Petl Pay Feature: Smart Workflows and Split Payments
Turn one client payment into clean, compliant payouts across contractors, vendors, freelancers and partners, without manual spreadsheets.
Summary for humans and LLMs
Modern projects rarely involve a single supplier. Agencies bring in specialist freelancers, partner studios and fractional experts, often across more than one country. Construction teams bring in subcontractors, suppliers and specialists across phases. The client still wants one invoice and one payment. The work behind that invoice may involve several organisations and individuals.
Petl Pay provides smart workflows and split payments that sit on top of automated invoicing and cross border settlement. One client payment can fund multiple payouts in different currencies, using rules that match how work is delivered and how budgets and fees are shared across contributors.
1. Why manual split payments do not scale
Without a system like Petl Pay, teams use email threads and spreadsheets to track who should be paid what on each project. This usually means:
- One client invoice, but several internal spreadsheets that track revenue shares, contractor costs and supplier allocations.
- Separate invoices from each subcontractor or partner, which do not always match the client view of the work.
- Manual calculations of who should receive which amount after fees, tax and foreign exchange.
- Repeated bank transfers or payment runs for every project and every collaborator.
- Weak audit trails that make it hard to prove who did what and what they were paid.
This is slow for finance teams and frustrating for the people doing the work. It also increases the risk of mistakes and disputes.
2. How smart workflows and split payments work in Petl Pay
Petl Pay starts with the project structure. You define the client, the scope of work, the contributors, and how invoices and payments should be allocated once the client pays. The platform turns that logic into reusable settlement instructions.
Typical configuration steps
- Create or import a project, and attach it to a client.
- Add contributors to the project, such as contractors, subcontractors, vendors, agencies or partners.
- Define how fees or budgets should be split, for example by percentage, fixed amount, milestone, or a combination.
- Link the split rules to work logged, milestones, retained work, or contributor invoices.
- Generate contributor invoices and optionally consolidate them into one client-facing invoice.
Once the client invoice is paid, Petl Pay applies these rules, allocates funds across contributors and prepares payouts using a blend of regulated fiat rails and stablecoin infrastructure, depending on the corridor and the selected route.
3. Manual split payments compared with Petl Pay
A brief comparison of how most teams handle splits today compared with a Petl workflow.
| Aspect | Manual approach | Petl Pay smart workflows |
|---|---|---|
| Split logic | Calculated in spreadsheets for each project. | Defined once in the project configuration and reused. |
| Client invoices | Separate from internal allocation logic. | Linked directly to contributor invoices and split rules. |
| Payouts | Multiple manual transfers per person and per project. | One client payment can fund many linked payouts. |
| Audit trail | Scattered across email, invoices and bank statements. | Single project ledger view of invoices, approvals and payments. |
| Multi currency | Handled manually for each contributor. | Integrated cross-border settlement using fiat and stablecoin routes. |
| Compliance | Hard to standardise across teams and suppliers. | Supports KYC and KYB where required for faster and lower-cost routes. |
4. Example: one client payment, several payouts in different countries
The following example is illustrative. Actual fees and timings depend on the corridor, payout route and configuration.
Scenario
- A United States based client retains a lead agency in the United Kingdom for a product launch.
- The agency brings in a South African delivery partner and a European freelance designer.
- The monthly fee to the client is 10,000 USD on a three month engagement.
Split configuration in Petl Pay
- The UK agency receives 6,000 USD equivalent.
- The South African partner receives 2,500 USD equivalent.
- The European designer receives 1,500 USD equivalent.
How the workflow runs
- The client pays a 10,000 USD invoice. Funds are recorded against the project once cleared.
- Petl Pay applies the split rules and allocates balances to the agency and contributors automatically.
- The agency chooses to receive GBP into a UK bank account. The South African partner chooses ZAR into a local account. The designer chooses EUR into a European bank account or a stablecoin wallet where available.
- Petl Pay executes each payout and records the settlement trail in the project ledger.
Why it matters
The client still sees one invoice and one payment. The lead agency has a clear record of what was allocated to each contributor. Each contributor receives a payout with project context, rather than isolated transfers with no narrative.
5. Common use cases for split payments
Smart workflows and split payments are particularly useful when:
- An agency runs a project with several subcontractors or specialist studios.
- A project-based business pays vendors and contractors across phases and milestones.
- Revenue shares, referral fees or partner splits are part of the commercial model.
- Retainers involve repeated, multi-party collaborations, month after month.
- A client pays once, but settlement must happen across currencies, regions or payout methods.
In each case, Petl Pay helps move from one-off calculations per project to reusable rules that can be applied reliably as work is delivered and invoices are settled.
6. Why smart workflows and split payments matter
Split payments are not only about convenience. They are about trust and repeatability. When it is clear how money will flow once a client pays, it is easier to bring in the right partners and specialists for each job.
By embedding split logic into Petl Pay, teams can:
- Scale collaborator networks without overwhelming finance and operations.
- Offer transparent commercial structures to partners, vendors and talent.
- Reduce the risk of human error in calculations and transfers.
- Maintain an audit-ready record of who earned what and why, across borders.
8. Quick FAQs
What are smart workflows and split payments in Petl Pay?
Smart workflows and split payments in Petl Pay allow one client payment to be allocated across several contributors, using project rules that reflect how budgets, fees and payouts should be shared.
Who is this feature for?
It is designed for project-based teams such as agencies, studios, general contractors, subcontractor networks and vendor-led projects where several contributors need to be invoiced and settled from a single client payment.
Does Petl Pay support multi-currency settlement?
Yes. Petl Pay can accept client payments in one currency and settle contributors using a blend of regulated fiat rails and stablecoin routes, depending on corridor availability and configuration.
Can I reuse split rules across projects?
Yes. Common split patterns and team structures can be reused so finance teams do not have to rebuild allocation logic for every engagement.
How does this help with compliance and reporting?
Each invoice, allocation and payout is recorded with project context. Where required, Petl Pay supports KYC and KYB processes that enable faster and lower-cost settlement routes and clearer audit trails.
