Promise to pay

Sometimes a client tells you when they will pay: "our payment run is on the 28th" or "I can pay on Friday". A promise-to-pay date records that agreement on the invoice. While the date is in the future, the invoice's reminder sequence stops sending, so the client is not chased for something you already agreed. If the date passes and the invoice is still unpaid, reminders carry on.

How it works

A promise-to-pay date is a single date on an invoice, set by you (the business). It is one of the conditions that stop a reminder sequence:

So a promise is the only stop condition that is temporary. When the date passes and the invoice still has a balance, the sequence starts sending again.

Example

An invoice is due on 15 February 2027 and uses a sequence with steps at 0, +3, +7 and +14 days. On 17 February the client tells you they will pay on 28 February. You set the promise-to-pay date to 2027-02-28:

• The +3 day step (18 February) and the +7 day step (22 February) are not sent.
• If the client pays by 28 February, the invoice is paid and the sequence stops for good.
• If 28 February passes and the invoice is still unpaid, the sequence sends reminders again.

Set a promise-to-pay date in the app

To change the promise, set a new date. If the client breaks the promise, you do not need to do anything: reminders start again once the date has passed. You can still send a reminder by hand at any time.

Through the API

curl -X POST "https://api.freeinvoiceautomation.com/v1/documents/0193f2b4-5a6b-7c8d-9e0f-1a2b3c4d5e6f/promise-to-pay" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FIA_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: promise-inv-0042-2027-02-28" \
  -d '{ "promise_to_pay_date": "2027-02-28" }'

{
  "data": {
    "id": "0193f2b4-5a6b-7c8d-9e0f-1a2b3c4d5e6f",
    "type": "invoice",
    "number": "INV-2027-0042",
    "status": "overdue",
    "due_date": "2027-02-15",
    "promise_to_pay_date": "2027-02-28",
    "balance_minor": "120000",
    "currency": "USD"
  }
}

Setting a promise is not on the MCP tool list. Your assistant can still read the date with get_document, and list unpaid invoices with list_overdue. From the week of 25 January 2027 the CLI has freeinvoiceautomation doc promise (command names are proposed).

Rules and edge cases

• One date per invoice. Setting a new date replaces the old one.
• The invoice stays overdue. A promise does not change the due date or the status: an overdue invoice is still overdue, and still appears in overdue lists and reports. It only pauses reminders.
• Late fees are separate. A promise-to-pay date pauses reminders; it is not one of the conditions for late fees, which follow their own policy. If you agreed to waive late fees as part of the promise, turn late fees off for that invoice, or waive any fee that was applied.
• Paying early is always fine: payment stops the sequence for good.

What the client sees

Nothing changes on the pay page or the PDF. The client simply stops receiving reminder emails for this invoice until the agreed date. If they want to pay earlier, the pay link works as usual.

Permissions

Errors

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