AI chasing software reads your unpaid invoices from your accounting software and decides, for each one, when the next reminder goes, which channel it uses and how firmly it's worded, inside rules you approve. In Ireland it works under the same rules as a person chasing, so statutory late payment interest can only go on invoices to businesses and public bodies. Your main decision is how much to let it decide on its own, and when it should hand an account back to you.
In this article
The short version
- AI chasing reads unpaid invoices from your accounting software.
- It picks timing, channel and tone for each invoice within rules you approve.
- Statutory interest can only be added to invoices to businesses and public bodies.
- Disputes and excluded customers should always come back to a person.
- Adfin's collection agents are part of Enhanced credit control at 0.3% per paid invoice.
What the software works from
Chasing software can only be as accurate as the information it reads. Most of that comes from your accounting software, whether that's Xero, QuickBooks or something else: each invoice, its amount and due date, whether it's been paid, and who to contact at the customer.
A tool may also take account of the history on each account, such as how late a customer has paid in the past. Ask any provider exactly what it reads, because a tool that only sees invoice dates ends up treating every customer the same way.
Accuracy matters more once software is sending messages in your name. If a payment hasn't reached your books yet, or a credit note hasn't been raised, the software can chase an amount the customer no longer owes. Before you switch it on, find out how often it syncs and whether the sync runs both ways.
The choices it makes on each invoice
For every unpaid invoice, the software decides when the next message should go, whether that's before the due date, on the day or after it, and how long to leave between messages. A customer who always pays a few days late might get a light note on the due date, while one who has ignored two reminders might hear from you sooner and more firmly.
It also picks the channel, from those the tool supports, such as email, SMS or WhatsApp. A customer who doesn't open emails may still read a text.
The wording changes as an invoice ages, moving from a note that assumes the customer has simply forgotten to one that names the amount, the days overdue and what happens next. Within your rules, it might also attach a statement, so a customer with several open invoices can pay them together.
On invoices to other businesses, it can add statutory interest. Under S.I. 580 of 2012, interest runs from the day after the payment date at the ECB's main refinancing rate plus 8%, giving 10.4% a year from 1 July 2026 (the rate is reset every 1 January and 1 July), and you don't have to send a reminder first to be entitled to it. Consumers are outside the Regulations, so the software has to know which customers are individuals before it adds anything.
You also need rules for when chasing stops. A disputed invoice, a customer you've agreed to leave alone, or an account large enough that you'd rather handle it yourself should all come back to a person, so check the tool lets you set those exclusions easily.
How much to hand over
| Approach | Who decides timing and wording | What you do each week | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual chasing | You, invoice by invoice | Check the debtors list, then write and send each message | Chasing slips when you're busy |
| Reminder schedule | You, once, for every customer | Follow up the customers the schedule doesn't move | Everyone gets the same sequence |
| AI chasing within approved rules | The software, inside limits you set | Review the rules, then handle disputes and exceptions | A customer your rules don't cover properly |
Handing over more tends to save you time, and it puts more weight on your rules. With a schedule, the risk is that a customer who needs different handling gets the standard sequence anyway. With AI chasing, the risk is a gap in the rules, such as an important customer you meant to exclude and didn't.
Where your customers are mainly individuals, the software can still vary timing and channel, but there's no statutory interest to add. If you have a steady list of overdue business invoices and nobody whose job is chasing, letting software make the per-invoice choices is likely to save you time.
Whichever approach you choose, start with a group of customers you know well and read what goes out for the first few weeks. Widen the rules once the messages read the way you'd have written them.
Adfin's collection agents
Adfin's credit control comes in two levels, Essential and Enhanced, and the AI chasing is part of Enhanced. Essential, free under fair use, already handles the routine side: unlimited reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp, statements, an aged debtors view where each debtor can be given an owner and next steps, and sync with Xero or QuickBooks.
On Enhanced, which is charged at 0.3% of each paid invoice and only when you use it, Adfin's collection agents decide when each customer hears from you, through which channel and how firmly, inside rules your business approves. The same level adds statutory late payment interest automatically to overdue invoices owed by other businesses, lets you set grace periods and waive interest customer by customer, and sends emails from your own address.
When a customer pays through Adfin from a link, by SEPA direct debit, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or bank transfer, the invoice is marked paid in Xero or QuickBooks automatically.
Common questions
Does AI chasing send messages without my approval? It sends messages within the rules you've approved, so your approval happens when you set the rules. Check that you can exclude customers, see every message sent and change a rule for one customer.
Can AI chase consumers in Ireland? Software can send payment reminders to individuals, but the Late Payment Regulations don't cover consumers, so statutory interest and fixed compensation can't be added to their invoices.
What does AI chasing need from my accounting software? At the least, each unpaid invoice with its amount, due date and contact details, plus whether it's been paid. A two-way sync keeps that up to date in both places.
What happens when a customer disputes an invoice? Chasing on that invoice should pause while you sort it out, since further reminders are unlikely to settle a disagreement about the work or the amount. Make sure the tool lets you stop it for one invoice or one customer.
How much does Adfin's AI chasing cost? Adfin's collection agents are part of Enhanced credit control, which costs 0.3% per paid invoice, only when it's used. Essential credit control, with unlimited reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp, is free under fair use.
Is AI chasing the same as using a debt collector? AI chasing is your business reminding its own customers, in its own name. A debt collection agency is a third party, and on business debts you can claim the reasonable cost of using one on top of fixed compensation under S.I. 580 of 2012.
Sources
- Irish Statute Book - S.I. No. 580 of 2012, European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2012 (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2012/si/580/made/en/print
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment - Late payment interest rate (accurate as of November 2026) https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/what-we-do/supports-for-smes/late-payments/late-payment-interest-rate-
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment - Late payment in commercial transactions (accurate as of November 2026) https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/Late-Payments/Late-Payment-in-Commercial-Transactions/
