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VPA Connect

Release or reject a supplier payment request

Updated 4 min read

When a supplier finishes a job, they send a payment request. The seller's money for that job is already held, but it only moves to the supplier when someone at your agency releases it. You can do this if you have the Accounts role, or you are an Admin or the Director (see Roles and permissions).

A supplier can ask for part of a job's amount (a partial request) or the rest of it (a final request).

Part 1: Find requests waiting for you

A row in the campaign list with marker 1 on the amber attention icon. Its tooltip reads: 1 supplier payment request awaiting release, $295.00.
Open full size: A row in the campaign list with marker 1 on the amber attention icon. Its tooltip reads: 1 supplier payment request awaiting release, $295.00. (opens in a new tab)
  1. Select Campaigns in the sidebar. A campaign with a request waiting shows an amber attention icon (marker 1). Point at it to see how many requests are waiting and their total. To list only these campaigns, choose Needs attention in the filter above the list.
  2. Select the campaign. The campaign page opens.
The campaign's items table. Marker 1 is on the floorplan item, which shows $295.00 pending and the status Sent.
Open full size: The campaign's items table. Marker 1 is on the floorplan item, which shows $295.00 pending and the status Sent. (opens in a new tab)
  1. Find the item with the status Sent (marker 1). The amount waiting is shown in amber, for example "$295.00 pending".

Part 2: Check the request

The item panel for the floorplan. Marker 1 is on the Final request in Payment history, and marker 2 on Release pending payment.
Open full size: The item panel for the floorplan. Marker 1 is on the Final request in Payment history, and marker 2 on Release pending payment. (opens in a new tab)
  1. Select the item. Its panel opens, with the request under Payment history (marker 1): whether it is partial or final, the supplier's note, the date and the amount.
  2. Select Release pending payment (marker 2). The Release payment panel opens.
The Release payment panel. Marker 1 is on the supplier's note, 2 on Final Cost, 3 on Supplier Payout, 4 on Release and 5 on Reject payment request.
Open full size: The Release payment panel. Marker 1 is on the supplier's note, 2 on Final Cost, 3 on Supplier Payout, 4 on Release and 5 on Reject payment request. (opens in a new tab)
  1. Read the supplier's note (marker 1) and check the job is done.
  2. Check the amount: Final Cost for a final request (marker 2), or This Release for a partial one. Supplier Payout (marker 3) is what the supplier receives.

The panel also shows the quote, what has already been paid, and either Added to refund credit (on a final request: any part of the budget the supplier didn't charge) or Remaining After Release (on a partial request: what stays held for this job).

VPA Connect doesn't charge suppliers a platform fee at present, so Supplier Payout equals the amount and there is no Platform Fee row. The screenshot comes from a test system where a fee is switched on.

Part 3: Release or reject

  1. To pay the supplier, select Release (marker 4). There is no second confirmation: a "Payment released" message appears and the panel closes.
  2. To refuse the request instead, select Reject payment request (marker 5). Type the reason the supplier should see, for example "The invoice is missing the job reference", then select Confirm reject. You can't reject without a reason. A "Payment request rejected" message appears.
The video item after a $300 partial release. Marker 1 is on the Partially paid status and marker 2 on the released request, now Paid, in Payment history.
Open full size: The video item after a $300 partial release. Marker 1 is on the Partially paid status and marker 2 on the released request, now Paid, in Payment history. (opens in a new tab)

After a release, the item shows Payment pending while Stripe moves the money, then Partially paid (marker 1) or Paid. The request shows Paid in Payment history (marker 2). The supplier is emailed that they've been paid, and Stripe deposits it in their bank account on its usual payout schedule.

What happens when you reject

  • The item shows Rejected and nothing is paid. The money stays held for the job. (If part of the job was already paid, it stays Partially paid.)
  • The supplier is emailed your reason, and sees it on the job.
  • Your reason shows under the rejected request in Payment history.
  • The supplier can send a new request once the problem is sorted out. The item then goes back to Sent.

Good to know

  • A final request ends the job. Anything left of the item's budget goes to the campaign's refund credit (see Refund credit explained).
  • A final request waits for the others. If the item has other requests still waiting, release or reject those first.
  • More than one request waiting on an item? The panel offers Release all … pending payments, which releases them one after another and stops at the first failure.
  • No button, or a greyed-out one? If Release pending payment is greyed out, point at it to see why. Members without the Accounts role see "You don't currently have access to release funds". Ask an Admin or the Director to turn on Accounts for you.
  • The release is blocked with a message? See Why a release is blocked.