Beginning January 1, 2023, Expert payment terms will be changing. Review the FAQs here.
For variable (hourly rate) projects, clients and experts agree on the daily or hourly rate and maximum total hours, as well as an estimated payment schedule in the Proposal stage.
Once a contract is fully executed and the project moves to "Active," all payment requests and approvals are managed in the payments tab of the project workspace. Experts request payment and clients are notified via email when their action is required to approve.
In the banner above the active payment submission schedule, experts submit payment and clients are notified via email when their action is required to approve.
Payment Schedule
Before project launch, experts and clients agree on a "Payment Schedule" with estimated dates and corresponding payments. This schedule is created in the Proposal stage and serves as a guideline for payment.
Payments Tab
Under the payments tab experts will find the payment schedule with the option to "Add a Timesheet and/or Submit." Once hours are submitted, client will receive an email notification that this submission is pending approval.
Adding a Timesheet
Experts submit timesheets in the payments schedule section of the workspace.
When adding the timesheet, experts indicate the specific dates and the amount of hours reported. Experts must also upload the timesheet file and/or any other attachments (template provided).
NOTE: By clicking add, this logs and saves dates, hours, and timesheet(s) - it does not submit the timesheet to the client. In order to submit the timesheet to the client for approval, there is a separate, additional, step.
Experts submit timesheets documenting their hours as the project progresses. To request payment, experts submit one or more timesheets for client review. When an expert submits timesheets, clients receive the email notification with details of the request and a direct link to review on the platform.
On the payments tab in the platform, clients can review pending timesheets in the payment schedule section and approve or request revisions on the associated payments. Once payment is approved, Catalant will pay the expert. Clients can also request revisions on timesheets and send feedback to the expert. If a revision is requested, the expert is notified and can revise as applicable before resubmitting for approval.
Submit for Payment
Once the expert has added the necessary timesheet(s) for a given payment, the expert must submit the hours for client approval. This action will send a notification email to the client prompting their approval on the Catalant platform.
Option to message the client when submitting your payment:
When submitting payment, please consider sending a message to the client explaining the submission as well as requesting approval. This message may help to speed client approval and ultimately transfer of funds via Payoneer.
Payment Status
After payment request is made, the status of the payment will update to "Pending." Once the client receives the notification and approves the payment, the status will be updated to "Complete." Expert will receive an email notification once the client approves the payment. After clients approve payment, Catalant will make payment to expert and expert will receive the funds per current payment terms.
Project Extensions
If the active project requires additional scope, the client or the expert can request an extension on that piece of work. When an expert requests an extension, they can submit an extension proposal for the client to review. This will generate an “Upcoming” payment section under the active section of the payments tab. The client can then review and approve the proposal.
The extension payment submission schedule will remain in the “Upcoming” section until all hours/days estimated in the active schedule have been submitted and approved.
When the active schedule is complete, the page will refresh and the Upcoming extension schedule will populate in the active section. Then, you will notice a “Previous” section generated at the bottom of the page. This is where the completed schedule will populate so that you can view the history. If you have multiple completed scheduled, you can toggle between them using the dropdown menu.
Please note: for all projects launched before the new payments tab experience, the most recent payment schedule will populate in the Active section, and all previous schedules will populate in the Previous section. You will still be able to take action on those previous payment schedules if you need to submit payments on them.
Option to Withdraw Submitted Payment Prior to Client Approval
We understand that projects evolve and payments may shift. Payment requests can be withdrawn.