How do I pay a vendor without creating a bill?

Need to pay a vendor but don't have a bill for it yet? Forwardly lets you pay directly from the Vendor Details page, and creates the bill for you automatically in the background.

Before you can make a direct payment, make sure:

• The vendor has a valid email address.
• The vendor has a valid bank account available for payment, or is a business on the Forwardly Business Network.
• You have permission to make payments.

If the vendor doesn't have an email address, or doesn't have a valid bank account and isn't on the Forwardly Business Network, the Pay Now button will be disabled.

How to make a direct payment to a vendor

1. On the left-hand navigation bar, click on Vendors.
2. Mouse over vendor you want to pay, and click View. 
3. On the Vendor Details page, click Pay Now.
4. Review the Pay To account. This is based on the vendor's available payment information and can only be reviewed.
5. Select the Pay From account, your preferred speed, and the process date.
6. Enter the payment amount. It must be greater than $1, and the process date must be today or a future date.
7. Add a memo, if needed.
8. Review the payment details and continue.
9. If no approvals are required, click Schedule.
10. If approvals are required and you're an approver, click Approve.
11. If approvals are required and you're not an approver, click Submit for Approval.

Once submitted, Forwardly automatically creates a bill for the payment behind the scenes, so you don't need to create one yourself. The bill is linked to the payment and shows up in both the Bills and Payments modules.

Where can I find the generated bill?

Once the payment is scheduled or submitted for approval, the bill appears in the Bills module with a direct payment icon next to the amount. Hover over the icon to confirm it's a direct payment to the vendor.

Can I edit the automatically created bill?

No. The bill created for a direct vendor payment is system-generated, so it can't be edited.

Where can I find the payment itself?

The payment is automatically added to the Payments module and follows the same lifecycle as any other Forwardly payment, including statuses like Scheduled, Processing, Delivered, Cancelled, and Failed. A direct payment icon appears next to the paid amount here, too.

Can I cancel a direct payment?

Yes. If you cancel a scheduled direct payment, the bill Forwardly generated for it stays in the Bills module, and you can create another payment for it later if needed. You can't edit that bill, but you can delete it if you no longer need it.

Can I reschedule a direct payment?

Yes. Rescheduling updates the payment's process date, but the bill's due date stays the same.

How does accounting sync work for direct payments?

Direct payments sync the same way standard bill payments do. Forwardly creates the bill first, then syncs both the bill and the payment to your connected accounting software once the payment reaches the right stage. This works the same whether your accounting connection is connected, disconnected, or expired and needs to be reconnected.