Record a payment made elsewhere
- In the correct Company, open “Money”, then “Payments”, and choose the contractor amount.
- Find “Enter payment”. If “Already paid another way?” appears, expand it first.
- Add the payment details, then choose “Review payment”.
- Choose “Mark as paid” if this entry covers everything still owed, or “Save partial payment” if a balance remains.
Start with a recognized amount
Payment tracking works best when it begins with a confirmed amount owed, not an isolated transfer.
Imagine that a company finalizes USD 5,000 for a contractor. Finance sends USD 3,000 on 30 August and plans to send the remaining USD 2,000 the following week. Calling the contractor Paid would hide a real balance. Leaving the full amount unpaid would ignore the transfer that occurred.
- Recognized amount: USD 5,000
The company confirms what it owes. No payment has been entered yet.
- Pay USD 3,000 elsewhere
Finance makes the first payment through the company's usual payment method.
- Record the first payment: Partially paid
USD 5,000 owed − USD 3,000 paid = USD 2,000 still owed.
- Pay the remaining USD 2,000 elsewhere
Finance makes the second external payment when it is due.
- Record the second payment: Paid
USD 5,000 owed − USD 5,000 paid = USD 0 still owed.
Read diagram explanation
This illustrative USD 5,000 amount is covered by two external payments. Entering the first USD 3,000 payment leaves USD 2,000 owed. After the remaining USD 2,000 is paid externally and entered, the record shows USD 5,000 paid and no remaining balance. A payment and its record are separate steps.
Payments happen outside Friday Falcon. Entering a payment updates the record; it does not send money.
Capture enough evidence—not bank credentials
A practical external payment record includes the amount, currency, payment date, method, and an optional reference or note. A confirmation attachment can help when the product supports it.
Do not copy full bank credentials into notes or attachments. The aim is to identify and reconcile the payment, not recreate the payment provider’s sensitive account record.
The confirmation should describe what happened. If the company made a bank transfer and then entered it into Friday Falcon, “Payment added” or “Marked as paid” is accurate. “Payment processed” is not.
Keep method and status separate
The same business state can result from ACH, wire, Payoneer, Wise, check, cash, an accounting platform, or another documented method. The method helps with reference and reconciliation. It should not redefine Paid.
A contractor is paid when the authoritative evidence covers the amount owed, regardless of which accepted method the company used.
Correct mistakes without erasing them
Someone may type USD 3,500 instead of USD 3,000, choose the wrong date, or attach the wrong reference. Do not silently edit the original record as if the mistake never occurred.
A controlled correction preserves the original payment, the correction or reversal, the reason, the person who made the change, and the corrected balance. The interface can keep this simple: the original stays in payment history; the correction changes the record only and does not move money.
Reconcile from both directions
A clean review starts from both the contractor amount and the external payment account.
- From the amount owed: Is there payment evidence for everything? Does a balance remain?
- From the external account: Can each transfer be connected to the right contractor and amount? Was anything entered twice?
- From the provider state: Is a returned or reversed transfer still being counted as paid?
For a simple arithmetic check without creating an account, try the contractor balance worksheet. It keeps the approved amount, completed external payments and remaining balance separate. It does not approve the source records, determine tax or make a payment.
If you are selecting a payment service, use the software comparison guide to separate payment services from review workspaces. A service that moves money and a workspace that explains what remains owed solve different parts of the process.
Make the status useful to the contractor
Contractors should not have to ask whether Approved means Paid. Show the approved amount, whether payment is still awaited, any partial payment and remaining balance, and the paid date with a safely shared method or reference.
Do not expose private company account details or promise an arrival date that a payment provider has not confirmed.
Decide what the contractor can see
Payment transparency does not require exposing the company’s internal notes. Decide which details help the contractor understand the status: the amount, payment date, method, remaining balance, and a safely shareable reference are usually more useful than the company’s reconciliation comments.
If a payment is being corrected, make the current status clear without presenting the original mistake as the final truth. The company should retain the full evidence underneath; the contractor-facing view should explain what is paid and what remains now.