InvoiceGuard sends the deposit link, gets the late-fee contract signed, then runs the reminders until your client pays.
A deposit invoice, stamped the moment the payment clears. Sample document.
A daily run checks what is overdue and sends the next notice. Each stage goes out once. Paid invoices drop out on their own.
| When | What goes out | How |
|---|---|---|
| Before work starts | The contract, signed on a one-time link, and a Stripe deposit link | Sent by you, once |
| Day 1 past due | A polite nudge with the payment link | |
| Day 7 past due | A firmer reminder, with the late fee itemized | |
| Day 15 past due | A formal notice quoting the signed clause | Email and text |
| The moment they pay | The invoice flips to paid, the ledger updates, the chasing stops | Automatic |
Part payments count. The reminders keep chasing whatever balance is left, and stop at zero.
Ten shipped features, grouped by the job they do. The suite behind them runs 152 tests.
invoiceguard invoice create --kind deposit builds a real Stripe payment link and tags it with the invoice id, so the payment finds its way back. Test mode works end to end.invoiceguard check-due. The templates are plain markdown you can edit. No stage ever fires twice.invoiceguard invoice notify sends the same reminder on demand, with a --dry-run preview first.invoiceguard invoice record-payment logs part of a bill. The ledger tracks what came in, the invoice reads partially-paid, and the reminders chase only what is left.invoiceguard invoice report ages every open balance, oldest debt first, with accrued late fees and per-client totals. --csv exports the invoices and the payment ledger for your accountant.The actual commands, in order, on a sample engagement. Amounts are illustrative.
# Once: install and set up
$ pip install invoiceguard
$ invoiceguard init
# Before work: client, contract, deposit link
$ invoiceguard client add --name "Alder Street Bakery" --email billing@alderstreet.example
$ invoiceguard project create --client "Alder Street Bakery" \
--title "Menu boards and signage" --amount 2500 --deposit-pct 50 --late-fee-pct 1.5
$ invoiceguard invoice create --project 1 --kind deposit
# invoice 1: $1,250.00 due. Deposit link sent.
# After the due date: the daily run does the chasing
$ invoiceguard check-due
# day 1 nudge, day 7 reminder, day 15 formal notice (email, plus text if configured)
# When the money lands: recorded by webhook, or by hand
$ invoiceguard invoice record-payment 1 --amount 1250 --method bank
# Anytime: who owes what
$ invoiceguard invoice report --csv receivables.csvThe real app, running locally on seeded demo data. Every sample client in it is labeled (demo).
What InvoiceGuard does not do, in writing.
Yes. It is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Use it, modify it, no account, no subscription. Stripe charges its own fees on real payments, as with any Stripe integration.
For payment links, yes. Contracts, reminders, and the dashboard work without it. Stripe test mode runs the whole flow on test keys before any real money moves.
In a SQLite database on your own machine, at ~/.invoiceguard/invoiceguard.db by default. There is no cloud account, and nothing phones home.
The client signs in the browser: typed name, drawn signature, and the exact signed text hashed with SHA-256 as tamper evidence. It is a captured signature, not a qualified third-party service like DocuSign. Legal weight varies by jurisdiction.
Through your SMTP provider, using three markdown templates you can edit. A daily run sends the next stage. Each stage goes out at most once per invoice.
Stripe sends a checkout.session.completed webhook. InvoiceGuard verifies the signature and marks the invoice paid. A smaller payment leaves it partially paid, and you can record off-Stripe payments from the CLI.
It is built to sit next to the one you have. InvoiceGuard takes the deposit link, the late-fee contract, and the follow-up. Your current tool can keep the rest.
Install it, add a test key, send your first deposit link. The follow-up runs itself from there.