Customer statements in Business Central, designed and sent by email

What Business Central customer statements contain

A statement prints from customer ledger entries. For the chosen period, it shows an opening balance, each document and payment, and a closing balance. Options on the request page add overdue entries and an aging summary in bands you define. They also add entries in each currency the customer trades in.

Another option limits the run to customers with a balance or with activity in the period. That avoids sending blank pages. We explain each switch with your own data. The right mix depends on whether your customers pay by invoice or against a running account.

A layout for Business Central customer statements

The standard statement is accurate but dense. So we rework it as a Word layout with your branding. It has a prominent amount due and the aging summary where the eye falls. Remittance details sit at the foot, with a payment link when you have one set up. We show you every change first.

You can show external document numbers beside your invoice numbers. That helps a customer's payables clerk match against their own purchase orders. Report selections decide which layout statements use. You can also give a specific customer a different layout when their needs differ.

Emailing Business Central customer statements in bulk

You can print statements, save them as PDF or email them. For email, each customer's document layout settings hold the address for statements. That is often a payables inbox, not the buyer. The message leaves from the account you assign to the statement scenario in your email setup.

We load statement addresses for your customer base and write the message body. Then we run a test batch to internal addresses first. After that, you can schedule the run through the job queue for a fixed day each month. So statements go out even when the person who used to send them is away.

Getting the ledger right before customer statements go out

A statement exposes every loose end in receivables. Payments posted on account and never applied show up as credits beside the invoices they were meant to settle. Small write-offs and old unapplied credit memos clutter the page and invite questions. None of this is new, but a statement makes it visible.

Before the first run, we go through unapplied entries with your receivables team. We apply what belongs together and agree a routine to keep it that way. For customers with a parent company, bill-to arrangements let one statement cover the group. Clean data makes the statement a collection tool, not a source of calls.

What happens after Business Central customer statements land

Statements inform, but reminders escalate. Many companies send a statement each month to every customer with a balance. They then use reminder terms for accounts that pass a set level of lateness. The two work together, and each has its own layout and schedule. Neither replaces the other.

We can log each statement as an interaction on the contact, so a collector sees when it went out. Replies go to a shared mailbox instead of one person. Frequent pitfalls include statements sent to a salesperson's contact and period dates that cut off recent payments. Another is runs that silently skip customers with no email address.

Business Central customer statements questions

Can statements be emailed to all customers at once?

Yes. The statement report can send by email to every customer in the filter. It uses the address saved for statements on each customer. You can print the statements for customers without an address instead. We also set up a check, so no customer is missed. That check lists every account that has a balance but no statement address.

Can the statement show only open invoices?

The standard statement shows activity for the period, plus overdue entries if you select them. Many people ask for an open-item statement that lists only unpaid documents. We provide that as an alternative layout or as a small report extension. Which one fits depends on how your customers read the page and how they pay.

Can statements run automatically every month?

Yes. You can schedule the report from its request page. It then runs through the job queue at the interval you choose. We set the date filters so that each run picks up the correct period without anyone editing it by hand. That way your Business Central customer statements go out on the same day every month.

What is the difference between a statement and a reminder?

A statement is a neutral summary of the account. You send it to everyone with a balance. A reminder is a formal notice about overdue invoices. You issue it by level, and it can add fees or interest. Our reminders guide covers that process. Most companies use both, one after the other.

Can customers see their statement online?

Not in the standard product, since customers do not sign in to Business Central. A customer portal can show open invoices, balances and downloadable documents. We describe that option on our customer portal page. It suits customers who ask for copies often, because they can then help themselves at any time.

Related receivables pages

Statements are one part of getting paid. The pages below cover the receivables process, structured collections work, the reminder feature and the email setup that statements rely on. Start with the one that matches your biggest gap. Then we can set up Business Central customer statements that fit the rest of your receivables routine. For the product detail, see Collect outstanding balances in Business Central on Microsoft Learn.