Comprehensive Guide to Ottimate Disbursements

The Walkthrough Guide Video: Enhanced Disbursement Workflow

Ottimate’s Disbursement feature automates high-volume vendor payments via a single data file. This eliminates manual entry, syncs ERP data, and processes payments in the background, so you can handle thousands without any workday interruption.

What You Can Achieve

• High-Volume Automation: Process hundreds or thousands of payments via ACH, Check, or vCard in one upload.

• ERP Synchronization: Use data directly from your accounting system to ensure your records and payments always match.

• Asynchronous Processing: Upload large files and continue working; Ottimate processes the data in the background and notifies you via the Uploads icon when ready.

Technical Requirements: Mandatory Columns

To ensure a successful disbursement, your .csv or .xlsx file must contain these mandatory headers. 

Standard column headers are listed below. Custom headers can be mapped during account setup. If your file uses different column names, inform your CSM or Support of the appropriate mapping.

The Payment Reference column is the key to consolidating multiple invoices into a single payment. When the system detects multiple rows with the same Vendor ID and Payment Reference, it automatically groups those invoices. For example, if you have five different invoices for "Vendor A" and assign them all the same check number in your file, Ottimate will generate one single payment (one check or one ACH transfer) covering the total sum of those five invoices. Please note that the payment method (ACH, Check, or Virtual Card) is still determined by the vendor settings within Ottimate. 

Disbursement Workflow: Guided Tutorial

The following section explains where to upload your file, how to monitor it, and how to manage payments once processed.

Step 1: Importing and Reviewing Disbursement Files

• Step 1: Initiate Upload. Go to VendorPay and click Import Payments. If the new workflow is enabled, select your specific Account from the dropdown menu.

• Upload File: Select an Excel or CSV file, then click Upload to continue.

• Background Processing: Your file will be processed in the background. You can navigate away from this screen. To track progress, go to the Uploads tab, select Disbursement, and view the processing status.

• Monitor the Listing Page: View file name, payment rows, errors, total payments, and review status.
• 
  Uploading a Disbursement File
  
  
• Drill Down: Click any file row to see two detailed tabs:
  • Valid Payments: Payments are ready for your acceptance.
  • Payments with Errors: Failed rows with specific error reasons for easy review.

Step 2: Approving and Managing Payments

After the system validates your file, the workflow depends on your account's specific security configuration.

• Valid payments show In-Review status. Authorized users review payment details and click Accept Payments.

• Alternatively, we can configure your account to automatically schedule payments on upload, skipping manual review.

Management Actions (For In-Review Payments):

1. Select payments and Accept or Cancel. Cancel returns invoices to Unpaid Invoices.
2. Put on Hold: If a payment requires further internal review, use this feature. Payments on hold cannot be accepted until they are manually released.
3. Add Attachments: Click Add Attachment on eligible payments to add supporting documentation (e.g., backup PDFs) to the payment record.

Approving/Cancelling Valid Payments and Payments with Errors

Step 3: Handling Errors and Special Cases

1. Review Errors: Use the Payments with Errors tab to see why rows failed. No actions are possible here; you must correct your source file and re-import.

Payment with Errors

2. Grouping Logic: If you use a check number to group invoices and any invoice in that group fails, the system will discard the entire group and explain the failure.
3. Cross-Tab Access: All pending payments (pending acceptance or check runs) also appear in the All Payments tab, where they can also be accepted directly.

Advanced Configurations & Flags (Backend Settings)

Disbursements can be tailored with backend flags. Contact CSM or Support to enable features like Partial Payments.

By default, Ottimate validates that the payment amount matches the total invoice balance.

• With "Supports Partial Payments" enabled, you can pay part of an invoice.

• If disabled, payments less than the balance are rejected.

2. Auto-Create Invoices

If you are paying a vendor for an invoice that hasn't been uploaded to Ottimate yet:

• If enabled, missing invoice numbers create shell invoices for payment.

• Flag OFF: The row will return an error stating "Invoice Not Found."

3. Security & Approval (In-Review Status)

Depending on your internal controls, the final approval step can be configured:

• Maker-Checker (Flag OFF): Valid payments are set to "In-Review." Users must "Accept" them in the Uploads tab before they move to the Scheduled tab.

• If on, valid payments skip review and go directly to Scheduled.

4. Continue with Errors (Validation Logic)

• If one file error blocks the entire import.
• If on, valid rows process; errors go to Payments with Errors.

To execute a disbursement from start to finish, follow this summary process:

1. Select your Account and upload your file.
2. Monitor Progress: Click the Uploads icon (top-right) to view the processing status.
3. Finalize: If "In-Review" is enabled, go to the Uploads > Disbursement tab, review the valid payments, and click Accept Payments.

Videos | Library | Loom - 16 March 2026

Troubleshooting & Error Resolution

If your file contains rows that failed to process, you can find detailed information in the Payments with Errors tab of the Uploads UI.

For a comprehensive list of error messages (such as Vendor Mismatch or Missing Fields) and step-by-step instructions on how to fix them, please visit our troubleshooting guide:

Disbursement File Error Troubleshooting: https://support.ottimate.com/support/solutions/articles/14000155229-disbursement-file-error-troubleshooting

Transitioning from the Legacy Workflow

If uploads lock your screen, you’re on the legacy workflow. We recommend upgrading to Enhanced Workflow.

Key Differences:

• No more wait screens—upload and keep working.
• Persistent Visibility: Track all history and real-time status via the Uploads icon, even if you close the tab.
• Advanced Controls: Access the "On-Hold" feature to pause specific payments within a batch.

To request an upgrade, please contact Ottimate Support.