Payments & dunning·DE
Dunning: from friendly reminder to collection notice
Four dunning levels with fees and default interest under German law, triggered automatically or manually, with a formal PDF letter and bilingual templates.
The four levels
Accountix walks overdue invoices through up to four levels:
| Level | Tone | Typical content |
|---|---|---|
| Payment reminder | friendly | "surely just slipped through" + new deadline |
| Second reminder | firm | deadline, consequences named |
| Final reminder | serious | last deadline, handover announced |
| Collection notice | matter-of-fact | handover to legal counsel/collection |
Each level has its own email template (placeholders like {invoiceNumber}, {newDueDate}, {totalDue}) and produces a formal dunning letter as a PDF attachment. If the invoice was issued in English, the dunning email and letter go out in English as well.
Fees and default interest
On request, Accountix calculates automatically and in line with the German Civil Code (BGB):
- default interest under section 288 BGB (base rate + 9 percentage points for B2B, + 5 for B2C), to the day,
- the EUR 40 flat compensation (section 288 (5), B2B only),
- a fixed dunning fee per level.
The letter itemizes principal, interest, and fees separately and states the total now due with the new deadline.
Automatic or manual
Automatic dunning is enabled per company (Dunning → Settings): grace days after the due date, intervals between levels, and an approval requirement for the collection level. If you prefer to decide yourself, leave the automation off and use the bulk action in the invoice list: select several overdue invoices, "Send reminders" - Accountix picks the correct next level per invoice. A same-day guard prevents the same invoice from being dunned twice in one day.
Keeping the overview
The invoice list shows the latest state per invoice ("Reminded (level 1) - 12 Aug"). The dunning history on the invoice lists every sent level with date and amount. Payments arriving through the bank connection stop further levels automatically.
A practical tip
Set the payment reminder to fire 3 to 5 grace days after the due date, the second reminder 14 days later - and always keep the collection level behind an approval. The tone stays proportionate, and no regular customer ever hears from a collection agency by accident.