Requesting Payment Information from Payees

This article covers how to request payment information from a new payee in Relay, how new payees can submit their information to a Relay user, and how to access this information once submitted.

Sections included in this article

1. Requesting payment information from payees created in Relay
2. Requesting payment information from payees synced from Xero or QuickBooks Online
3. Requesting payment information from a payee from the Payments page:
4. Responding to a request for payment information
5. Downloading W9 forms requested from payees
6. Things to Know

Requesting payment information from payees created in Relay

1. Initiate the creation of a New Payee. There are three ways to create payees:

• • From the Payee screen. Visit Payments > Manage > Payee > New Payee.

  • From a transaction screen. Visit Payments > New Payment. Select any payment method (ACH, Domestic Wire, International Wire, Check), then click +New payee above the payee list.

  • From importing existing payees from Xero or QuickBooks Online by integrating with our Bill Pay feature. More information on this is found in the next section of this article.

           All payees require an email in Relay to request payment information.              

           See a full walkthrough of adding and deleting payees here.

2. Enter the payee’s Name, Email, and the Account Classification.

3. Check the box “Request payment information from this payee.” This will replace the banking information form fields with three new input fields: 

• • Phone number [optional]: Submit the payee’s phone number to send them a notification that their payment information is requested.

  • Note: Add a note for the payee, e.g. “Please provide your banking information to receive payment from my company.”

  • W-9 form required: Check this box if you need a W-9 from this payee.

4. Click Save to save the payee in your Relay account. The payee will receive an email (and optional text message) requesting their payment information.

5. You can immediately submit payments to your new payee, even if their information is still pending. However, the transaction will not be initiated until the payee has submitted their payment information. Visit Payments > New Payment to initiate a payment.

Relevant articles on making payments:

• How to make an ACH payment
• How to send a Domestic Wire
• How to make a payment via check

Requesting payment information from payees synced from Xero or QuickBooks Online

When a bill is synced from Xero or Quickbooks Online to Relay, a payee will automatically be created if it is the first time a bill was synced for that payee name. The steps below outline how to request payment information from payees synced from Xero or QBO.

Click here for more information on syncing bills from Xero and QBO.

To request payment information from the Payee page for payees synced from QuickBooks Online or Zero:

1. Go to Payments > Manage > Payee > then click on the name of the payee to which the bill is associated. The only information synced from this payee will be name and email address, if there is an email associated with this payee in Xero or QBO.

2. The payee will appear in the right side-panel. Click Edit.

3. Enter the Name, Email, and Account Classification for this payee.

4. Select the Payment Type you would like to associate to this Payee. When you request payment information, Relay will request the information required for the selected payment type, specifically.

5. After selecting Payment Type, you will have the option to check a box labeled “Request payment information from [Payee Name].” Checking this box will replace the banking information form fields with three new input fields: 

• • Phone number [optional]: Submit the payee’s phone number to send them a notification that their payment information is requested.
  • Note: Add a note for the payee, e.g. “Please provide your banking information to receive payment from my company.”
  • W-9 form required: Check this box if you need a W-9 from this payee.

6. Click Save to save the updated payee information to your Relay account. The payee will receive an email (and optional text message) requesting their payment information.

Note: Any information added to payees synced from Xero and QBO will not update in Xero or QBO. This information is only stored in Relay.

7. You can immediately submit payments to your updated payee, even if their information is still pending. However, the transaction will not be initiated until the payee has submitted their payment information. Visit Payments > New Payment to initiate a payment.

Requesting payment information from a payee from the Payments page:

Payees synced from Xero and QBO will also appear in Payments once a bill has synced.

1. Initiate a payment. You can do this either:
2. Directly from Payments. Go to Payments > New Payment > Select payment method (ACH, International Wire, Domestic Wire, Check)
3. From Bill Pay. Go to Payments > Unpaid Bills, then click Initiate Transaction on a bill. Select whether you would like to pay by ACH, International Wire, Domestic Wire, Check.
4. Select the payee from the list of payees.
5. If an email for the payee did not sync from Xero or QBO, you will need to add an email before requesting payment information. This article can help you navigate how to edit a payee.
6.  Click the box labeled “Request payment information from [payee name].” Checking this box will replace the banking information form fields with three new inputs fields: 

• • Phone number [optional]: Submit the payee’s phone number to send them a notification that their payment information is requested.
  • Note: Add a note for the payee, e.g. “Please provide your banking information to receive payment from my company.”
  • W-9 form required: Check this box if you need a W-9 from this payee.

4. Fill in the rest of your payment details, then click Next. Clicking Next will send a notification to the payee requesting their payment information. Once they have submitted their information, the payment will automatically be initiated.

Responding to a request for payment information

Users in Relay can request payees to submit their own banking information to the Relay system. This saves communication time when payment information is missing and ensures efficient payment to the payee. The following steps outline how payees can respond to a “request for payment” notice from a Relay user.

1. Payees will receive an email with the subject line “[Relay User’s Name] from [Relay User’s Company] wants to send you money.” Click Receive Payment within the email to submit your payment information.

2. A new page will open confirming the request details. Click Get Started to continue.

3. Confirm your identity. Request a verification code to be sent by email or phone, then input your confirmation code to continue.

4. Input the requested banking information. If the Relay user requires a W-9, you will need to click Upload and upload your W-9 to the bottom of the form to continue. Accepted formats for upload are JPEG, PNG, or PDF. Click Next to complete your submission.

Once your banking information has been submitted, any pending transactions will automatically be initiated. Future payments to this payee account will not require payees to submit their information again.

Downloading W-9 forms submitted from payees

If you requested that the payee add a W-9 with their payment information, you will be able to download the form with Relay from the payee’s details.

1. Navigate to the Payments tab.

2. Located above the action items section, click Manage.

3. Click the box titled Payee.

4. Select the payee you would like to download the submitted W9 form from.

5. In the payee details, click the DOWNLOAD button under W-9 form.

Things to Know

More information on W-9 forms: Business owners must collect a W-9 tax form from every contractor that they pay in order to file their taxes. Relay enables collecting W-9s before any payment is made to a contractor with just one click!

Contractors can download a fillable W-9 form from the IRS website linked here.

Why isn't the "requesting payment information" option showing up for me? It could be that there is no email listed for your payee. To learn how to edit your payee to add an email before requesting information, click here.

Questions? Get in touch with our Support Team at support@relayfi.com or 1 (888) 205-9304.