Clio overdue invoices tend to pile up in the same place: the Outstanding Balances tab, where everyone can see them and nobody owns them. Clio Manage has solid built-in reminder tools. This guide shows how to set them up, how to pair them with a personal follow-up schedule, and when to bring in help.
How do you follow up on overdue invoices in Clio?
Find them under Billing, then Outstanding Balances. Turn on automated bill reminders in Settings, then Billing, then Automated Bill Reminders, and set a schedule. Reminders run until a bill is paid in full or written off. For bills still open after two reminders, add a personal phone call.
Where to find overdue Clio invoices
Overdue Clio invoices are on the Billing tab under Outstanding Balances, and Clio’s AR aging report shows them by age. Clio calls invoices “bills.” Unpaid, approved bills appear in the main Billing tab under Outstanding Balances, grouped by client. Turn on the Reminders column there to see which clients have automated reminders on. For an aged view, run Clio’s accounts receivable aging report from the Reports area. It shows balances by age bucket, which tells you where to spend calling time first.
How to set up Clio automated bill reminders
Clio’s automated bill reminders are set once, under Settings, Billing, Automated Bill Reminders, and then switched on per client. These steps follow Clio’s help article on bill reminders. Menu names can change, so check it if something looks different.
- Go to Settings, then Billing, then Automated Bill Reminders.
- Set the default behavior: on or off, and whether it applies to all clients or only new ones.
- Choose the send method: email only, or email and text. Text requires the firm to enable text messaging in Clio.
- Set the schedule and how often reminders repeat. You can pause reminders for clients on active payment plans.
- Pick who receives replies. Choose a person with billing permissions who checks email daily.
- Edit the email template subject and body. Then click Save reminders.
- To turn reminders on or off for one client, use the Reminders toggle on the Outstanding Balances tab.
Three details that catch firms out
- When a client has several unpaid bills, Clio uses the issue date of the oldest one to set the reminder cadence. The schedule resets only once all of that client’s bills are paid.
- Reminders pause only for payment plans that deposit into an operating account. Plans that deposit into trust do not pause them.
- If reminders are on for all contacts, they continue at your cadence until each bill is paid in full or written off. Clients on a sensitive matter may need the toggle turned off.
A follow-up schedule for Clio bills
Let Clio send the first two reminders in the week after the due date, then have a person call by day 14. Clio’s own 2026 benchmarks put the average law firm collection rate at 92 percent (Clio), and the remaining gap is mostly bills that need a conversation.
| When | Who | What |
|---|---|---|
| Bill issued | Clio | Bill sent with payment link |
| Day 1 past due | Clio automated reminder | Short, warm reminder |
| About day 7 | Clio automated reminder | Second reminder, invites questions |
| Days 10 to 14 | A person | Phone call, set a payment date |
| Days 14 to 90 | A person, plus Clio reminders | Steady contact, approved payment plans |
| Day 90 | Billing attorney | Decide next step |
Clio’s reminder schedule is based on issue date. Set the intervals so the first reminder lands just after your payment terms end. For example, with 30-day terms, a first reminder 31 days after issue.
A Clio reminder email should be short and name the balance, with a payment link and an open door for questions.
Template: Clio bill reminder email
Subject: Reminder: your statement from [Firm name] Hi [Client first name], A quick reminder that your balance of [amount] with [Firm name] is now past due. Your statement is attached. You can pay securely here: [payment link]. Partial payments are welcome. If something on the statement doesn’t look right, or a payment plan would help, just reply to this email. We’re happy to help. Thank you, Billing, [Firm name]
Clio’s template editor offers merge fields for client and bill details. Use them in place of the brackets.
Where Clio reminders stop helping
Clio reminders stop helping once a client has seen several and still not paid. Automated reminders are good at one job: catching clients who forgot. A client who is overwhelmed, or unsure about a charge, will often ignore the fourth identical email. At that point the bill needs a person who can ask what is in the way, offer a plan, and pass questions to the attorney. That is where most firms stall, because nobody has time to make the calls. Our guide on how to collect unpaid legal fees includes a call script for that step.
How ARCounsel connects to Clio
ARCounsel connects to Clio read-only, through Clio’s own authorization screen. It sees bills and balances, and it cannot change anything in Clio or touch the firm’s money.
- Read-only. The firm authorizes the connection through Clio’s own sign-in. ARCounsel reads bills, client contact details and payment allocations. It never creates, edits or deletes anything in Clio.
- No access to money. ARCounsel does not request Clio’s payments permission. Reminders point to the firm’s own payment link, and clients pay the firm directly.
- Secure. The connection runs over encrypted HTTPS, and access tokens are encrypted at rest. The firm can disconnect at any time.
- What gets followed up. Unpaid bills awaiting payment with a balance above zero. Draft, void and deleted bills are skipped. Locked clients and matters are never contacted.
- How payments show as collected. When a payment is recorded in Clio and the bill balance drops, ARCounsel records it as collected and stops follow-up on a paid bill. Balances are re-checked with Clio before each reminder goes out, so a client who just paid doesn’t get another email.
ARCounsel is a done-for-you accounts receivable follow-up service for law firms that connects read-only to QuickBooks Online, LeanLaw and Clio. During onboarding the firm decides whether Clio’s own reminders stay on, so clients never get two emails in the same week. Firms that also keep books in QuickBooks Online can read our guide to overdue QuickBooks Online invoices. To see where your Clio balances stand against common benchmarks, see law firm accounts receivable: what’s normal.
Checklist for Clio overdue invoices
Most Clio collection gaps close with these seven habits.
- Payment terms on each bill match the fee agreement.
- Online payment link included on every bill and reminder.
- Automated bill reminders set to start just after the due date.
- Replies routed to someone who reads them daily.
- Reminders turned off for sensitive matters and disputed bills.
- Outstanding Balances reviewed weekly. Calls scheduled for anything 10 or more days past due.
- Payments recorded in Clio the day they arrive.
Frequently asked questions
Can Clio automatically remind clients about overdue bills?
Yes. Clio Manage can send automated bill reminders by email, or by email and text, on a schedule the firm sets under Settings, Billing, Automated Bill Reminders. They run until the bill is paid in full or written off.
Can Clio pause reminders for a client on a payment plan?
Clio can pause reminders for clients on active payment plans, but only for plans that deposit into an operating account. You can also turn reminders off for any one client from the Outstanding Balances tab.
What’s the best way to follow up on overdue Clio invoices?
Turn on Clio’s automated bill reminders to start just after the due date, then have a person call any client still unpaid at day 10 to 14 and offer an approved payment plan. Review the Outstanding Balances tab weekly.
Will ARCounsel change anything in my Clio account?
No. The connection is read-only. ARCounsel reads bills, contacts and payment allocations and never writes to Clio. Payments are still recorded by the firm in Clio as usual.
A note on ethics rules. Rules on fee collection vary by state, including when a firm may charge interest on a late bill or refer an account to a collection agency. Check your state’s rules of professional conduct and ethics opinions, or ask your ethics counsel, before setting a collection policy. This article is general information, not legal advice.
Hand off the follow-up
ARCounsel’s AR specialists follow up on past-due invoices in your firm’s name, on templates you approve. Flat monthly fee, and clients pay you directly.
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