Introducing the New Payee Management System
We're excited to roll out a major update to how your organization manages payments. This new system is designed to significantly
improve security, prevent setup errors, and streamline the process of getting paid.
This guide explains what’s new for your administrative team and how these changes create a more secure and reliable platform for everyone.
What's Changing for Administrators?
This update introduces a more structured workflow, requiring that anyone setting up items that involve payments (like tickets, registrations, and invoices) must provide payee information before proceeding.
1. New: A Payee Is Now Required for All Payment Setups
To ensure all revenue is routed correctly, you
must create at least one payee account before
you can finish setting up any payment-related feature.This requirement applies to:
- Ticket Setups
- Camp, Community Ed, and Family Registration Setups
- Venue Contracts
- Invoice Creation (New, Edit, and Mass Create)
- Invoice Product Setups
- Fee Setups
- Fundraising Setups
What You Will See
If you try to create one of these items before a payee exists, you'll see a clear alert.
- A "No Payees Available"warning will appear at the top of the screen.
- A helpful "Manage Payees"button will take you directly to the new payee creation screen.
- The form will not save until a payee is created, preventing incomplete or "lost" payment setups.
2. The New Payee Screen
We've added the payee management screen (found at
Business > Payees
) to be your central hub for all financial-related accounts.A. Your First-Time Payee Setup
The first time you visit the Payees page, a guide will automatically open to walk you through creating your first payee.
What is a Payee?
A payee is an account that receives payments from your organization. You should create a payee to:
- Receive payments from events, registrations, or other activities.
- Track income separately for different departments (e.g., "Athletics," "Music Department").
- Set up different bank accounts for different revenue streams.
Most organizations start with one default payee for main operations and can add more later.
. First Payee Setup Screen
What You'll Need to Provide:
- Payee Name(e.g., "Lincoln High School," "Athletics Department")
- Contact Person(Name, Email, Phone)
- Purpose(A brief internal note for your accounting team)
- Confirmationthat you understand payment info is needed for payouts.
Important: You can start processing payments immediately
after creating a payee. However, payouts (transfers to your bank) will be held until you complete Step 2 (Configuring Payment Information). We'll send reminders to the contact person until this is done.
. Payment Information Confirmation Screen
B. Setting up Additional Payees
After adding your first Payee, adding additional Payees is easy. Simply click on the “New Payee” button in the upper right corner and follow the onscreen instructions.
. Click on the “New Payee” Button to Add an Additional Payee
B. Configuring Payment Information (How You Get Paid)
After creating a payee, your next step is to add payment details. This is required to receive your funds.
You have two options:
1. Check (Physical Mail)
- Pay to the Order of (Legal entity name)
- Attention To (Contact person)
- Mailing Address
. Enter Details for Check Payment Method
2. ACH / Direct Deposit (Electronic)
- Bank Routing Number (9 digits)
- Account Number (with confirmation)
- Account Type (e.g., Business Checking)
Enter Details for ACH Payment Method
Real-Time Validation:
To prevent typos and payout delays, the system now verifies bank information with our payment processor in real-time. You'll be notified immediately if a routing number is incorrect or account numbers don't match.C. Your New Payment Status Flow
The new dashboard shows the status of every payee at a glance:
- Not Configured(Yellow Badge): The payee is created, but no bank or check info has been added. You can accept payments, but you cannot receive payouts yet.
- Configured(Blue Badge): Payment information has been saved and verified. You are ready to receive payouts.
- Locked(Red Badge): Payment info is locked for security after the first payout. (See details below).
. Indicator that Payment Status Has Not Been Configured
. Click the Edit Box to View Payee Details
. Click the Edit Box to Edit Payee Details
D. Enhanced Security: Automatic Payment Locking
To protect your organization from fraud and unauthorized changes,
payee payment information will automatically lock after the first successful payout is made.
What this means:
- The payee status will change to "Locked" (Red Badge).
- No one can modify the bank account or check address details.
- To make a change, you must go through a formal unlock request.
. Click the Yellow “Request Unlock" Box to Request Payee Detail Changes.
How to Update Locked Payment Information
Step 1: Initiate Your Request
- On the locked payee’s detail page, click the "Request Unlock"button.
Step 2: Provide a Reason
- A pop-up will ask you to provide a detailed reason for the unlock request(e.g., "Our organization is switching banks," "Updating check mailing address"). This creates a secure audit trail.
Step 3: Submit and Wait for Approval
- Your request will be sent to our accounting team for review. You will be notified via email once the request is approved (typically within 1-2 business days).
Step 4: Make Your Changes
- Once approved, the payee status will change to "Unlocked,"and the "Update Payment Method" button will reappear.
- After you save your new information, the status will return to "Configured."It will automatically re-lock after its next successful payout.
👨👩👧 For Your Users (Parents, Students, Community)
This update has
no direct impact on your regular users.
The customer-facing experience remains unchanged. They can continue to:
- Register for events
- Purchase tickets
- Pay invoices
- Make donations
These improvements are all "behind-the-scenes," designed to make the administrative and financial process safer and more reliable for your organization.
✨ Your New Benefits at a Glance
- Improved Security:Automatic locking prevents unauthorized changes to your bank accounts. The unlock request process provides a clear audit trail.
- Fewer Errors:Real-time bank validation catches typos instantly, and requiring a payee up-front prevents "lost" setups.
- Better Visibility:The new dashboard shows the status of all your payees in one place.
- Clearer Workflow:Step-by-step guidance and clearer labels (like "Default for [Your Organization Name]") make the setup process more intuitive.
✅ Your 5-Step Getting Started Checklist
If you do not have payees entered yet, here’s what to do first:
- Navigate to Business > Payees.
- The "Create Your First Payee" guide will open. Follow the steps to create your primary payee account.
- Once created, click to configure its payment method(Check or ACH).
- Verify the payee's payment status shows "Configured"(Blue Badge).
- You're all set! You can now begin setting up your tickets, invoices, and registrations.
If you already have payees entered and need to make changes:
- Navigate to Business > Payees.
- Click the button to add a New Payee
- Click the Edit button on an existing payee to view or edit details.