Beginning January 1, 2023, Expert payment terms will be changing. Review the FAQs here.
For fixed fee projects, clients and experts agree on the total project value and estimated expert 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. In the banner above the active payment submission schedule, experts request payment and clients are notified via email when their action is required to approve.
Payments Tab
Under the Payments tab experts will find the payment schedule with the option to "Submit." The payments tab includes the schedule, description, and values. Once it’s time to submit, expert will select the appropriate payment and the client will receive an email notification that this submission is pending approval.
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.
* If the project is taking a little longer than originally anticipated, the estimated payment schedule can be changed at any time by clicking the "..." button in the top right hand corner of the modal and choosing "Edit Payment Schedule" seen below
Submitting Payment
When submitting a payment, the expert will request payment using the blue "Submit Payment" button.
The expert also have the option to send a message to the client. The messaging field allows for adding additional context, providing an update, or any other communication around the work or deliverable. After an expert reviews the details of the payment, in order to request, the expert clicks on "Request Approval." This action will trigger a notification to the client to approve the payment.
When requesting payment, we encourage experts to follow up with the client to ensure prompt approval. To do so, send a message in the messaging panel.
Approving or Revising Payment Requests
Once an expert requests payment, client receives an email notification that the payment has been submitted with a direct link to review on the platform. From their in-platform payments tab, clients have the option to approve or request a revision. Expert will receive an email notification if the payment is approved and/or a revision is requested.
- Once payment is approved, Catalant then disburses payments to the expert per current payment terms.
- If the client requests a payment revision and sends feedback to the expert, the expert is notified that the client has requested a revision. The expert can then revise and resubmit for approval.
Payment Status
After the 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." The expert will receive an email notification once the client approves the payment. After clients approve payment, Catalant will queue 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 expert can request an extension. 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 payments have been submitted and approved in the active payment submission schedule.
When the active payment schedule is completed, the page will refresh and the upcoming extension payment schedule will populate in the active section. A “Previous” section will also be generated at the bottom of the page, displaying a history of the completed schedule. For projects with multiple extensions, several completed payment schedules may appear. Toggle between them using the dropdown menu.
Please note: For all projects launched before September 2022, with the New Payments Experience, the most recent payment schedule will populate in the Active section, and all previous schedules will populate in the Previous section. Action and payment requests can be taken for previous payment schedules.