Manage payees

What payees are

Payees help LeedBooks understand who money is going to or coming from.

The Payees page combines what many systems split into separate vendor and people screens. That keeps the user from guessing whether a contractor, payment platform, or vendor belongs in one page or another.

Payee types

A payee can represent different business relationships.

Common types include:

• Vendors.
• Contractors.
• Employees.
• Payment processors.
• Credit card companies.
• Banks and financial institutions.
• Customers or deposit sources.

The type matters because it changes what the system should ask for. A contractor may need W-9 details. A credit card company does not. A payment rail may hide the real person being paid.

Payment rails

Payment rails need special care.

Services like Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, Remitly, and similar platforms are often the method of payment, not the final payee. The real bookkeeping question is who received the money and why.

Do not automatically exclude payment rails from review. They may be connected to contractors, owner draws, reimbursements, or transfers.

W-9 status

W-9 review should focus on likely contractors and tax-relevant payees.

You normally should not need a W-9 from a bank, credit card company, or normal utility vendor. You may need W-9 information from contractors and certain service providers, depending on the business and tax rules.

Use the Needs W-9 filter to focus on the payees most likely to need attention.

Cleanup work

Use cleanup when a payee looks messy.

Cleanup may include:

• Combining similar names.
• Reviewing multiple categories used by one payee.
• Checking whether the payee is really a payment rail.
• Updating contractor details.
• Creating better aliases.
• Asking AI to inspect sample transactions.

The goal is a cleaner payee list that helps the AI make better decisions next time.