This n8n payment failure dunning template starts a polite recovery sequence when a Stripe payment fails: a friendly first email, a reminder and a final notice at the days you choose. It checks Stripe before each message, so customers who have paid are never chased.
One-time purchase. No retainer. Setup guide included.
The workflow file: n8n workflow (JSON)
A step-by-step setup guide (PDF) with a verified cost breakdown
Failure handling: error log with the raw data, a separate Slack failure alert, and a clean response
No credentials included. You connect your own accounts
Make version: coming soon
What this workflow does
Receives Stripe invoice events on a secret address and ignores everything else
Asks Stripe for the real invoice (payment link, amount, customer email) instead of trusting the webhook contents
Sends a friendly first email at once with a pay-now link, then a reminder and a firmer final notice at the days you choose
Before each follow-up it asks Stripe again whether the invoice is still unpaid
Records every stage in the Dunning sheet and alerts you in Slack if the invoice is still unpaid after the final notice
If something fails
Every step retries three times automatically
If the first email cannot be sent, Stripe is told to retry the event and the retry resumes where it stopped, never emailing twice
After the first email, failures are logged to an Errors sheet and your team is alerted in a separate Slack channel
Apps and accounts you need
n8n
Stripe
Google Sheets
An email account (SMTP)
Slack
What it costs to run
Item
Cost
n8n (self-hosted)
Free software plus roughly $5 to $7 per month for a small server.
n8n Cloud Starter
Roughly $20 to $24 per month for 2,500 executions.
Stripe
No fee for reading invoices. Your normal Stripe fees on payments are unchanged.
Email sending
Use your own email provider. Resend, for example, is free up to 3,000 emails per month (100 per day).
Google Sheets and Slack
$0 on free plans.
Each customer in dunning is one n8n execution that waits between emails, plus one execution per Stripe event received. Stripe can send its own failed-payment emails, so decide which you want customers to receive to avoid double messages.
Who it is for
Useful for subscription and invoice-based businesses that lose revenue to failed cards and expired payment details. A Make version is coming soon.
Why a Conviq template
Each template is built to a production standard: failure handling is real, every cost is listed before you buy, and nothing ships with credentials. Browse all n8n workflow templates, learn about our n8n automation services, or have us tailor one as a custom automation project.
Frequently asked questions
How do I pause the sequence for one customer?
Change their status in the Dunning sheet from dunning to anything else. The workflow also stops by itself as soon as Stripe reports the invoice paid.
Is the Stripe webhook trusted?
No. The workflow only reads the invoice number from the webhook and then asks Stripe directly for the real invoice before anything is sent.
Is there a Make version?
A Make version is coming soon. The n8n version is available now.
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