Payment emails and reminders explained
This article is a firm reference for the payment-related emails and SMS clients receive from Glade — invoices, receipts, payment plans, installment reminders, and failed-payment notices — plus how firms typically control them.
Exact subject lines and button labels can vary slightly by template version. Treat timing notes below as current product behavior that can change; confirm with support@glade.ai if a client needs a precise schedule.
Who gets what
Clients receive most payment emails/SMS about their own invoices and plans (invoice ready, payment started, receipt, partial payment, plan changes, installment reminders, failed payment / retry).
Firm users on the workflow can also receive some notices (for example when an ACH payment is initiated, when a payment lands, or when a plan payment fails), depending on collaborator / customer-notification settings on that workflow and whether email notifications are enabled on the invoice.
Catalog of client payment messages
Invoices and one-time payments
| Message | When it typically sends | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice | Client is notified that an invoice is ready to pay. | Email (SMS possible if enabled) |
| Payment initiated | A payment (often ACH/bank) has started processing and is not final yet. | |
| Receipt (invoice paid) | The invoice is paid in full. This email is the client’s receipt. | |
| Partial payment | A payment covers only part of the invoice balance. | |
| Unpaid-invoice follow-up / reminder | While an invoice still has a balance and no active payment plan, Glade can send recurring reminders on the workflow’s follow-up cadence (often email + SMS). | Email and/or SMS |
Important: Once an invoice is paid, voided, skipped, edited into a new version, or covered by an active payment plan, those unpaid-invoice follow-up reminders should stop. Autopay on the plan takes over collection.
Payment plans
| Message | When it typically sends | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Plan created | A payment plan is set up on an invoice. | |
| Plan updated | Plan terms change (amount, schedule, method, etc.). | |
| Plan cancelled | A plan is cancelled. | |
| Installment reminder | Ahead of an upcoming scheduled installment on an active plan (firms often see this about two days before the charge — confirm current timing with support if needed). | Email (SMS possible) |
| Installment receipt / thank-you | After a successful plan installment posts. |
If a client verbally agreed to a plan but unpaid-invoice reminders keep firing, confirm the plan was actually created on the invoice in Glade. Missing plan setup is a common cause of ongoing reminders.
Failed payments and retries
| Message | When it typically sends | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Failed payment | A charge does not go through (one-time or plan installment). | Email (SMS possible) |
| Retry / failed retry | Glade retries a failed plan installment, or a retry also fails. Plan installments commonly allow a small number of automatic retries (often up to three attempts total, spaced across later business days). Treat the exact retry schedule as product behavior that can change. |
After retries are exhausted, both the client and the firm may be notified that collection failed. Monitor plan health under Transactions → Payment Plans (see Payment Plan Reports).
SMS
Some payment events can also send SMS when the client has a phone number on file and SMS notifications are enabled for that client. Clients manage SMS opt-in from their Glade profile (see How to Turn Off Client Notifications (SMS & Email)). That article covers client profile SMS and broadcast email — it is not the same as payment-template or invoice email-notification controls.
How firms control these
Email notifications on the invoice — Payment-related sends are gated in part by whether email notifications are enabled on the invoice (and related firm / template notification controls). If clients stop receiving invoice or reminder emails, confirm notifications are still on for that invoice and that the client’s email on the profile is correct.
Follow-up cadence — Reminder timing for unpaid invoices (when no plan is active) is adjustable per client workflow in follow-up settings. Use this when a client feels they are getting too many reminders.
Payment plan on the invoice — Creating an active plan should stop unpaid-invoice follow-ups and shift the client to installment reminders / receipts / failure notices instead. See Setting up a payment plan.
Collaborator notification flags — Firm-side payment notices often go to workflow collaborators who are set to receive customer notifications. Assigning extra collaborators can expand who gets firm-facing payment emails.
Visuals still coming: Screenshots of the invoice email-notification toggle, follow-up cadence, and sample client emails are still needed. Exact Glade 2.0 Settings click-paths for those controls were not re-verified for this publish — confirm in-product before relying on a specific path.
Troubleshooting missing or unexpected messages
Client says reminders never stop — Check whether a payment plan was actually created on the invoice; check follow-up cadence; confirm the invoice still has a remaining balance.
Client on a plan says they get no “pay your invoice” reminders — Expected. With an active plan, unpaid-invoice follow-ups should stop; they should get installment reminders (and receipts / failure notices) instead.
Missing receipt after pay-in-full — Confirm the invoice shows paid, email notifications are enabled on the invoice, and the client email is correct. The paid-invoice email is the receipt.
Missing failure email after retries — Check Transactions → Payments / Payment Plans for failed attempts and plan health; gather send time and client email for support.
Firm didn’t get a notice — Confirm collaborator notification settings on the workflow and that the right people are assigned.
SMS missing — Confirm phone number on file and SMS opt-in on the client profile.
Related articles
How to Turn Off Client Notifications (SMS & Email) (client profile SMS / broadcast email — not payment templates)
Need help?
If a client reports missing or unexpected payment emails, gather: firm name, client email, approximate send time, whether the message was email or SMS, invoice / workflow link, and whether a payment plan is active. Contact support@glade.ai.