30 days, you hear about it once more. On days when nothing new is overdue, it stays quiet.
That gives you the moment to act: a personal note to a good customer, a call about a large balance, or a decision to pause work for a client who's slipping.
Using both
For most businesses the best setup is both:
- QuickBooks reminders handle the routine: a heads-up before the due date and a polite note after.
- CashWatchdog tells you when an invoice is overdue, so you can decide if it needs a human.
Not a fit?
CashWatchdog works with QuickBooks Online only; QuickBooks Desktop isn't supported. If you only send a handful of invoices a month and check QuickBooks daily anyway, you may not need it. It's built for owners and bookkeepers who don't have time to look every day.