When your firm's integration with Digital Disbursements is enabled and configured, an option to pay your client electronically will be available from the Settlement view within the Value Tab of a Case. If the amount in the Due to Client category of the Settlement is greater than zero, the "Add Payment" button will be replaced with a "Pay Now" button, which is a Digital Disbursements feature. Your client will then receive an email with a link to select their desired payment method. The transaction status will be automatically updated from start to finish, allowing users to reconcile settlement fund balances directly in Neos.
Before attempting to disburse funds electronically with Digital Disbursements, ensure that the payee's Name, Address, Phone Number, and Email are entered in the Party Tab. The Address and Email must be the default, and the Phone Number must have the Call? checkbox selected. Funds through Digital Disbursements can only be sent to payees within the United States.
NOTE: Ensure the "Enable Disbursements" checkbox is selected in the Case Type for a Case. You must also have Enabled permissions to Accounting > Send Payments.
To distribute funds electronically:
Ensure that the Case has a Client Distribution (CDB) Value Code item added in the Value Tab. If there is not one currently, you may click the + Add Disbursement button on the Settlement view next to the Due to Client category to create one. It is advisable that the Party and Provider in the CDB Value item match when disbursing funds to your client.
When a CDB Value item exists that is greater than zero, a Pay Now button will display at the category level and for each CDB item in the Case.
Click the Pay Now button to display the Add Payment window. When the Digital Disbursements integration is enabled, a Share Payment Portal Link slider will be available. The slider is turned off by default. The amount from the CDB Value entry will automatically display.
NOTE: Make sure the amount you wish to disburse to your client is accurate. If the wrong amount is sent, Neos Support and the Digital Disbursements operations team will need to be involved to resolve and recover costs.
Select the slider and click the Save button. A Value Transaction will be created for the CDB Value item.
NOTE: If any contact details (Name, Address, Phone Number, or Email) are missing, the process will be aborted and display the following error message.
When the payee's information is entered correctly, an email will be sent to your client with a link to a payment portal.
The following is an example of the email your client will receive.
Within the payment portal (when the link is clicked), your client will have to identify themselves using the Email or Phone Number contained in their Party record of Neos.
Once verified, your client can select their preferred payment method (ACH, Zelle, PayPal, Physical Debit Card, e-Debit Card, or Venmo).
NOTE: ACH, Zelle, and e-Debit methods will be instantly transferred, whereas PayPal, Venmo, and Physical Debit Card will take roughly 5 business days.
They will be prompted to enter a 6-digit verification code sent to them by Digital Disbursements.
The following is an example of the verification process.
A record of the payment will automatically populate as Paid in the Settlement Tab. Within the CDB Value entry, two new columns for Status and Method will display in the Transactions section.
NOTE: Once the payment has been initiated through Digital Disbursements, the created transaction and the CDB Value item are read-only and cannot be deleted. Additionally, the Move and Copy to Other Case(s) options are disabled for these locked items.
The status of the payment transaction will automatically update within the CDB Value item.
Payment Statuses:
Approved – Digital Disbursement transaction has been created
Initiated – Client has selected their payment method
Successful – Payment has successfully been made to the client
Partial – Partial payment has been made to the client (can occur if a maximum transaction amount limit is reached on the selected payment method – the transaction will be split in two)
Unsuccessful – Payment was sent to the client but did not reach their bank account (e.g., limits on online payments, fraud checks, etc.)
Expired – Transaction link has expired (Zelle – 14 days, PayPal – 30 days, Venmo – 30 days)
Locked – Transaction has failed the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and requires action (email will be sent from Digital Disbursements)
The Method field will be updated with the payment method that the client chooses from Digital Disbursements.
Payment Methods:
ACH
Zelle
PayPal
Venmo
E-MasterCard
Physical Master Card