New Bill Pay features that deliver on accountant feedback

We understand how critical it is for accounting firms and their clients to have an AP platform that delivers time- and effort-saving automations, accurate reconciliations to the books, and controls to manage risk when moving money out.

We are pleased to share the latest features of QuickBooks Bill Pay that have been built based on accountant and AP manager feedback, with the goal of helping you drive growth and efficiencies for your firm and your clients.

As a reminder, Bill Pay Basic is now included in QuickBooks Online Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, and Advanced plans; our Basic plan comes with 5 free ACH transactions. If you’re interested in using Bill Pay to process your firm’s AP, your QuickBooks Online Accountant account provides access to Bill Pay Elite at no subscription cost.

What is launching?

• Check images as proof of payment (check remittance).
• Bill payment release approval workflows.
• Adding QuickBooks Online Accountant firms to the QuickBooks Business Network.

Check images as proof of payment (check remittance)

You and your clients can now view and download images of checks that have been cleared by the receiving bank, providing concrete proof of check remittance and clarity on payment status after a check has been released.

All Bill Pay subscribers can access this new feature. To view a cleared check:

1. Access your client’s QuickBooks Online account.
2. In the left navigation menu under My Apps, go to Expenses & Bills > Bill Payments. 
3. Click “View details” next to the transaction you’d like to review.
4. Click “View check.” If the bill payment is marked as “Complete: and the check has cleared, the link will appear under the “Clearance date” column.
5. The cleared check image will appear. You will have the option to view or download it.

Bill payment release approval workflows

The release of funds can dramatically affect a company’s available cash, so role-based permissions and approval workflows are critical to manage risk for you and your clients.

Through Bill Pay Elite, subscribers have access to role-based access and permissions, bill approvals, and the latest release for enhanced controls: new bill payment release approvals. Once configured, the system will automatically route payments for release approval, providing a comprehensive audit trail and timely notifications. Every action is meticulously logged, providing an unalterable record for compliance, review, and accountability.

To set up a new workflow in your client’s Bill Pay:

1. Access your client’s QuickBooks Online account. 
2. Click on the lightning bolt icon on the top-right navigation panel located near your Settings menu.
3. Search for “payment release” on the Templates page, and click on the template to create a new workflow. If you have QuickBooks Online Advanced, you can also choose to create a custom workflow.
4. Set approval parameters based on precise conditions, such as payment amount limits or vendors.
5. Assign approvers based on the parameters.
6. On the My Workflows tab, you can manage existing workflows. Here you will be able to toggle on/off, delete, and run a workflow, as well as access the audit history.

To manage your accounting firm users and their permissions in the AP process for clients, you must be a Primary or Company Admin in your firm’s QuickBooks Online Accountant account. There are four roles that apply to processing AP: Standard all access (can’t pay bills), Bill clerk, Bill approver, and Bill payer.

QuickBooks Business Network for Your Firm

Starting October 15, QuickBooks Online Accountant firms will have access to the Business Network. The QuickBooks Business Network helps your firm be more productive by streamlining AP processes, including vendor management. It allows you to connect with your vendors and manage bill payments. You can also use it to send invoices to customers and receive bills from suppliers directly in QuickBooks, automating the process and reducing the need for manual bill entry.

There is no action that you need to take; your firm will be automatically added to the Business Network.

If you are not interested in being included, you can opt out of the experience by going to Company Settings > Advanced > Business Network. You will be able to turn the option OFF; make sure you save and confirm the settings to formally opt out. Doing so will not affect your QuickBooks Online Accountant account.

Existing features that deliver value

As we continue to improve Bill Pay based on your feedback, we also want to remind you of important existing features:

• Get ProAdvisor pricing and split billing for Bill Pay: When you choose Bill Pay for a client, you have access to ProAdvisor pricing at 30% off their subscription cost and 15% off transaction fees. You can also choose to “split” the bill so that your firm pays for the QuickBooks Online subscription, while your client covers their Bill Pay subscription and transaction fees.
• Request bill pay limit changes for clients: To help ensure your client can make payments with confidence, you can request an optimal payment processing limit for their business directly from their books.

Bill entry automation: Our AI tools can reduce manual work for your client by creating bills and expenses from files sent to a personalized, secure email address associated with their Bill Pay account, located on the Bills page.

Streamlining your firm's accounts payable process is a critical step in boosting efficiency and delivering more value to your clients. We're committed to making QuickBooks the single best platform for you to manage it all.