Section 5.2: Invoicing and Payouts

This guide covers the lifecycle of generating invoices, managing producer checkout authorizations, approving Purchase Orders (POs), and tracking payouts in the ABRAM Network.

[!NOTE] Need to send a cost estimate before work begins? Quotes are a related feature covered in Section 5.6, and let you draft an estimate that a producer can approve before you invoice.

1. The Invoicing Lifecycle

In the current Management Phase, ABRAM supports two distinct billing scenarios:

2. Generating Professional Invoices (Freelancers)

Freelancers can generate invoices linked to projects or select ad-hoc producer entities:

Step 1: Access the Invoice Builder

1. Go to Financials -> Invoices tab.
2. Click Create Invoice to open the builder.

Step 2: Configure Invoice Details

• Title & Subtitle: Provide a descriptive title (e.g., "Post-Production Services — Season 1") and subtitle describing the scope.
• Bill To: Search and select the producer organization or individual. If you link a project, the builder automatically pre-populates this with the project's producer org.
• Link Project: Optional. Allows you to link the invoice to an active project. If your project has a contract rate (proposed rate in the platform invitation), the builder pre-populates the default line item with that rate.
• Import Expenses: If you have unbilled project expenses submitted and approved on ABRAM, they will appear in a sidebar. Check them to instantly append them as line items.

Step 3: Add Line Items

• Enter the Description, Quantity, and Unit Price for each item. You can add manual line items and expenses yourself, in addition to importing approved project expenses.
• The system calculates the row totals and subtotal automatically.

Step 4: Processing Fee Preview

ABRAM calculates the fee in real time:

• Processing Fee: The fee is calculated on the subtotal and shown on the invoice before you submit it. The rate is tiered on your own plan and applies only to monthly payment volume above your plan's fee-free allowance:

• No tax: ABRAM does not add sales tax to invoices between users. You are the merchant of record on your own connected Stripe account, so any taxes you owe are yours to determine, collect, and remit.

Step 5: Save or Send

• Save Draft: Saves the invoice locally. You can edit or delete drafts at any time.
• Send Invoice: Changes the status to Sent (Awaiting Payment) and updates the billing details on Stripe. The producer receives an email notification with a secure payment link.

3. Producer Purchase Orders & Checkout Sessions

Producers can proactively initiate payments by creating a Purchase Order (PO) from their dashboard.

Step 1: Create a PO

1. In the Financials tab, click Create Purchase Order.
2. Select the freelancer or freelancer organization to pay, input the title, and add the line items.

Step 2: Authorize Payment (Stripe Checkout)

1. Click Authorize Payment.
2. You will be redirected to a Stripe Checkout Session to provide card or bank details.
3. The platform places a 7-day authorization hold on your payment method.
4. Once authorized, you are redirected back to ABRAM. The invoice status transitions to Pending Freelancer Approval.

4. Freelancer PO Approval Flow

When a producer authorizes a Purchase Order, the freelancer must accept it before funds are captured.

Step 1: Locate the Actionable PO

1. In your Financials tab, go to Invoices.
2. Search for items marked with the Action Required badge (Pending Freelancer Approval status).
3. Click the row to open the inline details.

Step 2: Accept or Reject

• Accept Purchase Order:
  • Triggers the payment fulfillment.
  • ABRAM securely processes the transaction through Stripe to complete the payment.
  • The authorized funds are captured and transferred to your account.
  • The invoice status transitions to Paid, and audit logs are recorded.
• Reject:
  • The authorization hold is released immediately.
  • The invoice status changes to Cancelled/Rejected.

5. Generating and Downloading PDFs

At any stage of the lifecycle:

1. Click on any invoice in your history to open the Inline Detail View.
2. Click the Download PDF icon in the header.
3. The system generates a print-ready, professional document containing your logo, producer address, line items, and a summary breakdown (Subtotal, the platform processing fee, and Total).

6. Tracking Payouts

Freelancers and Organizations can track their earnings on the Payouts tab of the Financial Command Center:

Metric Cards

• Total Earnings: The total value of all paid invoices since account creation.
• Total Payouts: Funds successfully transferred to your bank/debit card.
• Pending: Funds currently held by Stripe or in transit to your bank.
• Available: A legacy held balance. Under automatic payouts this is normally $0.

Payouts Are Automatic

There is nothing to request. Payments settle straight to your own Stripe account, and Stripe transfers the money to your bank or debit card on your payout schedule. You can trace progress and estimated arrival dates under Payout History, and change your payout schedule or bank details from your Stripe dashboard. If Available shows a non-zero figure, it is a legacy balance from before automatic payouts — contact support to have it released.

Payout Routing & Onboarding Requirement

When payouts are executed, the system automatically routes them using the following rules:

• Routing Priority: Payouts are routed to the contractor's primary organization Stripe account. If the contractor belongs to multiple organizations, the platform routes the payout to the most appropriate business account based on their organizational roles.
• Onboarding Requirement: Stripe onboarding must be finished before you can be paid. Until your Stripe account is enabled for charges, clients cannot pay your invoices at all — nothing is held on ABRAM's behalf, because payments are captured directly onto your own Stripe account.