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When Can You Merge Duplicate Payee Records Automatically
It is possible to create duplicate payee records in Relay when syncing bill payments with your accounting software, such as Xero or QuickBooks Online. This occurs if you first manually create a payee record in Relay and then later a contact record representing that same payee is also synced from Xero or QuickBooks Online.
If your duplicate payee records contain an email address, you are able to merge them into one automatically.
To find out whether your payees already have an email address, first open up the Payments tab → go to Manage → click on Payee.
Type your payee’s name in the search box, and select it in order to check if an email address is associated with the payee records that you are attempting to merge.
The payee record that was manually entered into Relay prior to syncing may contain important payment information, such as the account and routing numbers. Merging the duplicate records will let you easily transfer the payment information to the newly-synced payee record. There are two ways to automatically merge duplicate payee records:
Merging Through the Payee Menu
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Go to the Payments tab → select Manage → click on Payee.
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Locate the duplicate payee records in your list of payees. Use the search function with the name of your payee.
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Ensure both payees have identical email addresses.
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Click on the payee. On the right-hand side, you will see whether any account details are being stored in the record. Choose the record that does not have any account details stored and click Edit.
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In the pop-up modal, you should see an option to “Link this payee with another payee.” Click the check box.
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Select the payee that you want to link with this payee from the Linked Payee dropdown.
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If the other payee already has payment information saved, check the box that asks if you want to “Use linked payee’s payment information.” This will transfer the payment information from the Linked Payee to the one that you are currently editing.
- Before clicking Save, ensure you are linking the correct payees because linked payees cannot be unlinked.
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Click Save. That’s it, you have merged the duplicate payee records!
Merging While Paying a Bill
To merge duplicate payee records while paying a bill, simply initiate your bill payment. If Relay detects a duplicate email address and you will be prompted to link the two payees. To do this:
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Select the Payments tab, choose the bill you want to pay, and click “Initiate Payment.”
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If a payee record with a duplicate email is associated with this bill, a “Link Payee” button will be available to you. Click the “Link Payee” button if it is available.
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Select the Linked Payee from the dropdown.
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If the "Linked Payee" record already has correct payment information saved, check “Use linked payee’s payment information”.
That’s it, you will now be able to pay using the information that was previously saved in your Relay payee record.
Things to Know
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To merge duplicate payee records automatically, both records must have an identical email address.
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After you integrate bill payments from your accounting software, the bill recipient will always default to the payee record that was created after syncing. This new payee record will not have any payment information you may have previously saved in a different payee record.
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Make sure that the box “Use linked payee’s payment information” is checked when linking payees if you want to transfer saved payment information.