Fund your accounts
Overview
When it is time to fund your Tipalti virtual account, go to the Payments tab, and click Add funds. You will see important instructions on how to fund your account. It is crucial that you follow these instructions to ensure funds get to your account quickly. To see how much funding you have in each account, go to the Funds overview tab.
There are several ways to fund your virtual account, depending on your currency account and location, including:
1. Corporate Credit Card: Fund your virtual account using a Tipalti-approved corporate credit or debit card.
2. ACH Debit (USD only): Automatic bank withdrawals for regular funding in the US.
3. Manual, wire & local transfers: Includes ACH (USD), BACS (GBP), Faster Payments (GBP), SEPA (EUR), and wire transfers.
- For GBP accounts, payers can deposit using Faster Payments, BACS, and wire. Please allow 1 business day (T+1) for the deposit to clear.
- For EUR accounts, payers can deposit using SEPA instant and wire. Please allow 1 business day (T+1) for the deposit to clear.
To help you easily differentiate between your different virtual accounts, a default display name is added when you create a virtual account. You can change it anytime.
Ways to fund your account
Funding by card is a convenient way to fund your Tipalti virtual accounts. Funding by card is a great way to benefit from any rewards or rebates your card issuer offers. It also helps with cashflow as you can leverage your credit line to fund your accounts, if your bank account doesn’t have enough funds at the time.
- Supported cards: Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover, Diners Club, or other Tipalti-approved corporate credit and debit cards, (Cards must be issued to the entity. Personal or non-commercial cards are not accepted).
- Transaction limit: default $950,000. Tipalti may set limits on individual card funding transactions or aggregate totals over a given period. Default limits are displayed when you initiate a transaction. (Contact Support if you need this limit increased).
- Availability: US entities, USD accounts only. (Contact Support for availability in other regions).
- Enhanced security: 3-D Secure provides an additional layer of authentication, further protecting against chargebacks and fraud.
- Cashback: Earn cashback or rewards from your card issuer, which could offset fees.
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Timing and fees:
- By default, it takes 1-2 business days for funds to be added to your virtual account (excluding weekends and holidays).
- Same-day funding may be available for supported cards (see below). Funds may not be accessible until Tipalti completes any applicable card verification.
- A Tipalti Services Fee (default rate starting at 2.9%) applies to each card funding transaction.
In addition, you can securely store multiple corporate cards in the Tipalti Hub. This makes it easier to manage different credit cards, and you don’t need to re-enter the card details for each transaction.
If Fund with card is enabled for your account, you can ask the Tipalti AI assistant about funding your accounts by card. Along with relevant info, the assistant provides a one-click prompt to start the funding process. For more info, go to Ask the assistant.
Same-day funding
By default, it takes 1 - 2 business days for funds to be added to your virtual account (excluding weekends and holidays). To fund quicker, you can use same-day funding.
- Timing: Funds submitted before 3pm PT will be available on the same business day. After 3pm PT, funds will appear on the next business day, (Same-day funding is disabled on holidays and weekends).
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Fee: An additional fee (starting at 0.1% in addition to the default rate) applies for same-day funding. When adding funds, you’ll see the amount to be credited plus the fee, while the Account Statement shows the funding without the fee. For AMEX cards, there is no same-day or next-day funding.
How to fund with a card
To fund your virtual accounts:
Step 1. Add your credit card
- Go to Payments > Manage Payments. Before you add funds, make sure you accept Tipalti’s terms and conditions for Fund by Card.
- Click Add funds.
- If you have multiple accounts, in the Select account field, choose the USD account and click Next.
- In the Select method field, click Card and then Next.
- Enter your card details and click Next. To add another card, repeat these steps. You can add as many cards as you want.
Your card details are saved and your card can now be used to fund your account.
Step 2. Fund your account
It's easy to fund with a card in one compact dialog. After you add your credit card, you can use it to fund your Tipalti virtual account:
- Go to Payments > Manage Payments.
- Click Add funds.
- If you have multiple accounts, select the Account to fund from the drop-down menu.
- In the Funding card field, select the card you want to use.
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In the How much? field, enter the amount to be withdrawn from your card.
- If a bank challenges a transaction to check for suspicious activity, you may be redirected to the bank’s website so they can ensure the transaction is valid and secure.
- When you fund via card, the fee is added to the credit amount. When you select Deduct, the fee is included in the credit amount, allowing you to use the full credit line.
- In the 'When?' field, select from Next business day or Same day. See details above.
- In the Summary section, you'll see all the information about the card used, the amount entered, and the virtual account that will be funded.
- Click Fund. A confirmation message displays.
You can also fund directly after submitting individual payments from the Add payments tab. This lets you open the existing fund by card checkout directly in the payment flow with the required amount prefilled (and review any applicable fees), reducing payment delays caused by insufficient funds.
Funding summary
To view a summary of pending card transactions, make sure you’re viewing a USD virtual account, go to Payments > Account statement, and click See card transactions.
This summary gives you enhanced visibility into funding transactions that have been authorized on your card but have not yet been fully processed. It helps you track your funds in real time and stay informed about the current status of your card funding activity, before those transactions are added to the account statement table.
To streamline the funding process and support more on-time payments, Tipalti also sends a Funds required email. Eligible US-based payers who click this email will land on their virtual account, with the required amount pre-filled, and same-day card funding set as default, making it a one-click step to fund. For more details on required funds, go to Funds overview.
Common questions
Which type of card can I use to fund? Are the specific requirements?
You must use a corporate card issued to your entity. Personal or non-commercial cards are not accepted. Attempting to fund with a card issued to another entity or person, or with a personal or non-commercial card, may result in the transaction being delayed, declined, or your card funding ability being suspended.
What happens if a credit card transaction is declined?
You’ll be notified, and you can try another card. It’s also good to ask your bank why the card was declined.
Are card funding transactions treated as cash advances or credit card payments?
Fund with card transactions are typically treated as credit card payments, not cash advances.
How do chargebacks and disputes work with funding by card?
If you initiate a card payment dispute seeking to reverse, chargeback, or dispute any card funding transaction, Tipalti may delay further transactions or suspend your ability to fund via card. If a card funding transaction is reversed as a result of a dispute, you are responsible for repaying the full reversed amount plus any related fees or fines incurred by Tipalti. Tipalti may deduct these amounts from your Tipalti Account or collect them by any other method authorized under the Agreement.
What are the fees for funding with a card?
A Tipalti Services Fee (default rate starting at 2.9%) applies to each card funding transaction. An additional fee (starting at 0.1% in addition to the default rate) applies for same-day funding. The applicable fee will be displayed at the time you initiate the transaction. Actual fees may vary by card type based on factors such as interchange rate and other processing costs. Tipalti may update the fee associated with any card upon written notice.
Do I get notified when funds are deposited?
Yes, depending on your email notification settings, you'll be notified by email when funds are deposited into your USD virtual account via card. The funding email includes links to view account statements and add more funds directly.
If a fund with card attempt is refused due to insufficient balance or amount exceeded, Tipalti sends real-time ‘Banking errors’ emails (one per failed attempt) to you, explaining the next steps (e.g., adding funds or adjusting limits).
How do I delete an existing card?
To delete an existing card, click the 3-dot menu and select Delete card, and in the Delete card? dialog, click Delete.
ACH debit allows Tipalti to automatically debit funds from your bank account based on the payment scheduled date. You can fund your account using a combination of ACH debit (automated) and ACH push deposit or wire transfer (manual). Payers usually opt for ACH debit to automate the funding process, and for one-off cases where they need to fund the same day, they opt for a manual wire deposit.
Use Auto top-up to ensure that you always have funds available for payments. Auto top-up works as follows:
- Define a balance amount that is always available in your virtual account. This amount will be automatically topped up whenever you reach a predefined minimum balance in your account.
- Once the balance falls below the minimum amount, an ACH debit is initiated to automatically replenish the balance.
For more information, submit a request to our Support Team.
Funds are only debited for approved payments.
If you reach your ACH debit cap limit, a message in the tooltip informs you that the limit has been reached. Since you now must fund your account manually, we show you exactly how much is needed. This information is also included in the Funds required and Upcoming ACH debit emails we send you, so that you see the cap limit and the funds that need to be deposited manually.
The cap logic works in the following way, assuming that the cap is $100,000 per 30 days:
- Day 1: ACH debit of $20k, remaining amount on cap = $80k
- Day 2: ACH debit of $10k, remaining amount on cap = $70K
- Day 3: ACH debit of $70k, remaining amount on cap = $0
- Days 4-30: No amount on cap, manual funding only
- Day 31: Remaining amount on cap = $20k
- Day 32: Remaining amount on cap = $30k
Know how much to fund your account
On the Funds required screen, you can easily view upcoming payments and forecast the amount you’ll need in your bank account for all your virtual accounts.
Go to Payments > Funds required to view the following information:
- Total funds required - Amount of funds to cover all payments per virtual account
- Payment orders - All payments that will be sent out for each scheduled date
- Unpayable amounts - The sum of payments that cannot be paid due to missing or incorrect payee configurations
If you have several virtual accounts that need funding, you can either view all the accounts, or select specific accounts to view.
View the breakdown of funds required
The required funding amount is updated automatically with each payment submission. Hover over the amount to see a tooltip showing a clear breakdown of the funds required:
- Funds to be auto-debited
- Auto-debit pending payment approval
- Funds for manual deposit
How funds required are calculated
When calculating the required funds, we look at:
- Funds you have in your balance pool including:
- Your current account balance
- Funds in Process - Funds we previously debited from your bank account and are still being processed before reaching your virtual account
- All approved payments to be paid, which include:
- Payments pending funds (NetNow repayments are included.)
- Scheduled payments - Payments scheduled to be paid on a future date
- Applicable payer fees (i.e., ADAccount Direct payer fees, Tipalti monthly SaaS fees, payer transaction or FXForeign exchange fees)
- Payments are auto-debited when the difference between all approved payments and the balance pool is positive.
- Payments awaiting approval will not be auto-debited until approved and are not included in the calculation of funds required.
- Changes in payee payment methods and/ or exchange rate fluctuations influence the amounts that display.
View the payment orders scheduled per day
Click the Payment orders amount to see the scheduled payment orders for that day, which are organized by status—there is a tab for each status:
- Awaiting approval - Payments awaiting approval (These payments will not be auto-debited via ACH.)
- Pending funds - Payments pending funds (NetNow repayments are included.)
- Scheduled - Payments scheduled to be paid on a future date
- Pending withdrawal - Payments submitted to the provider, but funds have not been deducted from your virtual account yet
Only the relevant payment status tabs display (i.e., if you have no scheduled payments, the Scheduled tab will not display).
Setting up ACH debit
Tipalti sets up ACH debit for you.
- Setup: ACH debit needs to be enabled separately per virtual account. Please submit a request to our Support Team to have this feature enabled. Once it is enabled, by default, all funding will be automatically debited from your bank account.
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Submitting payments: ACH debit takes 4 business days and occurs in the following 2 scenarios.
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Payments are to be sent now -We recommend that you submit and approve your payment instructions to Tipalti at least 4 business days before you want payments to be sent to the bank for processing. If you are using the Bills module, bills need to be approved and submitted for payment at least 4 business days before the bill due date.
Example: - Payments are to be sent on a scheduled date - If you want a payment to be debited on a specific date, you need to add the scheduled date via API, when submitting bills for payment, or when uploading your payment CSV.
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Payments are to be sent now -We recommend that you submit and approve your payment instructions to Tipalti at least 4 business days before you want payments to be sent to the bank for processing. If you are using the Bills module, bills need to be approved and submitted for payment at least 4 business days before the bill due date.
- Notification: You receive an email notification when funds have been debited from your bank account.
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Reports: You can view the automatic deposits to your Tipalti virtual account in the Account statement and Reconciliation reports.
Have a group of payments that need to be sent out quicker?
If you need to release payments sooner (i.e., before the 4-business day limit), you can fund your accounts manually by wire transfer/ ACH deposit.
- When submitting payment instructions, set specific payments outside the ACH debit cycle by toggling On the Manual Deposit option.
Tipalti then calculates the required funding amount, which can be viewed on the Funds required screen.
- Fund your accounts manually.
- If multiple virtual accounts have ACH debit enabled, a Manual Deposit toggle displays for each account. However, if an account has scheduled payments, the toggle cannot be turned on because manual deposit is not available for scheduled payments.
- The option to toggle Manual Deposit is also not available for payments submitted via API.
If you want to enable quick funding, which is not by card or ACH debit, you can deposit funds manually via these methods:
- Wire transfer:
- All payers: Deposits can be made in the currency of your funding account. For more information, see currencies.
- UK payers: Deposits can be funded in multiple currencies.
- ACH push deposit (USD only)
- Local bank transfer (BACS, SEPA, and Faster Payments)
If you update/ change your bank information, you need to let our Support Team know by submitting a request for them to update the system; otherwise, your payments may not be processed on time.
Select a payment method below for additional details.
Wire transfer
Wire transfer is the fastest method to deposit funds directly, in local currency, to your Tipalti account. Then Tipalti directs the payment to the payee's preferred account based on the chosen payment method. When it is time to fund your Tipalti account, go to the Payments tab, and click How to fund.
You will see Important instructions on how to fund your account. It is crucial that you follow these instructions to ensure funds get to your account quickly, and that payments go out in a timely manner.
The Account details section provides you with values for the following fields that are needed to send the wire transfer to your Tipalti bank account.
- Name on account
- Dedicated account number
- Bank details (such as bank name, SWIFT, address, and the account details needed to deposit)
- ACH Wire routing number
- Deposit reference*
* You must include the deposit reference number so that we can identify your funds.
ACH push deposit
As a cheaper alternative to wire transfer, you can use ACH push deposit functionality to fund your Tipalti account. This method allows only USD funding. ACH is a slower process than wire, so for urgent payments, fund via wire transfer.
If you are interested in setting up ACH functionality, please submit a request to our Support Team.
To send the ACH, you need to use the following values for Tipalti's bank account:
- Account number
- ABA routing
- Name on account
- Deposit reference
The correct values for these fields appear in the "Funding your account" dialog. Additional information needed to send wires is also included on this screen, but this information is not required for ACH. The relevant ACH fields will appear on the banking Hub when you send the funds.
Similar to wire transfer, you must include the deposit reference number so that we can identify your funds.
Once ACH setup is complete, you can fund either via ACH or wire transfer. SinceACH is a slower process than wire, you need to initiate the ACH funding further in advance than you do for a wire. We recommend that you fund your account 1 to 3 business days in advance of your planned payment date to ensure funds reach the account on time.
Local bank transfer (BACS, SEPA, and Faster Payments)
Entities in the UK and EU regions can fund their Tipalti accounts via local bank transfer. This method is a fast, reliable, and low-cost way to fund accounts. Funds can be transferred on the same or the next day, except on weekends or holidays.
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For GBP accounts, you can deposit using Faster Payments and BACS (Bankers’ Automated Clearing System). BACS is a regulated payment system and is a common way to send and receive money from bank to bank. Please allow 1 business day (T+1) for the deposit to clear.
- Faster Payments is the UK's 24/7 electronic payment system that allows funds to be transferred near-instantly between participating bank and building society accounts, typically arriving within minutes but sometimes up to two hours.
- For EUR accounts, you can deposit using SEPA instant. SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) is a unified system for electronic Euro payments across Europe in the 36 SEPA member countries, regardless of whether the payment is domestic or cross-border. Requirements for a SEPA payment include the recipient's IBAN and BIC numbers. Please allow 1 business day (T+1) for the deposit to clear.
To fund by local bank transfer, select the relevant GBP or EUR account from the Add funds dialog.
Then select the Tipalti account that you’d like to fund. It must also be set up in the same currency as the funding account (GBP or EUR account).