Debtor management relies on two things for every bill:
The branding theme on the bill. This decides whether the bill is collected automatically and whether it gets reminders.
A saved payment method for the client. This is needed so payment can be taken automatically.
Getting these right once means every new bill is handled correctly without anyone thinking about it.
Why it helps
You control who's chased. Keep sensitive or VIP clients out of automatic reminders just by giving their bills a different theme.
No surprises for clients. Only bills on themes you've chosen are debited automatically.
Less admin. Once clients have a card or bank account saved, they never need to pay a bill by hand again.
Branding themes
Why branding themes matter
Each branding theme has switches that apply to every bill using it:
If the bill's theme has… | Then… |
|---|---|
Collect automatically ticked | The bill is paid automatically on its due date, if the client has a saved payment method |
Send reminders ticked | The bill gets overdue reminders and payment emails |
Neither ticked | The bill still appears in the Debtors queue, but nothing happens automatically |
No theme at all | The bill is not collected automatically and is excluded from reminders |
Bills excluded from reminders show an Excluded from workflow badge in the Debtors queue. They also appear in the Not being chased report.
Planning your themes
Use themes to group bills that should be treated the same way. For example:
Theme | Collect automatically | Send reminders | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
Standard | ✅ | ✅ | Most clients |
Manual pay | ❌ | ✅ | Clients who pay by transfer or invoice |
No chase | ❌ | ❌ | Internal, pro bono or sensitive clients |
Tip: Using Pinch auto-debit in Xero for Bill Upfront bills? Give those bills their own theme. Otherwise a client who pays by bank could be charged twice. OnboardMe warns you if it spots this overlap on a proposal.
Where themes come from
Xero: Themes are your Xero branding themes. Sync them from Settings → Integrations → Xero Ledger → Settings and Themes → Sync Branding Themes. They also sync automatically every night. On the same tab, under Branding, set your default themes:
Invoice default: used for new one-off bills
Billed upfront default: used for bills paid upfront on a proposal
Recurring default: used for recurring bills
QuickBooks and Standalone: Create themes in Settings → Business → Payment Settings → Debtors & payments → Manage debtors & payments → Bills. Enter a Theme name and click Add theme. QuickBooks practices should also set a Default theme for QuickBooks bills there. Imported QuickBooks invoices use this theme.
Setting the theme on a bill
When you create or edit a bill, choose a theme in the Branding theme field. Your default theme is filled in automatically. If your practice has any themes, every bill must have one: you'll see "Select a branding theme before saving this bill." until you choose one.
Recurring bills: set the theme on the recurring schedule. It applies to every bill generated from that schedule. To update many schedules at once, use the bulk apply option on the Recurring Bills tab.
Imported Xero invoices: keep the branding theme set in Xero.
Existing bills: to move a bill into or out of collection or reminders, change its theme.
You can check a bill's theme at any time on the bill view, under Branding theme.
Payment methods
How clients pay
Payment methods are saved per client, not per bill. A client can save:
a Card, and/or
a Bank account (direct debit)
Payments are processed through Pinch Payments (Australia and New Zealand) or Stripe (UK). In the Bills list, the Pay method column shows what each client has saved: None, Card, Bank or Card + bank.
New Zealand (Pinch): only cards are available for now.
Which payment options are offered
In Settings → Business → Payment Settings → Billing, Payment Options sets the methods clients can choose from: All, Credit Card or Direct Debit. You can override this on individual proposals.
When a client has both a card and a bank account saved, automatic payments use your Preferred payment method (set in the Collection step).
How clients save a payment method
Clients can save a card or bank account in three ways:
When accepting a proposal: on the payment step.
In the customer portal: under Bills & payments → Your payment methods (Add a card to pay bills / Add a bank account to pay bills). Clicking Notify the practice lets you know they're ready.
From a payment setup link: if a bill has no payment method, the bill shows No payment method on file. Click Send payment setup link to email the client a secure link. You can also turn on the Invoice payment setup email so this happens automatically (see Setting up debtor management).
Clients paying on their own
Reminder emails, SMS and statements include a link to the client's portal. There, under Outstanding bills, they can click Pay on one bill, or select several and click Pay selected.
Checklist
Themes set up, with Collect automatically and Send reminders ticked as needed
Default themes set (Xero: in Xero Ledger settings; QuickBooks: Default theme for QuickBooks bills)
Every bill and recurring schedule has a branding theme
Clients have a card or bank account saved
Invoice payment setup email turned on, so clients without a payment method are asked to add one
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