Managing Overdue Invoices

Managing Overdue Invoices

Invoices that age past their due date deserve focused attention. TrailerBase gives you a dedicated Overdue tab in the Invoices view with the tooling you need to triage, nudge, escalate, or write off without digging through every open invoice one at a time.

The Overdue tab

From the Invoices page, click the Overdue tab at the top. The list is pre-filtered to every invoice with a non-zero balance past its due date. Each row shows the renter, invoice number, amount due, days overdue, and the status of the most recent reminder.

By default the list is sorted oldest first, because the oldest invoices are usually the ones most at risk of never getting paid.

Color bands

Every overdue invoice is color-coded by age, so you can prioritize at a glance:

• Yellow — 1 to 7 days — within normal slippage. Usually resolved with a single reminder.
• Orange — 8 to 30 days — escalating concern. Worth a personal email or phone call.
• Red — 30+ days — serious. Consider firm reminders, late-fee application, or write-off.

The band appears as a left-edge bar on each row and as a chip next to the days-overdue count.

Late-fee preview

For each overdue invoice, TrailerBase shows a late-fee preview in the row — what the fee would be if you applied it right now, given the rate and cap you have configured in Invoice Settings. Click the preview to apply the fee, or keep it as a negotiating tool when you talk to the renter.

Applying a late fee creates a new line item on the invoice and triggers a re-send of the updated invoice via email.

One-click send reminder

Rather than wait for the automated cadence, you can Send Reminder on any overdue invoice from the list. Useful when:

• You just got off the phone with the renter and want a reminder in their inbox.
• The automated cadence is paused and you want to nudge manually.
• A specific template fits the situation better than the default.

One-click reminders use the same templates as the automated cadence, or you can pick a custom template from the dropdown.

Bulk actions

Select multiple overdue invoices with the checkboxes and run:

• Send reminder (to all selected)
• Apply late fee (preview, confirm, apply)
• Export (CSV of the selection for your accountant)
• Mark uncollectable (write-off, see below)

Mark uncollectable / write-off

When an invoice is genuinely not going to be collected — the renter is unreachable, the dispute is lost, the amount is below your collection threshold — you can Mark uncollectable from the invoice detail page. This:

• Closes the invoice with a status of Written Off.
• Cancels any scheduled reminders.
• Creates a write-off journal entry in your accounting integration (if connected).
• Preserves the original invoice and all its line items for audit history.

Write-offs appear in a separate section of the Invoices list under the Written Off tab. They are always reversible if the renter surprises you and pays later — click Reactivate to restore.

Dashboard widget

The TrailerBase dashboard includes an Aging AR widget powered by the Overdue tab. It shows a bar chart of overdue amounts by age band so you can spot a growing red bar before it becomes a real problem.

Tips for healthier AR

• Keep your reminder cadence firm but polite. Most overdue invoices clear after a single nudge.
• Review the Overdue tab every Monday morning. A 10-minute habit keeps your AR tight.
• Use late fees as a signal, not a goal. The point is to get paid, not to accumulate fees.
• Write off quickly when it's truly uncollectable. Holding open invoices that will never pay distorts every report.

Paired with Payment Reminders, the Overdue tab is your front line on cash flow. Work it regularly and invoices rarely age past the yellow band.