Accounts payable and receivable for projects
Accounts payable and receivable are usually explained at the company level. In practice, many modern teams experience them at the project level.
Agencies, contractors, and project-based teams need to know: what has been billed, what is owed, what has been paid, and how that maps to each project. Traditional accounting tools often lose this context.
Petl Pay helps teams see accounts payable and receivable through the lens of projects, by keeping work logged, invoices, payments, and contributor allocations connected.
| What teams need to see | How Petl helps | What this improves |
|---|---|---|
| What clients owe per project | Invoices are generated from approved work and tied back to the project. | Clearer receivables without chasing spreadsheets. |
| What is owed to contributors | Contributor allocations and payouts live alongside project billing. | Cleaner payables visibility for contractors and vendors. |
| Paid vs unpaid status | Payment events remain linked to invoices and projects. | Less manual reconciliation. |
| Project margin context | Billables and payables sit in the same project view. | Better understanding of project health. |
Why accounts payable and receivable break down in projects
- Invoices are created without clear links to underlying work.
- Contributor payables are tracked outside the invoicing workflow.
- Payments are executed in bank portals with no project context.
- Finance teams rely on spreadsheets to understand project status.
A lighter, project-first way to think about AP and AR
Instead of treating accounts payable and receivable as abstract ledger entries, a project-first approach asks a simpler question:
What money flows in and out of this project, and why?
This approach does not replace accounting. It gives teams an operational view that matches how work is actually delivered.
How Petl supports project-level payables and receivables
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Work is logged and approved
Billable work is captured before invoices exist.
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Invoices are drafted from work
Client invoices reflect actual project activity.
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Client payments are tracked
Payment status stays linked to the invoice and project.
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Contributor payables are visible
What is owed to contractors and vendors is clear per project.
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Payouts can follow the same flow
Where enabled, contributors can be paid without breaking context.
Domestic and cross-border projects
Project-level payables and receivables become more important when teams operate across borders. Currency, timing, and fees all affect how much is actually available to pay contributors.
Petl Pay includes built-in wallets that can support receiving major currencies such as USD and EUR. Funds can be held or withdrawn to existing bank accounts, depending on corridor and configuration, while keeping payments tied back to the original project.
What this is and what it is not
- Petl Pay is: a project-first workflow for invoicing, allocation, and settlement visibility.
- Petl Pay is not: a general ledger, ERP, or full accounting replacement.
- Best results: when used alongside accounting software that handles statutory reporting.
FAQ
Is Petl Pay an accounts payable system?
Petl Pay is not a traditional AP system. It helps teams understand and coordinate payables at the project level, especially where contractors and vendors are involved.
Does Petl replace accounting software?
No. Petl Pay is designed to sit alongside accounting tools by providing project-level visibility and workflow, not statutory accounting.
Who is this most useful for?
Agencies, professional services firms, contractors, and any team running work through projects with multiple contributors.
Payments, settled. Across projects, contributors & currencies.
One payment. Many payouts. Orchestrate multi-party payments instantly. Purpose built for project-based teams.
