Simple Bill Pay Systems Every New Bookkeeper Should Know
When you're just starting out as a bookkeeper, one of the most common tasks you’ll be asked to manage is bill pay. Whether your clients are solopreneurs, small businesses, or even HOAs, staying on top of bills is critical to keeping the lights on—literally and financially. But with so many tools out there, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
The good news? You don’t need to master every app on the market to start confidently offering bill pay services. In fact, most new bookkeepers only need to be familiar with a handful of solid systems to get started.
This guide walks you through simple, proven options that make bill pay efficient, accurate, and scalable—no matter what kind of clients you serve.
What is Bill Pay, Exactly?
In a bookkeeping context, bill pay refers to the process of managing and paying a business’s expenses—anything from utilities and subscriptions to vendor invoices and loan payments. While you may not physically pay the bills (depending on your agreement and liability policy), your role is to:
Track incoming bills
Ensure due dates aren’t missed
Code and record expenses accurately
Reconcile payments once they clear
Whether you’re offering full-service accounts payable or just helping clients stay organized, bill pay is one of the easiest services to offer early on—and it adds a ton of value.
Why You Should Set Up a System—Even as a Beginner
Manually paying bills from your client’s email inbox or forwarding PDFs around is not sustainable. The longer you go without a system, the more likely you are to:
Miss payments
Misclassify expenses
Create frustration (for both you and your client)
By setting up a simple bill pay workflow early, you’ll save time, reduce errors, and show your clients that you’re professional—even if you’re brand new.
The 5 Easiest Bill Pay Systems for New Bookkeepers
Let’s dive into the top systems you should know about. Each of these offers a different level of automation and control, depending on your client’s size and your involvement.
1. Bill Pay Through the Client’s Bank (Great for small businesses and simple setups)
Best for: Clients with just a few recurring bills and a reliable bank.
How it works:
Many banks (Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, etc.) have built-in bill pay tools that let you schedule checks or electronic payments directly. You can often add vendors, set recurring payments, and track status.
Pros:
Free with most business accounts
Secure and tied directly to the bank
Easy to set up for recurring payments
Cons:
Limited approval workflows
Not great for multiple users or tracking receipts
Usually doesn’t sync automatically with bookkeeping software
New Bookkeeper Tip: If your client already pays bills through their bank, just help them organize and document it. You can still track bills in QuickBooks and match them once they clear.
2. Melio (Great for QuickBooks users & free to start)
Best for: Small businesses and contractors with 10–50 bills per month
How it works:
Melio lets you schedule payments for vendors using bank transfers (free) or credit cards (with a fee). It integrates directly with QuickBooks Online and allows clients to approve bills before they’re paid.
Pros:
Easy QBO integration
Clients can approve before you send
Free for ACH payments
Cons:
Can take a few days for payments to go through
Not ideal for enterprise-level needs
New Bookkeeper Tip: Use Melio’s free plan and connect it to QBO to manage bills and automatically mark them as paid once processed.
3. Relay Financial (Best for collaborative bill pay + banking in one)
Best for: Clients who want a better banking experience and modern AP workflow
How it works:
Relay is a free online business banking platform built for bookkeepers and accountants. It allows you to create bill pay workflows, assign roles, and collaborate with clients in real time. You can even assign debit cards to employees and manage approval rules.
Pros:
Free business banking + bill pay
Role-based permissions for you and your client
Works beautifully with QuickBooks and Xero
Cons:
Not all clients are ready to switch banks
Requires onboarding time
New Bookkeeper Tip: Recommend Relay as a solution when your client’s current bank isn’t giving you the access or visibility you need.
4. QuickBooks Online Bill Pay (Great if everything is already in QBO)
Best for: Clients already paying for QuickBooks Online Essentials or Plus
How it works:
You can enter vendor bills into QBO and pay them directly using QuickBooks Bill Pay (powered by Melio). There’s no need to export or sync anything—everything is native to the platform.
Pros:
Fully integrated with QBO
Easy for bookkeepers to manage
Tracks bill status, approvals, and payment details
Cons:
Limited to QBO users
Only works if you or your client are comfortable inside QBO
New Bookkeeper Tip: Make sure you double-check settings before turning on Bill Pay in QBO—especially which bank accounts are connected.
5. Google Sheets + Manual Pay (Old-school, but effective)
Best for: Super-small clients or side gigs when tech isn’t an option yet
How it works:
You (or the client) create a shared spreadsheet listing vendor names, due dates, amounts, payment method, and status. The client manually pays bills from their bank and updates the sheet. You then record payments in QuickBooks or your preferred software.
Pros:
No new software to learn
Works for clients who aren’t tech-savvy
Great starter workflow for low-budget businesses
Cons:
No automation
High chance of human error
No payment tracking or approvals
New Bookkeeper Tip: Use color coding and filters in the spreadsheet to make due dates and paid/unpaid status clear at a glance.
What to Consider When Choosing a Bill Pay System
Every client is different, but here are a few key questions to help guide your recommendation:
How many bills do they pay each month?
Do they want to retain final approval before payments are sent?
Are they already using QuickBooks Online or another platform?
Do they want full-service, or just help staying organized?
What’s their budget for software/tools?
As the bookkeeper, your role is not only to help with bill pay but also to recommend a system that’s secure, scalable, and stress-free.
How to Offer Bill Pay as a Service
Once you’re comfortable with one or two systems, you can start offering bill pay as a monthly add-on or standalone service. Here’s how:
Set clear boundaries – Are you scheduling payments? Or just tracking them?
Get written authorization – Always protect yourself with a signed agreement, especially if you’ll be accessing client funds.
Build a simple SOP – Outline how bills are submitted, approved, paid, and tracked.
Charge for the value – Bill pay saves your client HOURS. Don’t undervalue your service.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to become a tech wizard or accounting software pro to confidently manage bill pay. Start simple, stay organized, and focus on being a reliable support system for your clients. As you grow, you can always expand into more advanced tools and workflows.
Whether you stick to spreadsheets, explore apps like Melio, or introduce clients to modern tools like Relay, your job is to make sure bills get paid accurately, on time, and without the stress.
✨ Want to Learn How to Set This Up for Real Clients?
Inside The 6-Figure Bookkeeping Course, I walk you through exactly how to set up simple, scalable bill pay workflows as part of your monthly services. You’ll learn:
✅ How to manage bill pay without overstepping legal boundaries
✅ Which systems to offer (and which to skip) based on client type
✅ My favorite client SOPs for approval and payment flow
✅ How to confidently price and package bill pay services as part of your offer
Whether you're starting from scratch or building your backend systems to scale—this is the part that sets you apart.
👉 Click here to learn more about The 6-Figure Bookkeeping Course
