How we pay contractors hassle-free

I work at a small government consulting firm that relies on the hard work of independent consultants, subcontractors and vendors. Right now, we work with 15 of them, and we’re always hiring more. Some handle one-off tasks as needed, while others work with us full-time supporting clients. All of them deserve fast, reliable payments after every invoice they send. 

Managing contractor payments used to be a cluttered mess. Here’s how we cleaned the process up, saved five hours of busy work a month, and ensured prompt compensation without our payers or payees breaking a sweat. 

The problem: Clunky contractor payments

When I first joined NuvoLogic Consulting, we didn’t have a well organized system for paying contractors. Our third-party accountants didn’t have a consistent payment process. And since we set up a new payroll for every new vendor, contractors got paid at random times—often later than they expected. This choppy process meant we couldn’t keep good track of which invoices were paid and which weren’t. 

We burned time reconciling data that lived in Microsoft SharePoint reports with our payroll system, and were confused by which invoices applied to what contractor payments since they weren’t always correctly labeled by our accountants. 

Late and off-cycle payments piled up since it was so cumbersome managing 15 separate payrolls for 15 different contractors. Something needed to change, and our CEO tasked me with finding a better system that wouldn’t break the bank.

The solution: Fast, reliable bill pay software

We already used and loved Rippling for HR and payroll. To save time, spare headaches, and de-clutter our books, I took our contractor payments out of payroll and into Rippling’s bill pay system. It took me 20 minutes to set up and became way easier for me to manage—even without any formal accounting experience. Here’s how I solved it: 

Step 1: Put all vendors in the system

First, we removed our contractors from our payroll system and put them into our new bill pay system as vendors.

I also set up access permissions that allow three accountants and our CEO to approve invoices. 

Step 2: Map vendor payments to the general ledger 

Next, we configured the system to make sure contractor payments map to the proper category in our accounting books. We have three different QuickBooks accounts for three different subsidiaries, so it was important that contractor invoices routed to the right place. After an easy set-up, Rippling’s bill pay system handles this for us automatically.

Step 3: Collect invoices

Our contractors email invoices to our distribution list. Then, we upload the invoices into Rippling. 

Step 4: Verify payment information

From the upload, Rippling automatically captures the vendor’s name along with the invoice number, amount, date created, date due, project they worked on, and the contractor’s payment information.

This makes it lightning-quick to review the invoice and, after clicking continue, push payment through.

Step 5: Track payments

Now I have an easy-to-access dashboard that lets me track whether we sent payments to every contractor.

When vendors reach out asking why they haven’t been paid yet, I can look at the system and let them know exactly when they can expect a deposit.  

The impact

Paying contractors through Rippling’s Bill Pay app helped us identify and fill the gaps in our accounting infrastructure. Our new process is faster, easier, and better.  

Lightning fast processes

We’ve saved time across every step of paying out our contractors—five hours a month in all. Since Rippling automatically turns invoices into bills, we can quickly verify information and push it to payment. And our new third-party accountants learned how to use the system after only 30 minutes of training. 

Hassle-free management

I’ve managed more than 100 contractors on spreadsheets in past jobs. A system like Rippling is way easier—it totals all the numbers for you. I can also track whether we’ve paid a vendor and how much we’ve paid them without jumping through any hoops. And even though I’m by no means an accounting expert, the system was easy to set up and manage on my own. 

Stronger contractor relationships

Our contractors can count on us to deliver prompt, accurate payments whenever they submit invoices. This helps us build trust, keep outstanding talent, and deliver better work.