How do I create a bill against a subcontract and schedule payment?

Once you've created a subcontract, billing against it is how you record a vendor's invoice and schedule their payment. This happens in a simple three-step flow: enter the bill information, set your line items for the current period, and finalize the bill with any lien waivers or payment scheduling.

Note: This article covers bills tied to a subcontract. If you need to pay a single bill without tracking it against a subcontract, see How do I create a one-off bill for a project?

1. When you're ready to pay your vendor, select Bills in the left-hand navigation menu.
2. Click + Add bill.
3. Select the bill type. Choose For a subcontract, then click Next: Bill information.
   • Tip: If you have the vendor's invoice (PDF, PNG, or JPEG), you can upload the bill from the global Bills page for Beam to automatically extract the bill data.
4. Bill information (Step 1 of 3):
   1. Click the Subcontract field and select the subcontract you want to bill against.
   2. Confirm or update the Issue date, Due date, and Number (bill/invoice number).
   3. Click Next: Line items.
5. Line items (Step 2 of 3): For each line item, enter how much you want to bill this period:
   1. Enter a % of the scheduled value, or
   2. Enter a $ amount directly, or click Set to remaining amount.
   3. The Bill total updates automatically. Click Next: Finalize and add.
6. Finalize and add (Step 3 of 3):
   1. (Optional) Add an Invoice memo and any attachments.
   2. (If Applicable) Choose a Conditional lien waiver option:
      1. Collect signature from subcontractor — the vendor receives an email with instructions to sign the lien waiver.
      2. Upload an existing document — if the vendor has already sent you a signed lien waiver.
      3. Collect lien waiver later — if you aren't paying the bill right now.
   3. Check This is the final invoice for this project if applicable, or confirm the Through date if this is a progress invoice.
   4. Note: You will only see lien waiver options if you are on the Scale plan and have turned on Collect lien waivers for each bill within the project details.
7. Click Save bill and schedule payment (or Save bill and pay later to schedule it later).
8. Schedule payment: In the Schedule payment panel:
   1. Confirm the Recipient. If you don't already have their bank details, click + Add recipient bank information — otherwise the vendor will receive an email from Beam to add it.
      1. Note: If they don't add it before the scheduled payment date, payment will be delayed.

1. 1. Choose which account to Debit from (your Beam Balance or a connected bank account).
   2. Select a payment date: Tomorrow (soonest), Pay on due date, or Schedule for date.
   3. Click Schedule to confirm the payment.

Every time you add a bill, it'll be automatically reconciled against existing subcontracts and change orders.