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Creating a Payable

Track bills and upcoming payments in Officaid so you never miss a due date.

Stay on Top of Your Bills

Never miss a payment deadline. Payables help you track what your business owes so you can plan your cash flow, avoid late fees, and keep your vendor relationships healthy. Whether it's a supplier invoice, rent, or an employee reimbursement, Officaid keeps everything organised until you're ready to pay.

What is a Payable?

A payable is money your business owes but hasn't paid yet. Think of it as a "bill to pay" that sits in your records until the payment is made. Unlike expenses (which represent money already spent), payables track upcoming obligations such as:

  • Supplier invoices – Bills from vendors for goods or services received
  • Employee claims – Reimbursements owed to staff for business expenses they've paid out of pocket
  • Rent and utilities – Monthly or recurring costs that are billed in advance
  • Subscriptions – Software, services, or memberships with upcoming payment dates
  • Professional services – Invoices from accountants, lawyers, or consultants

When you pay a payable, the status updates to Paid and the transaction is recorded as an expense against your payment account.

Already paid for something? Record it directly as an expense instead. See How to Record an Expense.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have the following set up in your Officaid account:

  • At least one payment account to record payments from (bank account, credit card, or cash)
  • At least one vendor to associate with the payable (or you can add one during the process)
  • Your preferred expense categories configured for classifying the payable
Need to add a payment account? See Adding a Bank, Credit Card, or Cash Account.

How to Create a Payable

  1. 1 Navigate to Finance → Expenses and open the Payables tab.
  2. 2 Click Add New Payable in the top right corner.
  3. 3 Select the Vendor/Payee from the dropdown, or click + Add New to create a new vendor.
  4. 4 Enter the Amount you owe.
  5. 5 Add the Bill Number from the vendor's invoice if available.
  6. 6 Set the Date when the bill was received.
  7. 7 Set the Due Date when payment is expected.
  8. 8 Select a Category to classify the payable.
  9. 9 Toggle Taxable on if tax applies, then select the tax rate.
  10. 10 Upload the bill or invoice as a Receipt (optional but recommended).
  11. 11 Click Add Payable to save.

Once saved, the payable appears in your payables list and Officaid begins tracking its status based on the due date.

Understanding the Payable Fields

Here's what each field on the payable form means:

  • Vendor/Payee – The business or person you owe money to. Select from existing vendors or create a new one on the spot.
  • Amount – The total amount owed, including any applicable tax.
  • Bill Number – The reference number from the vendor's invoice. This is optional but useful for matching payments with invoices and for your own record-keeping.
  • Date – When you received the bill. This helps track how long the payable has been outstanding.
  • Due Date – When the payment is expected. Officaid uses this to calculate whether the payable is Due or Overdue.
  • Taxable – Toggle this on if the bill includes tax you need to track. You'll then select the tax rate and Officaid calculates the tax component.
  • Category – How the payable is classified, such as Office Expenses, Rent, or Professional Services. This determines which expense category it falls under when paid.
  • Receipt – Upload the vendor's invoice or bill for record-keeping. You can drag and drop or click to browse.
Adding a Bill Number makes it easier to match payments with vendor invoices later, especially when a vendor sends multiple bills.

Payable Statuses Explained

Officaid automatically tracks the status of each payable based on its due date and payment history:

  • Due – Payment is upcoming. Officaid displays how many days remain until the due date.
  • Overdue – The due date has passed and no payment has been recorded. Officaid displays how many days the payable is past due.
  • Paid – Payment has been recorded and the payable is closed.

Statuses update automatically. When the due date passes, a payable moves from Due to Overdue. When you record a full payment, it moves to Paid.

Use the status filter buttons on the Payables tab to quickly see which bills need attention. Click Overdue to focus on urgent payments first.

Recording a Payment

When you're ready to pay a bill, recording the payment in Officaid updates the payable status and creates an expense entry against your payment account.

  1. 1 Navigate to Finance → Expenses and open the Payables tab.
  2. 2 Click on the payable you want to pay.
  3. 3 Click Record Payment in the Quick Actions panel.
  4. 4 Select the Payment Account that the payment will come from.
  5. 5 Review the Amount (pre-filled with the outstanding balance).
  6. 6 Set the Payment Date if different from today.
  7. 7 Click Add Payment to save.

Once recorded, the payable status changes to Paid and an expense is created against the selected payment account. Your financial reports update automatically to reflect the payment.

Recording Partial Payments

Not all bills are paid in full at once. If you're paying a bill in instalments or making a partial payment:

  1. 1 Open the payable and click Record Payment.
  2. 2 Adjust the Amount to the portion you're paying now.
  3. 3 Click Add Payment to save.

The payable will remain in Due or Overdue status with the remaining balance displayed. You can continue recording payments until the full amount is paid, at which point the status changes to Paid.

Each partial payment is logged separately, giving you a complete history of how the bill was settled.

Viewing Your Payables

The Payables tab displays all your outstanding and paid bills. Each row shows:

  • Date – When the bill was received
  • Due Date – When payment is expected
  • Vendor/Payee – Who you owe
  • Category – How the payable is classified
  • Amount – The total amount owed
  • Status – Due, Overdue, or Paid
  • Receipt – A link icon appears if a bill is attached

Use the filters at the top of the page to focus on specific payables:

  • Status filters – Click All, Due, Overdue, or Paid to filter by status
  • Year – View payables from a specific year
  • Custom Range – Set a specific date range

Employee Claims as Payables

When employees submit expense claims for reimbursement, Officaid automatically creates payables for you. This ensures employee reimbursements are tracked alongside your other bills.

If an employee submits multiple claims throughout the month, Officaid consolidates them into a single payable due at month-end. For example:

  • Employee submits a $100 claim on 12 January
  • Employee submits another $100 claim on 24 January
  • Officaid creates one payable of $200 due on 31 January

This consolidation makes it easier to process employee reimbursements as a single payment rather than multiple small transactions.

Learn more about how employees submit claims in Understanding My Claims.

Editing a Payable

If you need to correct or update a payable after creating it:

  1. 1 Navigate to Finance → Expenses and open the Payables tab.
  2. 2 Click on the payable you want to edit.
  3. 3 Make your changes to any field.
  4. 4 Click Update Payable to save.
If a payment has already been recorded against the payable, editing options may be limited. Consider removing the payment first if significant changes are needed.

Deleting a Payable

If a payable was created in error and needs to be removed:

  1. 1 Navigate to Finance → Expenses and open the Payables tab.
  2. 2 Click on the payable you want to delete.
  3. 3 Click Remove Payable at the bottom of the form.
  4. 4 Confirm the deletion when prompted.
Deleting a payable removes it permanently from your records. If payments were recorded against it, those payments will also be removed, affecting your financial reports.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Go to the Vendors tab under Finance → Expenses and click on a vendor to see their details page. You'll see a breakdown of payables by status (Overdue, Due, Paid) along with total spending. This gives you a complete picture of your payment history with that vendor.

Yes. If the payable is in a foreign currency, you can enter the conversion rate when recording the payment. Officaid will calculate the amount in your default currency and track the exchange rate used. This keeps your financial reports accurate in your home currency.

When you record a payment, the payable status changes to Paid (if fully paid) and an expense is created against your selected payment account. This updates your account balance and is reflected in your financial reports, including your Profit & Loss statement and cash flow.

A payable is money you owe but haven't paid yet. An expense is money you've already spent. When you record a payment against a payable, it creates an expense. Use payables to track upcoming bills and expenses for completed transactions. See Expenses vs Payables for more details.

Currently, payables are created individually. For recurring bills like rent or subscriptions, you'll need to create a new payable each billing period. Some payables, like employee claims, are created automatically by Officaid.

Click the Overdue filter button to see all payables past their due date. These should be prioritised to avoid late fees or vendor relationship issues. The status column also shows how many days each payable is overdue.

What's Next?

Now that you understand payables, explore these related guides:

expenses payables bills tracking