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Payments in Plane are individual transfers of funds to a worker. While payroll handles scheduled, recurring compensation, payments give you the flexibility to send money outside the payroll cycle—a contractor invoice, a signing bonus, or a reimbursement that cannot wait for the next run. Payments can also be created by the system as part of payroll execution. When a payroll run is approved, Plane creates a payment for each worker in the run. Whether a payment originates from payroll or is created independently, it follows the same lifecycle and appears in the same place on the dashboard.

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When to use payments vs. payroll

Both payments and payroll move money to workers, but they serve different purposes:
  • Payroll is for recurring, scheduled compensation. It goes through the full payroll cycle (preparation, review, approval, execution) and handles tax withholding, benefits, and compliance automatically. Use payroll for regular paychecks.
  • Payments are for one-off or ad-hoc transfers. They skip the payroll cycle and go directly through the payment infrastructure. Use payments for contractor invoices, bonuses outside of payroll, reimbursements, or any situation where you need to send a specific amount to a specific worker.
If a contractor submits an invoice, you can create a payment directly or use a payment request to let them submit it through a structured approval flow.

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Creating a payment

You can create a payment from the dashboard or through the Payments API. To create a payment, you need:
  • Worker—the person or entity receiving the funds.
  • Amount—the payment amount in the destination currency.
  • Currency—the currency the worker will receive. Plane handles conversion from your funding source currency automatically.
  • Date (optional)—the target date for the payment. If omitted, Plane schedules it as soon as possible.
  • Note (optional)—a description visible to both you and the worker.
1

Select the worker

Choose the worker from your team. The worker must have an active bank account on file.
2

Enter the amount and currency

Specify the amount in the worker’s currency. Plane shows the estimated charge amount in your source currency based on current exchange rates.
3

Review and confirm

Verify the details and confirm. Plane creates the payment and begins processing it.

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Payment lifecycle

Every payment moves through a defined set of statuses:
StatusMeaning
DraftPayment is created but not yet submitted for processing.
PendingPayment is queued and waiting for funding to settle.
ProcessingFunds are being transferred to the worker.
PaidThe worker has received the funds.
FailedThe transfer did not complete. May be retried or cancelled.
CancelledThe payment was cancelled before completion.
RefundedThe payment was reversed after completion.
The typical flow is: draft (created) then pending (funding initiated) then processing (transfer in flight) then paid (delivered). You can track each payment’s progress in the dashboard or through the Payments API.
A payment’s date may shift forward if the charge has not settled yet. Plane automatically adjusts the payment date to the earliest possible delivery time based on funding availability.

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Charges

A charge is the company-side funding event that covers one or more payments. When you approve a payroll run or create a payment, Plane creates a charge against your funding source to collect the necessary funds. Charges have their own lifecycle:
StatusMeaning
PendingThe charge has been initiated. For bank transfers, the debit is in process.
ProcessingThe charge is being processed by the banking network.
SucceededFunds have been collected and are available for payments.
FailedThe charge did not complete (for example, insufficient funds).
CancelledThe charge was cancelled.
RefundedThe charged amount was returned to your funding source.
Bank charges (ACH debits) typically take 2 business days to settle. Balance charges (from your Plane balance) settle immediately. The settlement time affects when payments can be delivered—Plane accounts for this automatically when scheduling paydays. You can view all charges in the dashboard and through the Charges API. Each charge shows which payments it funds, the amount, and the current status.

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Refunds

When a payment cannot be completed—for example, the worker’s bank rejects the transfer—Plane may initiate a refund. A refund returns the charged amount to your funding source. Refunds follow their own lifecycle: pending then processing then succeeded (or failed). You can track refunds in the dashboard alongside charges. Refund details are also available through the Refunds API.
Refunds are initiated by Plane when a payment fails after funding. You do not need to request a refund manually in most cases.

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Funding sources

Plane charges your company’s funding source to cover payments. You can fund via:
  • Bank account—Plane debits your linked US bank account via ACH. Bank charges take approximately 2 business days to settle.
  • Plane balance—if you maintain a balance with Plane, charges settle immediately. This speeds up payment delivery.
You manage funding sources in your organization settings. See Bank accounts for details on adding and verifying bank accounts.

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Payment visibility in the dashboard

The payments section of the dashboard gives you a complete view of money movement:
  • Scheduled payments—payments that are pending or processing, grouped by expected delivery date.
  • Payment history—completed, cancelled, and failed payments with full details.
  • Charges—all charges against your funding sources, with their status and linked payments.
  • Worker view—from any worker’s profile, you can see all payments made to them, including both payroll-originated and direct payments.
You can filter by status, date range, worker, and payment type to find what you need.

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Payments and the API

The Payments API gives you full programmatic access to create, list, retrieve, and cancel payments.

Create a payment

Send a one-off payment to a worker.

List payments

Retrieve all payments with filtering and pagination.

Payment requests

Let contractors submit invoices for approval.

Bank accounts

Manage bank accounts for workers and your company.
Yes, as long as the payment has not reached the paid status. Pending and failed payments can be cancelled from the dashboard or via the cancel endpoint. Payments that are already processing may or may not be cancellable depending on the provider.
Timing depends on your funding source and the worker’s bank. Balance-funded payments can arrive in 1-2 business days. Bank-funded payments add 2 business days for the charge to settle first. International transfers may take additional time depending on the destination country.
Failed payments are flagged on the dashboard with a description of the failure reason. Common causes include incorrect bank details, rejected transfers, or insufficient funding. You can retry the payment after resolving the issue, or cancel it.
Yes. Plane handles currency conversion automatically. You specify the amount in the worker’s currency, and Plane calculates the charge amount in your source currency based on the current exchange rate. The rate is locked at the time of execution.