Important: This article is about the Dext Payments Beta, an upcoming feature currently in development.
Overview
Manage accounts payable in one place. In this guide, you’ll learn how to view supplier invoices, create and approve Payment Runs (batch payments), track statuses, handle failures, and reconcile payments with Xero.
Key concepts
What are Supplier invoices?
Supplier Invoices are the vendor bills pulled across from Xero, where there is an outstanding balance and awaiting payments. These are the invoices your business needs to review, approve, and pay. They’re the starting point for Payment Runs, so you can pay one or many invoices in a single workflow.
What is a Payment run?
A Payment Run lets you group one or more supplier invoices and pay them together in one batch. This saves time and can reduce transaction fees. You can also run a Payment Run for a single invoice when needed.
View Supplier invoices
Go to Payments > Supplier Invoices in Dext.
Eligible invoices appear automatically:
All invoices in Xero, where there is an outstanding balance and awaiting payment.
Check the last sync time at the top and click Sync anytime to refresh.
Invoice sections
Due – Invoices ready to pay with an outstanding balance
Pending – Payment Runs created but not yet completed
Paid – Fully paid invoices with a zero balance
Summary overview (in Due)
Total Amount Outstanding – Total payable across all invoices (after credits)
Unallocated Balance – Credit notes, prepayments, or overpayments not yet applied
Invoices Not Included – Invoices awaiting approval or not yet published to Xero
Customize and review invoice details
The table can be tailored to what you care about most.
Click the Gear icon to choose columns such as:
Supplier Name, Reference, Planned Date, Due Date, Total Amount, Amount Paid, Amount Due
Update fields directly from the table:
Planned Date – When you plan to pay (useful for cash‑flow planning)
Flags – Mark invoices that need review before payment
Notes – Add context or instructions for your team
Filter your list: Use the Filters panel to narrow results by Supplier, Reference, Invoice/Due/Planned Date (custom ranges or presets like Last 7/30 days), and Amount (total or due range).
Security checks with Shields
You’ll see a Shield icon next to each invoice. Hover to view the security checks run on supplier details extracted from the invoice. If a potential risk is detected, you’ll get warnings and recommended actions.
Click the invoice to open the full view and review:
The invoice image (when available)
The supplier’s bank details
Shield recommendations
Data sources:
Invoices created or uploaded in Dext typically include the original document image and extracted data (supplier name, invoice number, bank details).
Invoices originating in Xero or other integrations may not include an image and can have limited extracted data based on what’s available from the source.
Manage supplier details with Shields:
Select the Shield icon > Manage to:
Add alternate supplier bank details, or
Delete existing supplier details
If details can’t be extracted automatically, you can enter them manually from the Shield menu.
Tip: Review Shield warnings before paying to reduce the risk of rejected or misdirected payments. See the Supplier Shields guide.
Create a Payment run
Select one or more invoices from Payments > Supplier Invoices.
Click Pay selected.
Choose your funding wallet (Beta: GBP Wallets only).
Invoices are automatically grouped by supplier, reducing transaction costs and saving time by minimising the number of items to review and approve.
(Optional) You can choose to ungroup the invoices by toggling the Batch option.
Select the Shield icon against any invoice to see the supplier image (if available) and security recommendations. See also the Supplier Shields guide.
Review your draft Payment Run, including any fees.
Choose how much to pay:
Pay in full – Settle the full balance of each selected invoice
Pay partially – Pay part now and leave the remainder due
Click Create payment run to confirm.
Note: Scheduling a future payment date will be available after the Beta.
Approve a Payment run
Only authorised users (e.g., Payment Admins or Standard Users in your approval workflow) can approve or reject payment runs in Dext or the Dext Mobile App. Approvers are notified by email and mobile push notifications.
Approvers can:
Approve or reject (add a reason)
Modify the payment reference
Remove specific invoices from the payment run
Add notes for context (won’t reset approvals)
See also the Payment Run Approval Workflow guide.
Edit a Payment run
You can edit a Payment Run before submission:
Remove invoices
Update payment references
Once submitted, the Payment Run is locked and can’t be changed.
Submit a Payment run
A Payment Run can be submitted for processing:
Once all approvals are complete and there are sufficient funds in the wallet, an authorised user can submit the payment run. Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) will be required.
If there are insufficient funds, an error message will prompt you to top up the wallet. After funding the wallet, the payment can be submitted by an authorised user, and SCA will be required again at that point.
Track Payment run status
Post creation, Payment Runs can be tracked under Payments > Payment Runs.
A Payment Run, once created, will transition through various processing statuses before completion, namely:
Status | What it means |
Awaiting approval | Created and waiting for one or more assigned approvers. |
Approval rejected | One or more approvers declined the run. |
Ready to pay | Fully approved and validated, with sufficient wallet funds. |
Authorizing | Verifying the submitter’s identity and authorization. |
Processing | Submitted to the provider and is being processed. |
In progress | Accepted by the provider and executing/settling. |
Execution failed | Reached provider/bank but failed during execution (e.g., invalid bank details, insufficient balance). |
Failed | Couldn’t be processed before execution (e.g., API error, compliance block, validation failure). |
Partially successful | Some payments in the batch succeeded; others failed or were rejected. |
Successful | Executed and confirmed by the provider or bank. |
Cancelled | Manually cancelled before submission or execution. |
Handle failed payments
If a payment fails, it will appear on the Payment Runs page with the failure reason (for example, bank rejection or insufficient funds), and you’ll also receive an email notification.
Depending on the reason for failure, you can:
In some cases, resubmit the payment request (for example, in cases of insufficient funds or temporary network issues), or
Create a new payment run to submit the payment run again.
Currencies & payment methods
During the Beta phase, Payment Runs support UK domestic payments only.
In the future, Dext Payments will support multi-currency payments, including automatic FX conversion where applicable. You'll also be able to transfer funds between wallets to manage different currencies.
Payments reconciliation (Xero)
Once a payment run is sent for processing, Dext automatically records the payment against the invoice in Xero in real time.
It also creates the corresponding bank feed automatically, ensuring a smooth and efficient reconciliation process.
See also the Bank Feeds for Payments guide.
Cancel a Payment run
You can cancel a payment run before submission. Once a run has been submitted for processing, it can’t be cancelled.
View audit history
Every Payment Run includes a complete audit trail, including:
Creation and edit events
Approval and submission timestamps
Processing statuses and outcomes
Failures, retries, and resubmissions
Audit logs give you full transparency and traceability.
Best practices
Sync regularly so new invoices appear promptly and totals stay accurate.
Review Shields and resolve any warnings before you pay.
Set up approval workflows so the right people can review and approve runs.
Check Roles & Permissions to ensure users have access to Payments and approvals.
FAQs
Can I pay just one invoice?
Yes. Create a Payment Run with a single invoice and complete the flow as usual.
How often should I sync invoices?
Sync anytime from Supplier Invoices to pull the latest Awaiting Payment invoices from Dext and Xero.
Can I schedule payments for a future date?
This will be available after Beta.
What happens if there aren’t enough wallet funds?
The run stays queued until you fund the wallet. An authorized user can then submit it for processing.
Does every invoice show an image?
Invoices created or uploaded in Dext usually include the document image. Invoices from Xero/other integrations may not include images and can have limited extracted data.
Payments Beta Videos
Payments Beta: Enabling for client or business account | |
Payments Beta: Setup and KYC | |
Payments Beta: Managing Roles and Permissions | |
Payments Beta: Building Approval Workflows | |
Payments Beta: Making Your First Payment | |
Payments Beta: Funding Your Wallet | |
Payments Beta: Registering a Device for Payments Authentication | |
Payments Beta: End-to-End Setup: Payment Runs for Accounting Teams |