Handle an overdue loan
A loan is overdue when the carrier hasn’t been returned by its due date. Carrier Stash flags overdue loans for you automatically — there’s nothing to mark by hand. This page covers how to spot them, chase the caregiver, and close them out. Any assigned User (volunteer), Library Owner, or Org Admin can chase an overdue loan and send reminders.
You’ll see overdue loans in these places:
- The dashboard, which surfaces an overdue loans list — available on every tier
- The carrier list view and the Loans screen, where overdue loans are visually flagged
- The Reports workspace (its Overdue & due back report), on Pro and up
Steps
1. Find the overdue loans
Open the Loans screen or the dashboard. Overdue loans are flagged so they stand out from loans that are still within their due date.
2. Contact the caregiver
Open the overdue loan and reach out to the caregiver. Each open loan has an overdue contact log — record each attempt with its method (call, text, email, in-person, or other), the outcome, and any notes, so anyone picking up the loan later can see what’s already been tried.
If the caregiver has an email on file, an overdue loan carries a Send reminder email action that sends the caregiver your library’s overdue template and logs the send in the contact log. On the Loans list, an overdue loan shows a Remind action in place of Return. Overdue reminders also go out automatically on a set schedule (unless that type is switched off) — the manual button is for sending one on the spot in between.
A reminder asks you to avoid recording sensitive personal information in the contact log.
3. Consider renewing
If the caregiver just needs more time, renew the loan to move the due date out instead of leaving it overdue.
4. Check it in when the carrier comes back
When the carrier is returned, check it in as usual. Because the return is past the due date, the loan is recorded as overdue in reporting and the caregiver’s record picks up an overdue flag automatically.
Suggested practice — when to escalate. This isn’t a rule the software enforces; it’s a judgment call for a Library Owner. If you’ve made several contact attempts and logged them, and the caregiver still hasn’t responded or returned the carrier, consider moving from reminders to a Do Not Lend flag so the caregiver is gated at their next check-out. Log your attempts first — the contact log is the record you’ll lean on — and let a Library Owner make the call.
When a carrier isn’t coming back
If a carrier is genuinely lost, don’t leave the loan open indefinitely. A Library Owner can archive the carrier as Lost or Overdue — Considered Lost; that closes the open loan as ended without a return (no fabricated return condition) in the same step. See Change a carrier’s status.
After the loan closes
The overdue flag on the caregiver’s record is auto-set and stays in their history. A Library Owner or Org Admin can amend or clear it later with a required reason; the original overdue event remains in the loan history either way.