---
title: Email & notifications — every field explained
description: Configure every email Easy Invoice sends — sender, reply-to, invoice/quote/payment notifications, and (Pro) automatic payment reminders. Full smart-tag reference and per-field "why".
---

# Email & notifications

Emails do the heavy lifting in invoicing — they're what actually delivers the invoice to your client. Easy Invoice gives you full control over **who** sends, **what** they send, and **when** it goes out.

**Go to:** WP Admin → **Easy Invoice → Settings → Email**.

The Email section has up to **five sub-pages**:

1. **General** — sender, reply-to, BCC, logo, footer, test sender
2. **Invoice Available** — sent when an invoice is published
3. **Quote Available** — sent when a quote is published
4. **Payment Received** — sent when a payment is recorded
5. **Payment Reminder** <span class="pro-pill">PRO</span> — automatic before/after-due-date reminders

Click any sub-page in the Email sidebar to open it.

![Email → General settings — sender, reply-to, BCC, logo](/screenshots/17-settings-email-general.png)

---

## 1. General email settings

These apply to **every** email Easy Invoice sends.

### From Name
**Default:** Your WordPress site name.
**Why it matters:** This is the display name your client sees in their inbox. Use your business name (e.g. `Acme Co.`) — not the WordPress default like *"WordPress"*.

### From Email Address
**Default:** Your WordPress admin email.
**Why it matters:** This is the `From:` address. **Use a real address on your own domain** (e.g. `billing@acme.co`). Free addresses like `acme@gmail.com` sent from a server that isn't Gmail's will fail SPF/DKIM and land in spam.

> **Recommendation:** Add an SMTP plugin (WP Mail SMTP, Fluent SMTP) and point Easy Invoice at the same address so deliverability is solid.

### Reply-To Email
**Why it matters:** If you want client replies to go somewhere different from the `From:` address (e.g. From = `noreply@acme.co`, Reply-To = `billing@acme.co`), set Reply-To here.

### Reply-To Name
The display name on the Reply-To header.

### Enable HTML Emails
**Default:** On.
**Why it matters:** Off = plain-text only (no styling, no images, no Pay Now button). Almost everyone wants this **on**.

### BCC Admin on All Emails
**Default:** Off.
**Why it matters:** Turn on if you want a copy of every client email in your own inbox — useful for record-keeping or for forwarding to accounting.

### Admin Email for BCC
The address that receives the BCC when the above checkbox is on.

### Email Logo URL
**Why it matters:** Adds your logo to the top of every HTML email. **Use a publicly-reachable URL** (your WordPress logo URL works — copy it from **Media Library → click your logo → Copy URL**). Email clients block local file:// URLs.

### Email Footer Text
**Why it matters:** Printed at the bottom of every email. Use it for a unified disclaimer, address, or contact line — e.g. *"Acme Co. · 123 Main St · billing@acme.co · This email contains confidential information."*

### Test Email
**Why it matters:** Type any email address and click **Send Test Email** — this lets you verify SMTP works **before** you send a real invoice. If the test fails, fix your SMTP setup first.

---

## 2. Invoice Available email

This template is what your clients receive when you click **Send Email** on a published invoice.

### Enable Invoice Available Email
Off = the **Send Email** button does nothing. Leave on unless you're using a different system to send.

### Subject
**Default:** <code v-pre>Your Invoice #<span v-pre>{{invoice_number}}</span> from {{company_name}}</code>
**Why it matters:** Subject lines drive open rates. Smart tags (the <code v-pre>{{double_braces}}</code>) get replaced with the real values.

### Email Body
Full HTML rich-text editor. Default body includes:

- Header: *"📄 Your Invoice is Ready"*
- A highlight box with invoice number, total, due date
- Payment details summary box
- An important / warning box
- "View Invoice Online" link
- Your company signature

You can replace it entirely or just tweak. **Don't remove <code v-pre>{{invoice_url}}</code> or the client has no way to pay.**

### Test Invoice Email
Sends a test using sample data (<code v-pre>{{invoice_number}} = TEST-001</code>, total `$1,000.00`, etc.) — verify your subject and body render correctly **before** you send a real one.

---

## 3. Quote Available email

Mirrors Invoice Available, but for quotes. Uses <code v-pre>{{quote_number}}</code> and <code v-pre>{{expiry_date}}</code> instead of invoice-specific tags.

| Field | Default |
| --- | --- |
| **Enable Quote Available Email** | On |
| **Subject** | <code v-pre>Your Quote #<span v-pre>{{quote_number}}</span> from {{company_name}}</code> |
| **Email Body** | Default template with quote summary, expiry warning, and "View Quote Online" link |
| **Test Quote Email** | Sends a test using sample data |

---

## 4. Payment Received email

Sent automatically when a payment is recorded (manually or via webhook).

| Field | Default |
| --- | --- |
| **Enable Payment Received Email** | On |
| **Subject** | <code v-pre>Payment Received - Invoice #{{invoice_number}}</code> |
| **Email Body** | Default thank-you template with payment details (amount, date, method, transaction ID) |
| **Test Payment Email** | Sends a test using sample data |

> **Why this email matters more than you think:** Clients sometimes forget they paid. A clear receipt with the transaction ID prevents disputes and saves you support time.

---

## 5. Payment Reminder email <span class="pro-pill">PRO</span>

The Pro plugin adds a **fifth Email sub-page** for automatic reminders. Easy Invoice runs a daily cron check and sends reminders matching your rules.

### Enable Payment Reminder
**Default:** Off.
**Why it matters:** Master switch. Off = no automatic reminders even if everything below is configured.

### When to Send (multi-select)
**Default:** 7 days after, 3 days after, 1 day after due.
**Options:** 30 / 21 / 15 / 7 / 3 / 2 / 1 days **before** due, on due date, 1 / 2 / 3 / 7 / 14 / 21 / 30 days **after** due.

Pick **multiple** to create a cascade (e.g. 7 days before + on due date + 3 days after = three reminders).

> **Why this matters:** Studies consistently show that one polite reminder *3 days before due* reduces late payments by ~30%. A second one *3 days after* gets most of the rest.

### For which status?
**Default:** `Unpaid`, `Overdue`.
**Options:** Available, Draft, Overdue, Paid, Unpaid, Cancelled.

Only invoices currently in one of the selected statuses get reminded.

> **Why this matters:** You don't want to remind on `Draft` (you haven't sent it yet) or `Paid` (they've already paid).

### Email Subject
**Default:** <code v-pre>A friendly reminder - Invoice #{{invoice_number}}</code>

### Email Message
Rich-text editor — the body of the reminder. Default template includes:

- Friendly tone ("just a quick reminder")
- Invoice number, amount, due date highlighted
- View Invoice link
- Soft sign-off

### Test Payment Reminder Email
Sends a test using sample data — use this to verify before turning on automatic sends.

<div class="doc-pro-callout">
  <span class="doc-pro-pill">Pro</span>
  <span>Automatic payment reminders are a <strong>Pro</strong> feature. <a href="https://matrixaddons.com/plugins/easy-invoice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upgrade to Easy Invoice Pro →</a></span>
</div>

---

## Smart tags reference

Use these placeholders in any subject or body. They're replaced with real values when the email is sent.

### Invoice tags
| Tag | Replaced with |
| --- | --- |
| <code v-pre>{{invoice_number}}</code> | The invoice number (e.g. `INV-0042`) |
| <code v-pre>{{invoice_url}}</code> | Public URL to the invoice page (where Pay Now lives) |
| <code v-pre>{{total_amount}}</code> | Formatted total with currency (e.g. `$1,200.00`) |
| <code v-pre>{{due_date}}</code> | Due date in your configured format |
| <code v-pre>{{payment_terms}}</code> | The terms paragraph from settings |

### Quote tags
| Tag | Replaced with |
| --- | --- |
| <code v-pre>{{quote_number}}</code> | The quote number (e.g. `QT-0007`) |
| <code v-pre>{{quote_url}}</code> | Public URL to the quote page |
| <code v-pre>{{expiry_date}}</code> | Quote's Valid Until Date |

### Client tags
| Tag | Replaced with |
| --- | --- |
| <code v-pre>{{client_name}}</code> | Client's display name (business name or first+last) |

### Company tags
| Tag | Replaced with |
| --- | --- |
| <code v-pre>{{company_name}}</code> | Your business name |
| <code v-pre>{{company_email}}</code> | Your business email |

### Payment tags (Payment Received email)
| Tag | Replaced with |
| --- | --- |
| <code v-pre>{{payment_amount}}</code> | The amount of this specific payment |
| <code v-pre>{{payment_date}}</code> | Date the payment was recorded |
| <code v-pre>{{payment_method}}</code> | Which gateway / method (e.g. `Stripe`, `Manual`) |
| <code v-pre>{{transaction_id}}</code> | Gateway transaction reference |

---

## Best practices for new users

1. **Set From Name + From Email first.** Don't send anything to clients until these are real.
2. **Send yourself a Test Email** from **Settings → Email → General** before you publish your first invoice.
3. **Personalize one line** in each template — even *"Hi <span v-pre>{{client_name}}</span>, thanks for your business this month!"* makes a measurable difference.
4. **Keep <code v-pre>{{invoice_url}}</code> in the Invoice Available body.** That's the link to the Pay Now button.
5. **Use BCC Admin** for the first month so you have a paper trail of every client email.

---

## Common problems

**"My emails go to spam."**
→ Your `From:` email isn't on your domain, or your hosting doesn't have SPF / DKIM set up. Install an SMTP plugin and use a transactional service (SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Amazon SES).

**"The template variables don't get replaced (I see <code v-pre>{{invoice_number}}</code> literally)."**
→ Make sure the field name uses **double curly braces**, no spaces (<code v-pre>{{invoice_number}}</code>, not `{ {invoice_number}}` or `{invoice_number}`).

**"Test email works but real invoice emails don't."**
→ The **Enable Invoice Available Email** master switch is off. Open **Settings → Email → Invoice Available** and tick the top checkbox.

**"Payment Reminder isn't sending."**
→ Pro feature. Confirm: 1) Pro is active, 2) **Enable Payment Reminder** is on, 3) at least one option in *When to Send* is ticked, 4) the invoice's current status matches *For which status?*, 5) WordPress cron is running (some hosts disable it; use a real cron job on the server).

---

## Next

- [Payment gateway setup](./payment-settings)
- [Settings reference (all sections)](./settings-reference)
- [Troubleshooting email deliverability](./troubleshooting)