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Finance & Admin

Bill Payment Reminders

A monthly digest of every bill due in the next 7 days — nothing slips past due again.

Saves about ~30 min per week

What it does

  • Tracks your recurring bills and due dates
  • Sends a weekly digest of what's due in 7 days
  • Adds an alert 24 hours before anything big
  • Removes bills once you mark them paid

How it works

  1. Bills tracked in a simple sheet
  2. Weekly digest lists upcoming due dates
  3. Large bills get an extra 24h alert
  4. Paid bills drop off the list

What's included

  • Bills sheet template
  • Weekly digest
  • Big-bill alerts

Set it up yourself

Follow these 4 steps in order. You will need accounts for: Gmail.

Step 1: List your bills

  1. Create a 'Bills' sheet: Vendor, Amount, Frequency (monthly/quarterly), Day Due (or exact date), Category, Status.
  2. Enter every recurring bill you have.
  3. For irregular bills, use the next-due date and update after paying.
  4. Set a 'large bill' threshold (e.g. $500).
  5. Review the list once — this is the foundation.

Watch out: Include anything that recurs, even small — the digest is only trustworthy if it's complete.

Step 2: Add the digest flow

  1. Weekly schedule (e.g. Monday 8am) that queries the sheet for bills due in the next 7 days.
  2. Sort by due date and build the digest message.
  3. Send it to your email (or Slack).
  4. Mark rows sent to avoid re-sends within the week.
  5. Test with a fake due date tomorrow.

Watch out: Send the digest before you pay bills — the Monday drop should be the trigger for a 10-minute bill run.

Step 3: Set the big-bill alert

  1. Add a daily check for bills due within 24h AND above the threshold.
  2. Emit the alert with amount, vendor, and the pay method link.
  3. Skip the alert if the bill is already marked paid.
  4. Test with a large bill due tomorrow.
  5. Avoid duplicate alerts across the daily and weekly flows.

Watch out: The threshold keeps the daily alert rare — an alert for every coffee subscription would be ignored within a week.

Step 4: Mark paid

  1. Have the sheet's Status column double as the switch: mark Paid and the flows skip it.
  2. For recurring bills, update the next-due date when you mark paid (automated via prompt or manual).
  3. Add a 'Pay this week' checkbox to the digest for one-click tracking.
  4. Test the paid-skip behavior.
  5. Review quarterly the bills list for subscriptions you dropped.

Watch out: The refresh habit matters — a bill list that's 6 months stale quietly stops protecting you. Schedule a quarterly review.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Bill Payment Reminders automation do?

A monthly digest of every bill due in the next 7 days — nothing slips past due again. Tracks your recurring bills and due dates

How much time does Bill Payment Reminders save?

It is estimated to save ~30 min per week. Actual savings depend on your volume.

Which tools does Bill Payment Reminders use?

It works with Gmail.

What does Bill Payment Reminders include?

Bills sheet template, Weekly digest, Big-bill alerts.

Can I set up Bill Payment Reminders myself?

Yes. The do-it-yourself guide on this page walks through 4 steps, from getting access to testing the finished automation.