Rather than manually monitoring late payments for past-due invoices, QuickBooks will do it for you. You decide on the fee amount and when the fee will be applied after the due date. A flat fee or a percentage of the total invoice sum may be charged. QuickBooks calculates fees depending on your preferences. To allow their customers to pay on time, some small businesses charge late fees or finance charges on outstanding invoices. 

Late payments can be calculated automatically in QuickBooks Online. Add them as a line below Product / Service on unpaid invoices. The default fees apply to all customer invoices; however, these fees may be customised for individual customers.

How to charge late fees in QuickBooks?

You must be signed in as the Master Administrator or Company Administrator to set up your default automatic late fees in QuickBooks, and you need to go to: 

  • Select Account and preferences from the drop-down menu under Settings.
  • Pick Sales from the menu.
  • Select late fees. To allow late fees, check the box.
  • You may choose the type of charge, the duration, the grace period, and how it will appear on the invoice.

Grace Period: The grace period is the amount of time you owe your customers to pay before they are charged late fees or interest. In addition to your net words, you can use a grace period.

Is it possible to change the name of a late fee that appears on my invoice?

When you set up your late fee preferences, you can choose how your late fees appear on your invoices. After you’ve saved your preferences, you can change the name of a late price that appears on your invoice. Here’s how:

  • On the toolbar, choose Settings, then Products and Services.
  • Select Edit on the related Product/Service object.

Please note that for late fees to be applied, the late fee item must be active in your goods and services list. If you were manually adding late fees before turning on the Automatic Late Fee feature, do not combine the original late fee product or service with the late fee item that is produced.

How to charge late fees in QuickBooks multiple customers?

To create a custom fee for a specific customer, follow these steps:

  • Pick Sales or Invoicing from the left menu.
  • Customers that have been chosen.
  • Select the customer you want to personalise. Then, from the table, choose Late Fees. You can personalise in two ways:

Waive late fees – This would prohibit QuickBooks Online from ever calculating and adding late fees to this customer’s overdue invoice.

Override the default late fee settings – This will generate a new set of rules that only apply to the customer you’ve selected. Specific late fee rules may be used for different customers.

Late payments are deducted from what account?

QuickBooks Online automatically generates an income account to track and report the number of payments you’ve collected when you enable late fees. The account is called “Late fee income” and is set up as an “Other Income” account form.

Here’s how to edit or alter the appearance of this account in your list of charges:

  • Pick Accounting from the left menu, then Chart of Accounts.
  • Find the account for Late Fees.
  • Select the down arrow in the Action column. Then select Edit.
  • You can change the account form, detail type, name, and explanation of your late fees from here.

How to change the late fees charge in QuickBooks

These steps will allow you to update your default settings.

  • Select Account and configuration, then Settings.
  • Decide on sales.
  • Choose your late fees.

Two things will happen after you save your latest late fees default setting:

  • Any future invoices that become past due will be determined using the new default rule.
  • The late fees that were previously applied to past-due invoices would not change. If the invoice is not charged, any late fees that must be applied will be assessed using the current default setting.

Late payments are deducted from what account?

QuickBooks Online automatically generates an income account to track and report the number of payments you’ve collected when you enable late fees. The account is called “Late charge” and is set up as an “Other Income” account form. Following these steps will allow you to edit or alter this account’s appearance in your chart of accounts.

  • Pick Accounting from the left menu, then Chart of Accounts.
  • Find the account for Late Fees.
  • Select Edit from the Action column drop-down menu.
  • You have the option to change the account form, detail type, name, and explanation of your late fees.
Writer’s Note

QuickBooks Desktop software helps you manage every kind of features and functions that will help you manage a particular organisation’s finances. This blog’s whole idea is to help you understand the late fees in QuickBooks and other aspects related to the same.