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v26.3

Dunning

DiKAS has a three-level dunning process for overdue invoices. You can simulate the dunning run (preview), automatically send the dunning levels by email, and customize the dunning templates with placeholders.

Admin → Invoices → Dunning


Dunning Process

Invoice created → Payment due date reached → Status: Overdue
                                    Dunning Level 1 (Payment reminder)
                                               ↓  (7–14 days)
                                    Dunning Level 2 (Dunning notice)
                                               ↓  (7–14 days)
                                    Dunning Level 3 (Final notice)

Dunning Levels Compared

Level Name Tone Typical Dunning Fee
0 No dunning
1 Payment reminder Friendly, matter-of-fact None
2 Dunning notice Firm, with deadline Optional (e.g., 5.00 €)
3 Final notice Serious, with consequences warning Optional (e.g., 10.00 €)

After level 3, no further automatic dunning occurs. Additional steps (collections, attorney) must be initiated manually.


Checking Open Invoices

Color Coding

Overdue invoices are color-coded in the invoice list:

Color Meaning
Yellow 1–7 days overdue
Orange 8–21 days overdue
Red More than 21 days overdue

Open Items Overview

Under Admin → Invoices → Overview, you can see all open invoices grouped by dunning level:

Level 0 (Not yet dunned):       12 invoices    4,567.00 €
Level 1 (Payment reminder):      3 invoices    1,234.50 €
Level 2 (Dunning notice):        1 invoice       456.00 €
Level 3 (Final notice):          0 invoices        0.00 €
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Total open:                     16 invoices    6,257.50 €

Performing a Dunning Run

Step 1: Simulation (Preview)

Before dunning notices are sent, the simulation shows which invoices would be affected:

  1. Admin → Invoices → Dunning → "Simulate"
  2. DiKAS checks all open invoices:
  3. Status: Open, Partially Paid, or Overdue
  4. Outstanding amount > 0
  5. Payment due date exceeded
  6. Dunning level < 3 (not yet final notice)
  7. Customer is not marked as "Do not dun"
  8. Result: list of all affected invoices
Column Description
Invoice No. Invoice number
Customer Customer name
Outstanding Amount Still owed
Current Level Previous dunning level
New Level Next dunning level
Due Since Payment due date
Warnings e.g., "No email address"

The simulation can be filtered and sorted (by due date, amount, customer name, level).

Step 2: Execute Dunning Run

  1. Review simulation → "Execute dunning run"
  2. DiKAS performs the following for each affected invoice:
  3. Increase dunning level (e.g., 0 → 1, 1 → 2, 2 → 3)
  4. Set status to "Overdue"
  5. Update dunning date
  6. Email delivery: invoices are grouped by customer
  7. Per customer: one consolidated email with all open invoices
  8. Template is selected based on the highest dunning level
  9. Placeholders are replaced
  10. Email footer from configuration is appended

Customizing Dunning Templates

Admin → Settings → Email → Templates

For each dunning level, there is a separate email template. DiKAS looks for the template with the type dunning1, dunning2, or dunning3.

Available Placeholders

Customer data:

Placeholder Replaced by
{Firma} Customer company name
{Name} Display name (company name or first/last name)
{Vorname} / {Nachname} First and last name
{Strasse} Street and house number
{PLZ} / {Ort} Postal code and city

Invoice data:

Placeholder Replaced by
{RechnungsNr} Invoice number
{RechnungsDatum} Invoice date (dd.MM.yyyy)
{FaelligDatum} Original payment due date
{Netto} / {MwSt} / {Brutto} Amounts (formatted)
{OffenerBetrag} Outstanding balance

Bank details:

Placeholder Replaced by
{IBAN} / {BIC} Your bank details
{Bank} Bank name
{Kontoinhaber} Account holder
{Firmenname} Your business name

Dunning-specific (for multiple invoices):

Placeholder Replaced by
{MahnStufe} Current dunning level (1, 2, or 3)
{RechnungsListe} HTML table of all open invoices
{GesamtOffen} Sum of all outstanding amounts
{AnzahlRechnungen} Number of open invoices

Invoice List (Consolidated Format)

The placeholder {RechnungsListe} generates a formatted table:

Invoice Date Due Amount
RE-2026-0038 10.02.2026 24.02.2026 456.00 €
RE-2026-0041 01.03.2026 15.03.2026 178.88 €
Total 634.88 €

Example Level 1 (Payment Reminder)

Subject: Payment reminder – Invoice {RechnungsNr}

Dear {Name},

our invoice {RechnungsNr} for {Brutto}
was due for payment on {FaelligDatum}.

We would like to kindly remind you of the
outstanding payment. Please transfer the amount
to the following account:

IBAN: {IBAN}
Reference: {RechnungsNr}

If payment has already been made,
please disregard this notice.

Best regards,
{Firmenname}

Example Level 3 (Final Notice)

Subject: Final notice – {AnzahlRechnungen} open invoices

Dear {Name},

despite our previous reminders, the following
invoices remain outstanding:

{RechnungsListe}

Total amount: {GesamtOffen}

We urgently request that you settle the outstanding
amount within 7 days.

Otherwise, we will be compelled to take
further action.

IBAN: {IBAN}
Reference: Invoice numbers (see above)

Best regards,
{Firmenname}

"Do Not Dun" Flag

For certain customers, you can disable the dunning process:

Admin → Customers → [Customer] → General → "Do not dun"

Use Case Description
Payment arrangement Customer is paying in installments — no automatic dunning
Dispute Invoice is being contested — resolution in progress
Corporate customer with special terms Extended payment terms, separate agreement
VIP customer Personal contact instead of automatic dunning

Invoices for these customers are skipped during simulation and dunning runs.


Payment Receipt

Manual

  1. Open invoice → "Record payment"
  2. Enter amount and payment date
  3. Status changes to "Paid" (or "Partially Paid")

Automatic (Bank Import)

DiKAS automatically recognizes incoming payments based on: - Invoice number in the payment reference - Customer name and IBAN - Amount (exact or partial payment)

Banking & SEPA


Practical Example: Monthly Dunning Run

Situation: Restaurant with 50 corporate customers, of which 5 have open invoices.

  1. Start simulation: 5 overdue invoices are displayed
  2. 3 invoices at level 0 → advance to level 1 (reminder)
  3. 1 invoice at level 1 → advance to level 2 (dunning notice)
  4. 1 invoice at level 2 → advance to level 3 (final notice)
  5. Warning: Customer Schmidt has no email → postal dunning needed
  6. Execute dunning run: 4 emails are sent
  7. Customer Müller (2 open invoices) receives a consolidated email with {RechnungsListe}
  8. After 3 days: bank import shows payment from Müller → both invoices automatically set to "Paid"

Next Step

Subscriptions — Recurring invoices