Bill Pay lets you:
Pay vendors and reimbursements from your ImpactGraph account
Collect vendor banking and tax information securely
Code expenses before approval so the approver has full context
This guide will walk you through the steps to initiate a bill pay to ensure timely and accurate processing.
Accessing Bill Pay
Log in to ImpactGraph.
In the left-hand navigation, click Bill Pay.
From here, you can:
View bills by status (e.g., Waiting for approval, Scheduled, Paid)
Add new bills
Manage merchants (see also: Managing Merchants & Vendor Tax Documentation)
Creating a new bill payment request
On the Bill Pay page, click Add new bill in the top right corner.
You'll see a wizard-style flow (multi-step form) instead of the old side panel.
Step 1: Upload the invoice & choose a merchant
Upload the invoice from your computer (drag and drop or file picker). You can upload a PDF, PNG, or JPEG.
The invoice will display on the right-hand side for easy reference.
Under Merchant:
Select an existing merchant, or
Click Create new merchant if this is a new vendor.
For a new merchant:
Enter the merchant name (e.g., Tech Nova Solutions).
Add a contact email (e.g.,
[email protected]).If the bill is more than $600 for the fiscal year, toggle/request a W-9 so the vendor can submit tax information.
Click Create merchant.
When you create the merchant with an email, ImpactGraph can send them a link to complete their banking and profile information, so you don't have to collect it manually.
How ImpactGraph reads your invoice
When you upload an invoice, ImpactGraph's AI reads it and pre-fills the bill for you. This works on the PDF, PNG, or JPEG you upload. It also runs when an invoice arrives by email (see Send a bill by email).
ImpactGraph reads the invoice and fills in the fields it can find, including:
The merchant (the vendor who issued the invoice, not the "Bill To" party), along with their address, email, phone, and tax ID when those appear on the document
The invoice number
The invoice date and the due date
The amount
Each field ImpactGraph fills in is marked so you can see it came from the invoice. Read every field against the invoice preview on the right and correct anything that's off before you move on. Your edits are what get saved, not the original reading. If the invoice doesn't show a field, that field is left for you to enter.
This step is a starting point, not the final word. You stay in control: nothing is submitted or paid based on the reading alone. You review the bill and send it for approval yourself.
Step 2: Enter bill details & upload supporting documents
Using the invoice preview on the right, confirm or enter:
Invoice number
Scheduled payment date (e.g., tomorrow)
Amount
You can also upload:
Additional documents related to the bill (supporting backup, contracts, packets, etc.).
You can upload each document separately.
All uploaded documents are included in the approval packet the approver reviews.
Step 3: Code the invoice before approval
One of the biggest updates is that you can now fully code the bill before sending it for approval:
Choose a ledger account (e.g., Contractors).
Select a funding source (e.g., General Program Funds).
Add a memo describing what the expense is for (e.g., General security use).
If needed, click Add split to split the bill across multiple ledger accounts and/or funding sources.
This coding gives the approver full context during the approval process, reducing back-and-forth.
Step 4: Review & submit for approval
On the final step, you'll see a summary of:
Merchant details
Invoice number, date, and amount
Scheduled payment date
Coding (ledger account, funding source, splits)
All uploaded documents and attachments
Here you can:
Save draft if you're not ready to submit yet.
Send for approval to send the bill to your fiscal sponsor.
After you submit:
The bill moves into Waiting for approval.
The approver receives an email letting them know it's ready to review.
Once approved, the bill moves to:
Scheduled payment has been approved and is queued.
Paid once the payment has been successfully processed.
Your coding and documents stay attached throughout; you don't have to redo that work after approval.
Send a bill by email
You don't have to start every bill in the app. You can also email or forward an invoice to your organization's AP inbox, and ImpactGraph creates a draft bill from it. That draft flows through the same code, review, and approve steps above. For the inbox address and setup, see Send a bill by email.
What the vendor sees
While a bill is waiting for approval, the vendor can complete their profile via the email link ImpactGraph sends (if you didn't already have their info).
Make sure vendors know that incorrect or missing address/bank info can cause payments to fail or go to the wrong place.
Payment dependencies & notifications
A bill won't pay out if:
The merchant is missing required banking info
Tax documents (like W-9) are required but not completed
the bill has not been approved
ImpactGraph will:
Hold the payment until everything is complete.
Notify you when the merchant has finished entering required information, so you know the bill is ready to move forward.
FAQ
Q: Do I have to wait for a bill to be approved before I can code it?
A: No. With the updated Bill Pay flow, you code the bill up front before sending it for approval.
Q: How can I edit a payment once I submit for approval?
A: You can edit scheduled payments by navigating to the Bill Pay section, selecting the payment, and making any necessary changes.
Q: How will I know when the payment has been sent?
A: You'll receive an automated notification once the payment has been processed, and the payment status will update in your dashboard.
Q: Can I view all past bill payments?
A: Yes, under Bill Pay, you'll find a history of all payments made on behalf of each sponsored organization.
Q: What happens if a payment is declined in the approval process?
A: A declined approval gets sent back to your Drafts folder. You can check the Memo or Notes area see if a reason was provided. You can then update the payment and resubmit, without having to enter all the information over again.
Q: Can I make a payment by check?
A: We don't support check payments at this time. Please contact us at [email protected] if you'd like this feature!
Compliance and Documentation
Payments that you submit should be consistent with your financial policies and any specific agreements with your fiscal sponsor. Key compliance steps include:
Record-Keeping: Maintain memos and receipts of all transactions and card usage for compliance and transparency purposes. All transactions are logged and can be reviewed in your transaction dashboard.
Financial Controls: ImpactGraph monitors transactions for security and compliance. Bill Pay should only be used for approved project expenses that align with the goals and restrictions of the sponsored organization.