Accounts payable and receivable for projects
Project-based teams need payables and receivables tied to the work that produced them. This page explains how Petl Pay coordinates invoicing, contributor allocations, and settlement visibility at the project level.
Why project AP and AR matter
Modern teams rarely run one engagement at a time. Agencies, professional services firms, and contractor networks deliver work through many concurrent projects, often with multiple contributors and cross-border payouts. Traditional accounting tools record the company-level totals but lose the project context that operations and delivery teams actually need.
The questions that drive day-to-day decisions are project-shaped, not ledger-shaped. What is this client supposed to pay us, and have they? What do we owe contributors on this engagement? Is this project healthy?
Where it breaks down
- Invoices are created without clear links to the underlying approved work
- Contributor payables are tracked outside the invoicing workflow, often in spreadsheets
- Payments are executed in bank portals with no project context attached
- Finance teams reconcile manually to understand status across projects
A project-first view
Instead of treating payables and receivables as abstract ledger entries, a project-first approach asks a simpler question, what money flows in and out of this project, and why?
This does not replace accounting. It gives delivery and finance teams an operational view that matches how work is actually delivered, then exports cleanly into the systems that handle statutory reporting.
What teams need to see
| What teams need | How Petl Pay helps | What this improves |
|---|---|---|
| What clients owe per project | Invoices generated from approved work, tied to the project | Clearer receivables without chasing spreadsheets |
| What is owed to contributors | Contributor allocations live alongside project billing | Cleaner payables visibility |
| Paid and unpaid status | Payment events linked to invoices and projects | Less manual reconciliation |
| Project margin context | Billables and payables in one project view | Better understanding of project health |
// On mobile, scroll horizontally to view the full table.
How Petl Pay supports project AP and AR
STEP 01Work is logged and approved
Billable work is captured against the project before invoices exist, with role-based approval.
STEP 02Invoices are drafted from work
Client invoices reflect actual project activity, with consistent project references and line items.
STEP 03Client payments are tracked
Payment status stays linked to the invoice and project, so receivables remain in context.
STEP 04Contributor payables are visible
What is owed to contractors and vendors is clear per project, with split logic for multi-party engagements.
STEP 05Payouts follow the same flow
Where enabled, contributor settlement instructions are generated from the same project record and sent to licensed third-party providers.
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 at the end of a billing cycle.
Petl Pay supports receiving and coordinating payouts in major currencies such as USD, GBP, EUR, and ZAR through licensed third-party providers. Funds can be held or withdrawn to existing bank accounts depending on corridor and configuration, while every movement stays tied to the original project.
What this is and is not
- Petl Pay is a project-first workflow for invoicing, contributor allocation, and settlement visibility
- Petl Pay is not a general ledger, ERP, or full accounting replacement
- Best results come from running it alongside accounting software that handles statutory reporting
Frequently asked questions
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 Pay 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.
How does cross-border activity affect project AP and AR?
Currency, timing, and provider fees change the amount actually available to settle contributor payables. Keeping these movements linked to the project record makes it easier to see real margin and reconcile against client receipts.
For all FAQs visit our FAQs pageFinancial infrastructure for chat-native work.
Petl Pay is the middleware between project finance and the AI your customers already use. Invoicing, compliance and multi-party payments, callable by people and AI agents through our live MCP and API, and settled over open banking and stablecoin rails.
