When Dunning Starts

A failed payment does not start dunning. Dunning follows the due date of the receivable.

This page explains which settings decide when the first dunning level runs, and why a failed payment intent alone is not enough.

What decides when dunning starts

The first dunning level runs when all three conditions hold at the same time:

The receivable is overdue — the due date is reached and the interval of the first dunning level has elapsed.
No collection is still running — no payment intent is waiting for a result or for a retry.
Nothing blocks dunning — dunning is activated, no dunning block is active, and the amount due is greater than zero.

Three settings control this, and only the first one moves the start date:

Setting	What it controls	Starts dunning?
Due date	When the receivable becomes due. The dunning clock starts here.	Yes, together with the interval of the first dunning level.
Charging mode on the Merchant Payment Account	When instellix creates the payment intent.	No.
Result of the payment intent	Whether collection is finished, so dunning no longer has to wait.	No. It only stops holding dunning back.

The following sections cover these three in the same order.

1. The due date sets the timing

instellix always sets a due date on the invoice. The value is determined as follows:

Priority	Source	Result
1	Payment term on the order or contract (`periodInDays`)	`dueDate = invoice date + periodInDays`
2	Due-date fallback in the dunning configuration	`dueDate = invoice date + configured days`
3	No dunning configuration at all	Platform default of 30 days after the invoice date

The fallback applies even when automated dunning is switched off. You find it under Configuration > OPOS Case > Dunning configuration as Due date starts _days after invoice date.

From that due date, the dunning levels are counted:

The first level runs after the due date plus the interval configured for that level.
Every following level counts from the start of the previous level, not from the invoice date.

So a due date 14 days after the invoice and a first level of 7 days means the first reminder goes out on day 21.

For details on payment terms and the fallback, see Payment Terms.

Configuration changes do not rewrite existing open items

The dunning plan for an open item is created as a snapshot, based on the initial invoice. If you change intervals in the dunning configuration afterwards, existing open items keep the plan they were created with. The new intervals apply to open items created from then on.

2. The charging mode does not start dunning

The charging mode on the Merchant Payment Account controls when instellix creates the payment intent — not when dunning starts. You find it under Configuration > Payment > Merchant Payment Accounts in the payment collection configuration.

Charging	Payment intent	Effect on dunning
`Immediately`	Created right after the document	A failed charge does not start dunning. The due date still applies.
`On document due date`	Created when the due date is reached	A failed charge on that day can move into dunning once the level interval has elapsed.

Typical pitfall: you charge immediately, the charge fails on day one, and no payment term is set on the order or contract. The due-date fallback then applies — for example 14 days — so the first dunning level waits until day 14 plus the level interval, even though collection failed weeks earlier.

If you charge immediately and want dunning to follow a failed collection closely, either set the due-date fallback to 0 days, or set an explicit payment term on the order or contract. To have the first level run on the due date itself, configure that level with 0 days.

3. A failed payment intent does not trigger dunning

It only removes the reason to wait. Dunning still starts from the due date.

While collection is running, dunning does not escalate. This is the case as long as the payment intent has not reached a final result — for example while it is pending, submitted, in progress, or scheduled for another retry — or while payment collection is marked as in progress. This applies regardless of the charging mode.

After the final failed attempt, the payment intent stays failed. Dunning then follows the due date and your dunning configuration, not the retry schedule. A payment intent counts as final only once no further automatic retry is scheduled — see Payment Retry Configuration.

After a cancelled payment intent, dunning can proceed, again subject to the due date and your configuration. Cancelling a payment intent does not settle the open item.

What else can hold dunning back

Condition	Effect
The amount due is zero	Nothing to dun — after a payment, a payment assignment, or a clearing decision.
Dunning is not activated for the tenant	No dunning levels are created and no notifications are sent.
Dunning issuance is paused tenant-wide	Sending is paused while plans are still created and tracked. Use it for a temporary operational hold without losing the plan history.
A dunning block is active on the customer or on the open item	Due dunning levels are not issued and the plan remains. Deferred levels resume from the unblock date with their remaining intervals. A customer block overrides blocks on individual open items. See Dunning Block.
Deposit invoices are not included	Deposit invoices are only dunned when dunning for deposit invoices is enabled.
instellix does not charge (hybrid or self-managed payment)	There is no payment intent to wait for. The due date still sets the timing.

A dunning block does not cancel a running payment intent. Stopping reminders and stopping collection are separate decisions.

Troubleshooting: the first dunning level did not run

Check in this order:

Is the amount due greater than zero?
Is dunning activated for the tenant, and is issuance not paused?
Is a dunning block active on the customer or on the open item?
Is a payment intent still waiting for a result or for a retry? (See Pre Booked Item in OPOS Case Details)
Which due date is on the document — from a payment term, or from the dunning fallback?
Which charging mode does the Merchant Payment Account use?
Are the automatic retries exhausted, so the payment intent is final?
Has the interval of the first dunning level elapsed since the due date?

If the dunning plan is visible on the open item, check the planned date and status of the first level: a paused level points to a dunning block, a later planned date points to the due date or the level interval.