Batch process vendor bill payments
Batch AP Vendor Bill Processing lets you pay multiple outstanding bills for one or more vendors in a single workflow. It reduces repetitive work, makes accounts payable runs more efficient, and helps your firm process a higher volume of transactions with fewer clicks.
Before you begin make sure that:
- The vendor bills you want to pay have already been entered into CARET Legal.
- Each bill has an outstanding balance.
- The payment method you plan to use is available for the selected bills.
- If you plan to use vendor credit, a credit is already on file for that vendor.
Batch processing supports payments by check, credit card, or vendor credits.
Create a batch vendor payment
1. From the Accounting Tab, open the Vendors & Bills Tab
You can select bills for batch vendor payment in one of two ways. First, you can go to the grid, select more than one vendor bill for payment and select the pink Pay Bills button to move forward:
Alternately, you can use the plus sign in the upper right and select “Pay Vendor Bill (Batch)” from the dropdown menu:
2. Start a batch payment
Once you have either selected the pink “Pay Bills” button from the grid or selected Pay Vendor Bill (Batch) from the “+” dropdown, you will be taken to the first page of the Vendor Payment Modal:
3. Select the bills to pay
Select one or more outstanding bills. You can include:
- Multiple bills for the same vendor
- Bills for multiple vendors
- A full or partial payment for an outstanding bill
The batch payment workflow displays eligible outstanding vendor bills that persist if they were selected on the previous page. If you would like to start in the modal with a blank slate, you can use the upper left Search Bills section to filter by due date, vendor name, or amount.
Additionally, the grid displays vendor name, links to the individual bills, due date, Current Balance, vendor credit (if applicable), and the Remaining Balance. If you apply vendor credit, review the available credit and confirm how much will be applied before continuing.
In the section above on the right, you will be able to select a payment method (check or credit card), the pay date and the from account. Please note, a single payment method type must apply to the entire batch.
Review the selected bills and confirm that the total payment amount is correct. Select a single payment type, an account, and a date to proceed to hit continue and go to the next screen.
Once you have finalized your selection in the Search Bills, Select Bills to Pay, and Payment Method sections, you can click “Continue” and move forward to the next screen.
4. Batch payment selection screen
From this second screen, you can view the payment details for the Batch, including the payment method type, account name, payment date, payment total, vendor name, check nos., memo lines, whether credit has been applied, and total amount to pay on the individual bills. The check numbers and the memo lines are editable.
5. Review and submit the batch
Before submitting, verify:
- The correct vendors and bills are selected.
- Each payment amount is correct.
- The selected payment method is correct.
- Any vendor credits are applied as intended.
- The batch total matches the amount you expect to pay.
If you need to make changes to your selection, you can go Back to the previous screen, make your edits, then continue.
Once you have confirmed your selection for payment, you have one of two options.
First, you can “Pay & Close”. This reflects the payment in the general ledger. Additionally, you have the second option to “Pay & Print” if the payment method selected is Check. You now have the option to print a batch of checks or a single check directly from the payment modal, and the payment will also be reflected in the general ledger.
After submission, confirm that CARET Legal displays a success message ‘Vendor Bills Paid Successfully” and that the payments appear correctly in the general ledger.
6. Print checks in a batch
If you selected “Pay & Print,” a pdf will generate in a new tab of the checks selected for printing in batch. If you paid by check, use the batch-print option to print the related checks without navigating to each bill individually. In the print preview, confirm alignment and printer settings before printing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay bills for more than one vendor in the same batch?
Yes. The batch workflow is designed to process multiple bills for multiple vendors in a single accounts payable run.
Can I make a partial payment?
Yes. Enter a payment amount lower than the outstanding balance when reviewing the bill.
Can I apply vendor credit?
Yes, when a vendor credit is already on file at the time of the accounts payable run.
Can I schedule a batch payment for a future date?
No. Recurring and scheduled vendor payment runs are not included in this release.
Can I approve vendor bills from this workflow?
No. A vendor bill approval process is outside the scope of this release.
Can I export a batch payment record?
A dedicated export of the batch vendor payment record is not included in this release. The audit trail currently tracks the individual bill payments.
Does CARET Legal detect duplicate vendor invoices?
This workflow does not currently include an automated duplicate-invoice check. Review invoice details before submitting payment.