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Here is everything you need to know about sending reminders to your bad payers and debtors. For example, did you know that reminders are not a requirement to start a debt collection process?

What is a reminder?

A reminder is often also called a reminder letter. The purpose of a reminder is to send a reminder for one or more missing payments - typically for an invoice or other financial balance that has not been paid.

The reminder notifies the debtor or debtor that the creditor is in arrears, which can be an advantage if the non-payment is due to a simple oversight on the part of the debtor/debtor.

The reminder can legally be sent on most digital platforms, but in practice it is usually sent by physical letter or email. The reminder may only be sent once the payment deadline has been exceeded.

A reminder fee may be applied to a reminder, but the reminder fee is an option - not a requirement.

Contrary to popular belief, a reminder is not a legal requirement - for example, prior to debt collection or enforcement, it is simply that a debt collection notice has been sent.

Reminders to your bad payers

If you have one or more unpaid invoices from a debtor, you as a business and creditor can send them a reminder. In principle, you can send as many reminders as you want, as long as a reminder fee is not charged more than three times.

A reminder can thus be shaped as a reminder that the debtor has a receivable to your company in the form of an unpaid invoice. In principle, you can send a reminder as many times as you want, and there are no formalities regarding the design or sending. In principle, you can reminder your debtors every day by phone and physical letter. However, we do not recommend that the reminder process becomes harassing behavior.

However, in everyday life, many people equate a reminder and a reminder fee, which is not legally correct. A reminder fee is a fee of DKK 100 that can be imposed on a reminder sent out.

Free reminder template

We have prepared a reminder template for those who want to send out reminders themselves (we can also do it for you). By downloading our template, you can be sure that your reminders comply with all requirements and rules.

Download template

Reminders with a fee of 100 kroner

However, the Executive Order of the Act on interest and other conditions for late payment, commonly referred to as the Interest Act, allows you as a creditor, or the creditor's debt collection company / debt collection lawyer, to send out one to three reminders with a surcharge of DKK 100 each.

This is an option that the Interest Act gives you as a business - it is not a requirement. You can also decide whether you want to send one, two or three reminder fees if the debtor does not pay.

While the friendly reminders allow you to reminder your debtors as many times as you want, the Danish Interest Act has a number of regulations if you as a creditor want to add the DKK 100 reminder fee.

You can send a maximum of 3 reminders, which are subject to a penalty of 100 kroner.
You may not send one reminder for 300 kroner at once.
The €100 is a maximum, so in principle you can charge less.
The 100 kroner must be sent at least 10 days apart - otherwise the reminder fee is not valid.
The €100 is not subject to VAT.
The €100 in reminders is an option, not a requirement.

Should I send reminders before collection?

No, there is no requirement to send reminders before handing your case over to a debt collection agency or lawyer for collection.

Reminders are an opportunity for you as a business to ask for money and remind your debtors that you are in financial arrears, typically in the form of an unpaid invoice.

Many people mistakenly believe that you need to have sent reminders prior to a debt collection case, but this is not correct. You simply need to send a debt collection notice or let your debt collection company or lawyer do it for you.

Our recommendation for sending reminders

Our clear recommendation to you as a business owner, bookkeeper or person responsible for sending out reminders for your company is that you develop an internal reminder policy / credit policy for how you reminder your customers who choose not to pay your outstanding balances.

There is no right or wrong practice when it comes to sending reminders. However, our clear recommendation is that you are consistent and adhere to the policy you set in this area.

Example of a reminder policy

5 days after the due date: Send the first reminder. This could be in the form of a "friendly reminder" notifying the debtor of your financial arrears.
10 days after the due date: sending the first reminder, which is subject to a charge of 100 kroner.
20 days after the due date: sending a second reminder with a charge of 100 kroner.
30 days after the due date: sending a third reminder with a charge of 100 kroner.
If there is still no reaction from the debtor, a debt collection notice should be sent to the debtor.

The above is just an example. However, sending all 3 reminders, 10 days apart, can be hard on a company's cash flow. Fortunately, it is possible to shorten the process with just one or two reminders.

You and your company are the sole arbiters of policy in this area, but we recommend the following:

Never drop a claim no matter the size, debt collection can pay off
Be consistent in your reminder policy, whatever you decide
Be constantly on top of your bad payers
Post regularly and frequently so you know what you have outstanding
Establish fixed routines for sending reminders, perhaps fixed days
Anyone can forget to pay an invoice, so reminders are necessary

At Collectia, our products have a built-in reminder service

If you don't want to send reminders yourself, let us do it! Sending reminders is often always included in our products.

The first contact to your debtor from Collectia will often be a reminder, which is charged 100 kroner and a debt collection notice, which is sent by physical letter post.

If this request is not paid, the case will continue automatically without you having to take any further action. All you have to do is send us the unpaid invoices and we will send reminders and collection notices - it's free to get started.