Overview

If a receivable remains open despite all dunning levels, the question of debt collection, a court order for payment, or a write-off arises. Kyvento does not make that decision for you – but it gives you the handover point and the evidence, and it closes the case in an orderly way once you have decided.

The end of the dunning ladder

After the final dunning level the automation ends. The receivable is then marked as uncollectible, counts towards the "Uncollectible" figure in the dunning area and carries the "Uncollectible" badge in the list – your signal that a manual decision is now due. There is deliberately no fifth, automatic level.

Path 1: Handover to a debt-collection agency

Selecting and engaging the provider remains with you; there is no interface and no automatic case handover. Kyvento supplies the documents a provider will ask for:

1. the invoice PDF from the invoice detail page,
2. the dunning history from the dunning details – it proves seamlessly which level was delivered when and is therefore your proof of default,
3. the dunning letters sent, as archived PDFs (see Downloading dunning letters as PDF).

The same material supports a judicial dunning procedure. You apply for the court order yourself, for example via the German courts' online dunning procedure.

Only announce a debt-collection handover in your dunning texts if you will actually carry it out – the default texts of the late levels do announce it. Empty threats weaken your position.

Path 2: Writing off the receivable

If further pursuit is not worthwhile – a small amount, an insolvent customer – close the case directly from the "Dunning Details". The "Write Off Balance" action creates a cancellation document for the amount still open and ends the case.

What happens there, and what does not, is worth knowing:

• The original invoice remains unchanged – the write-off happens through a document of its own, not by deleting anything.
• No money flows back, and no customer credit is created. The action closes the receivable; it refunds nothing.
• The same invoice can be written off only once. You cannot undo the step with a click, only by voiding the cancellation document – which is a booking operation of its own. If you merely want the case to rest for now, set a dunning hold instead: Pausing or suspending dunning notices.

Coordinate the tax treatment of the write-off with your tax firm. If you charged dunning fees and waive those too, your DATEV export needs an account for the waiver – see Assigning bookkeeping accounts (SKR03/SKR04).

Recommended routine

1. Review uncollectible cases monthly.
2. Decide per case: debt collection, court order for payment, or write-off.
3. Document the decision and close the case – open dead entries distort your receivables metrics.

Next steps

• Cancellation mechanics in detail – see Credit notes and cancellations
• Metrics on the receivables balance – see Analyzing dunning statistics