Getting Started with Payment Assistant Tutorial

Payment Assistant automates your accounts payable process, helping you save time, reduce risk, and improve efficiency. With Payment Assistant, you can pay vendors using secure virtual cards, faster ACH processing, and remote check printing. These options ensure vendors are paid quickly and securely, so you can focus on more strategic work.

Note: Payment Assistant™ is currently in Limited Availability (LA). Are you interested in participating? Apply to join our LA group. During this time, we'll review and implement participant feedback to prepare for general availability.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn about the following topics:

  • Payment Assistant onboarding

  • Roles and permissions

  • Vendor and invoice records

  • Payment runs

  • Supported payment methods

  • Vendor experience

  • Reconciliation

Tip: Your ability to complete these tasks depends on your assigned permissions. Spend time reviewing roles and permissions to make sure you have the access you need.

Sign up for Payment Assistant

Payables > Payment Assistant

When you first navigate to Payment Assistant, the Getting Started page appears.

Tip: By default, solution admins can view the Getting Started page and set up Payment Assistant. To give someone else access, a solution admin can create a Payment Assistant role and assign it the setup permission.

The Getting Started page guides you through onboarding, including the Payment Assistant application.

To begin, select Start the onboarding documents. A step-by-step screen opens where you enter key application details, including the primary bank account to use for vendor payments. You select one primary bank account during onboarding. After setup, you can add more bank accounts.

Before you start, gather the following information:

  • Organization details

  • Executive sponsor info

  • Bank account info

  • Authorized signer info

The final step is to review and sign the Payment Services agreement.

Tip: The person authorized to sign agreements should select I agree to the Payment Services Agreement.

When all fields are complete, select Save and submit.

After submission, REPAY (our trusted payments technology partner) reviews your application. If additional documentation is needed, they’ll contact you. Otherwise, you can expect to go live within 3 to 5 business days, including the Know Your Client (KYC) waiting period.

Additional assistance

Set up roles

Security > Role management

For Payment Assistant, create roles based on what users need to do:

  • Set up Payment Assistant

  • Configure settings, including approval tiers and notifications

  • View and create payment runs

  • Manage and approve payment runs

Tip: A solution admin can set up the roles or create a Payment Assistant admin role to help manage them.

Then, after you create the roles, you'll assign them to users.

We recommend you create roles for:

  • Payment Assistant admin

  • Payment run creator

  • Payment run approver

Decide who will perform each task. Most organizations assign one person to create payment runs and others to approve them based on payment amounts.

Tip: If a user already has a role assigned — such as a Shared components or Accounts payable role — edit that role instead of creating a new one. A user can only have one role per feature area.

Role settings

If a solution admin isn’t setting up Payment Assistant, we recommend the following permissions at minimum:

  • Payment Assistant role

    • For Payment runs tasks, select View payment runs.

    • For Configuration tasks, select Payment Assistant setup and optionally, any of the other available tasks you want them to be able to perform.

  • Shared components role

    • For Bank accounts tasks, select Bank account information and Accounts payable.

  • Accounts payable role

    • For Record tasks, select Invoices, Credit memos, and Vendors.

Minimum recommended permissions:

  • Payment Assistant role

    • For Payment runs tasks, select View payment runs and Manage payment runs.

  • Shared components role

    • For Bank accounts tasks, select Bank account information and Accounts payable.

  • Accounts payable role

    • For Record tasks, select Invoices, Credit memos, and Vendors.

Minimum recommended permissions:

  • Payment Assistant role

    • For Payment runs tasks, select View payment runs and Approve payment runs.

  • Shared components role

    • For Bank accounts tasks, select Bank account information and Accounts payable.

  • Accounts payable role

    • For Record tasks, select Invoices, Credit memos, and Vendors.

Assign permissions to users

Security > User management

From Security, User management, open each user you've designated as an admin, payment run creator, or payment run approver. Confirm that each user has the following roles assigned:

  • Payment Assistant

  • Shared components

  • Accounts payable

You can assign only one role per feature area. If a user already has a role assigned, choose one of the following options:

  • Edit the existing role and add the permissions from the previous step.

  • Create a new role that includes the previously assigned permissions and adds the new ones for Payment Assistant.

Configure Payment Assistant settings

Settings > Payables > Payment Assistant

Payment Assistant includes settings to support your workflow. You can adjust these settings from the Getting Started page or from Settings, Payables, under Payment Assistant.

Review and configure the following:

  • EFT sharing (Optional)

    Opt in to share your EFT vendor bank account details with Payment Assistant. This allows vendors to be set up for ACH payments (if they choose to do so).

  • Approval tiers

    Every payment run requires at least one approver before funds are withdrawn to pay vendors. You can set up to five approval tiers.

    Before you add a user to an approval tier, make sure the user is assigned the payment run approver role.

  • Approver notifications

    When a payment run is created and submitted for approval, users assigned to approval tiers are notified by email and in-product notification. You can adjust these settings.

Prepare vendor records

Payables > Vendors

Accurate vendor data helps Payment Assistant process payments reliably.

Verify vendor details:

  • Address, including city, state, and zip code (United States remittance only)

  • Contact info

    • Required – Phone number (with correct phone number type)

    • Recommended – Email address (with correct phone number type), payee name, and primary contact first and last name

Tip: If you don't verify vendor records in advance, you can also verify them during invoice entry if needed.

For payment runs, phone numbers and email addresses on vendor records need to be formatted correctly. First, we recommend you update your phone type defaults.

  1. From Settings, select Fields and tables.

  2. Select Tables tab.

  3. Find and select the Phone Type.

  4. For each phone number type you want to use with Payment Assistant, edit the type and select Telephone number for the Phone number type.

  5. For each email address type you want to use with Payment Assistant, edit the type and select Email address for the Phone number type.

Then, ensure the phone number is formatted correctly. These are the only accepted phone number formats.

  • XXXXXXXXXXX i.e., 15555555555

  • X-XXX-XXX-XXXX i.e., 1-555-555-5555

  • X XXX XXX XXXX i.e., 1 555 555 5555

  • X.XXX.XXX.XXXX i.e., 1.555.555.5555

  • X (XXX) XXX-XXXX i.e., 1 (555) 555-5555

Country code is optional and defaults to 1.

For vendors with multiple customer numbers:

  • Preferred – Create separate vendor records

  • Alternative – Use “MANY” (or something else generic) in the customer number field and include the account number in the invoice description

For vendors with more than one address, create separate vendor records or send payments to only one address. REPAY can only process payments using a single remit-to address per vendor record.

Prepare invoice records

Payables > Invoices

Invoices must include all required data to process with Payment Assistant.

Required fields

  • Vendor address, including city, state, and zip code (United States remittance only)

  • Invoice number

  • Vendor customer number

  • Vendor contact info, including phone number

  • Payment method

Tip: While you have to select a payment method on the invoice, Payment Assistant will use the preferred payment method chosen by the vendor and may differ from what you select.

Understand the payment run process

Payables > Payment Assistant

A payment run is a group of invoices you're ready to approve and pay. When you group them in a payment run, you're selecting which invoices Payment Assistant should pay by withdrawing funds from your bank account. Grouping invoices also makes it easier for the reviewer to approve them.

Review the general outline below. When you're ready to create your first payment run, follow the Creating First Payment Run Tutorial.

Steps to create a payment run

  1. From Payables, select Payment Assistant.  

  2. From Payment runs, select New.

  3. If you have more than one bank account set up, select the account to pay invoices from.

  4. Select the invoices you're ready to pay. If an invoice is missing required vendor or invoice information, a status appears in the Action needed column.

  5. Select Submit for approval.

  6. An email is sent to the users with the Payment Assistant role and the Approve payment runs task. We also display an in-product notification for the approver when they sign in to Financial Edge NXT.

  7. The approver can review the payment run details, including a summary and list of payments. They can approve the run in either of these places:

    • From the Payment runs page, select the menu for the row and then select Approve.

    • From Payment run record page, select Approve.

  8. A confirmation screen appears with a summary of the payments. Select Yes to confirm.

  9. If your organization uses approval tiers, the next approver can now review and approve the run.

  10. After the payment run is fully approved, Payment Assistant processes the payments, withdraws the funds from your bank account, and marks the invoice and bank draft as paid.

  11. Once funds are withdrawn, a one-business-day hold is applied. All payment methods are processed immediately after the hold. For details, review the Payment Assistant processing timeline.

Vendor remittance details

The vendor remittance communications includes:

  • Your organization name and address

  • Payment method and total payment amount

  • Payment instructions and remittance contact information

  • Invoice number, gross amount billed, adjustments, and net amount paid

  • Customer number and specific payment method details (such as card number, expiration, CVC, or check number)

Monitor payment run progress

You can monitor payment run status from:

From Exceptions, you can review any payments that need adjustments before processing again.

Review supported payment methods

Payment Assistant supports three payment methods to streamline your workflow: one-time virtual cards, fast ACH processing, and remote check printing. Our vendor enablement team continuously enrolls your vendors and manages their preferences and payment data.

Each vendor selects their preferred Payment Assistant method:

Virtual cards

Virtual cards are one-time, unique credit card numbers with no physical card. They’re the fastest and most secure payment method, so Payment Assistant prioritizes virtual card setup.

When an invoice is paid, the vendor receives an email with the card number, expiration date, and security code for the approved amount. The vendor processes the payment like any standard card transaction and receives the funds.

ACH

If a vendor prefers not to use virtual cards, Payment Assistant offers ACH setup.

Automated Clearing House (ACH) is a primary system for electronic funds transfer (EFT). Payments are deposited directly into the vendor’s financial institution and processed online. ACH is faster and more secure than physical checks.

Paper checks

If a vendor cannot accept virtual cards or ACH, Payment Assistant will mail a check.

Checks are the slowest and least secure option, so they’re used only when necessary. The check includes the Financial Edge NXT client name, remit-to address, and invoice number.

Note: When paying individuals using Payment Assistant, those payments follow a unique process that differs from the standard process for organizations and businesses. To learn more, see Paying Individuals with Payment Assistant.

Learn what vendors can expect

When you include a vendor’s invoice in a Payment Assistant payment run for the first time, the Payment Assistant enablement team contacts the vendor and initiates enrollment.

Vendors are contacted by Blackbaud’s trusted payment partner, REPAY. They’ll receive either a phone call from a real person (from 801-679-6044 or 801-762-8772) or an email from payableshelp@repay.com, acting on behalf of your organization.

Enrollment steps:

  • Discuss available payment methods — virtual card, ACH, or paper check — and confirm the vendor’s preference.

  • Collect and securely store payment data. All information is encrypted and tokenized; actual data is never shared.

  • Explain what to expect going forward. When a vendor is included in a payment run, Payment Assistant sends the payment and notifies the vendor.

Tip: If a vendor doesn’t respond to outreach, Payment Assistant doesn’t hold their funds. After a one-business-day hold, the payment is sent by check. For future payments, Payment Assistant will attempt contact again to set up the vendor’s preferred method.

Payment remittance emails

Unique emails are generated for virtual card, ACH, and check payments. Each email includes payment and invoice details. After enrollment, Payment Assistant automates future contact.

Additional assistance

Discover simplified reconciliation

Financial Edge NXT streamlines reconciliation by centralizing cash and bank account management.

With Payment Assistant, you can take that simplified reconciliation process even further. Payment runs are tracked as bank drafts, and once cleared, Payment Assistant notifies users — enabling seamless, real-time reconciliation and accelerating month-end processes.

Clearing payments confirms fund transfers, supports accurate reporting, and marks transactions as fully settled in the system. This enables you to gain the real-time visibility into payment activity and can reconcile transactions efficiently.

Additional assistance

Next steps

You’ve completed the setup and explored the basics of Payment Assistant. Now it’s time to put it into action. Start by creating your first payment run to see how Payment Assistant streamlines the process and helps you manage payments with confidence.

Ready to continue? Let’s get started.