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Customising Email Templates

Pigeonhole sends automated emails to parents when invoices are issued and when payment reminders are sent. You can customise the body of these emails to match your nursery’s tone and include the information most relevant to your families.

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Accessing Email Templates

  1. Go to Settings > Email Templates.
  2. You will see a card for each available template.
  3. Templates marked Default are using the built-in content. Templates marked Custom have been edited by your setting.

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Available Templates

TemplateWhen it is sent
Invoice SentSent to bill payers when an invoice is emailed to them
Invoice ReminderSent to bill payers when a payment reminder is issued

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Editing a Template

  1. Click on the template card you want to edit.
  2. The editor will open below the template cards.
  3. Use the toolbar to format text (bold, italic, links).
  4. Use the Available Variables buttons to insert dynamic values — click a variable name to insert it at the cursor position.
  5. Click Save Template to save your changes. The template card will change to Custom.
Formatting is limited to bold, italic, and links to keep emails clean and compatible with all email clients.

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Template Variables

Variables are placeholders that are automatically replaced with real data when the email is sent. Insert them by clicking the variable buttons, or type them directly into the editor.
VariableReplaced with
{{parent_name}}The bill payer’s first and last name
{{reference}}The invoice reference number (e.g. INV-2025-001)
{{start_date}}The invoice period start month (e.g. January)
{{end_date}}The invoice period end month (e.g. January)
{{due_date}}The payment due date (e.g. 28 January)
{{invoice_total}}The total invoice amount (e.g. £250.00)
{{total_now_due}}Total amount due including any outstanding balance
{{outstanding_balance_notice}}A notice paragraph shown only if the parent has a previous outstanding balance. Hidden automatically if there is no outstanding amount.
{{site_name}}Your nursery’s name
Variable names are case-sensitive. Use exactly the format shown above, including the double curly braces.

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Sending a Test Email

Before saving, or after saving your changes, you can send a test email to verify how the template looks in an inbox:
  1. Save the template first if you have unsaved changes (the Send Test button is disabled until changes are saved).
  2. Enter a recipient email address in the Send Test Email field.
  3. Click Send Test. A test email will be sent using sample data so you can see how the variables are filled in.
Test emails use placeholder data (e.g. “Test Parent”, “INV-TEST-001”, £250.00) rather than real invoice information.

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Resetting to the Default Template

If you want to revert to the built-in template at any time:
  1. Select the template.
  2. Click Reset to Default (only shown for Custom templates).
  3. The template will return to the Pigeonhole default and the card will change back to Default.

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Frequently Asked Questions

No. Template changes only affect emails sent after the change is saved. Previously sent invoices and reminders are not affected.
Yes. Go to Settings > Invoicing and enter an email address in the Invoice Reply Email field. When parents reply to an invoice email, their reply will go to that address instead of the default sender address.
The variable will simply not appear in the email. For example, removing {{reference}} means the invoice reference won’t be shown in the email body.
The editor intentionally limits formatting to bold, italic, and links. This ensures emails are compatible with all email clients. Your nursery logo is automatically included in the email header.