If you need to use MarginEdge Bill Pay to immediately schedule a payment to your vendors but don't have time to wait on a processed invoice, you can create an invoice that utilizes category totals or create one to hold the place for the detailed invoice you will eventually upload (in the near future). It’s ideal for those “oh sh*t” moments when you realize a bill is due but that invoice has not yet been uploaded to MarginEdge!
OPTION #1 - for category-level data:
If you just have a simple invoice for something like rent, it's very quick and easy to create a Category-level invoice. In these cases where the line item data is not essential, we recommend this option - the invoice will close immediately and show up ready to be paid in Bill Pay. You can attach an image later if desired, but in this scenario, it's not required.
To do this, go to Orders > Orders and click on "Add Invoice" and follow the prompts for a One-time Invoice with Category-level detail.
OPTION #2 - for an invoice image with line-item detail but can't wait for processing
When you have a detailed invoice with line-items that you want paid immediately, please keep reading.
- FIRST! Email help@marginedge.com to ask them to enable the "Just Pay a Vendor" feature.
- Once it is enabled, you can follow the instructions below. Please note that this ready-to-pay invoice must be created from the Bill Pay > Invoices page (NOT from the Orders > "Add an Invoice" screen)
Create an Invoice and Bill Pay Payment
This feature works by creating an invoice with just enough information to pay the vendor, but allows you to indicate you still want all the line item data from the invoice for your reporting. While there will be no line-item or category-level data available for these invoices until the image is uploaded and processed, the invoice will be available immediately to be paid. Once we finish processing it, then that data will flow to your reporting; this process just gives you a shortcut to paying it!
Please note, the ability to pay it will only work if you create the invoice from Bill Pay > Invoices. Creating a line-item invoice from the Orders page will NOT prompt this place-holder invoice to show up in Bill Pay.
FIRST - email help@marginedge.com to ask them to enable this feature!
1. From Bill Pay > Invoices, Click on the "Create Invoice" button.
2. This opens a box where you can enter the information needed to create the invoice.
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Vendor: Select a vendor from the drop-down menu.
If you want to create an invoice for a vendor that is not in your account already, please send an email to help@marginedge.com to ask and let them know the new vendor's name. - Invoice Number: Please do your best to enter the correct invoice number here if you intend to upload the image. Without an accurate invoice number, our team may not be able to merge the invoice image you upload later with this invoice.
- Payment Account: Select a payment account with a type of Accounts Payable. If you only have one A/P payment account, it will default to that account.
- Total: The total dollar amount of the invoice. This is what will be paid to the vendor.
- Invoice Image: Optional for now. If an image is uploaded it will be processed. If no image is uploaded the invoice will go into "Image Pending" status.
3. If you don't have your invoice to attach now, you will need to upload the image later. The final invoice will not close and populate to reporting until we receive an invoice image from you.
4. Once all required fields are populated, click "Create Invoice".
5. Now look for that invoice back in your Bill Pay > Invoices screen. From there, you can select the invoice and create a payment as normal.
Don't forget that the invoice is in "Image Pending" and won't have any line item data available to populate through your MarginEdge reporting until you upload the invoice image!
Uploading for Processing the Invoice After Paying
Once this invoice has been created, you can pay it, but it will still need to go through normal invoice processing so that we can get all the data needed to populate your reporting. This is achieved in the same way we gather info from all of your other invoices -- by uploading an image!
You can:
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Upload the image right when you create the invoice.
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Attach the image to the existing invoice.
An existing invoice created this way without an image attached will show in your Orders screen in an "Image Pending" status. You can click on this invoice and attach an image to it through the web or mobile app. (Note, if you have Digital Invoices enabled, you may also see invoices in that status due as well.)
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Upload the image like you would for any new invoice.
If you created shell invoice with the correct invoice number, you can upload the image just like you would any other invoice (like sending it straight to your designated @meinvoices.com email address) and our team will be able to match it to the existing invoice. Once the image and the invoice place holder are merged, the data will now get processed like any other invoice.
What happens if the total from the invoice I created doesn't match the image I upload?
Oops! But it's okay! If our team sees that the two totals don't match, we will triple check to determine which number we think is accurate and we will rectify it in the following ways:
- If you ended up Underpaying the invoice:
The invoice total is updated to be the full amount as determined by our team. The invoice is returned to the Bill Pay > Invoices screen and marked as partially paid with the difference as the balance. - If you ended up Overpaying the invoice:
A credit is generated for the amount overpaid to be applied to a future invoice and this will appear on the Bill Pay > Invoices screen.