Notes from the people who run the rails.

Guides 3 min read

Latest · Sep 24, 2026

Instant payouts are a rail, not a feature

RTP and FedNow get described as faster ACH. They are not. They are different networks with different rules, and knowing which one a contractor is on explains almost every “where is my money” email.

Maren Holt

Head of Payments Operations

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Sep 10, 2026

Tax · 3 min read

The W-9 is the easy part

Most 1099 trouble starts in March, not January: a name that doesn’t match a TIN, collected on a form nobody checked. Here is what to verify when a contractor signs up, and why it is cheaper then.

Aug 27, 2026

Security · 3 min read

Why large runs need two people and a key

Payout fraud rarely looks like a break-in. It looks like an ordinary approval from a real account. Here is the reasoning behind approval limits, second approvers and hardware keys.

Aug 13, 2026

Guides · 3 min read

Same-day ACH has a deadline, and it is earlier than you think

Same-day ACH means same day only if the file makes a window. The windows are set in Eastern time, and the last one closes at an hour that surprises teams on the West Coast.

Jul 30, 2026

Treasury · 3 min read

How much to hold in a tax reserve

Companies that pay contractors still owe taxes of their own, and the reserve that covers them is usually sized by gut. A simple rule, and why we keep the reserve in its own account.

Jul 16, 2026

Finance operations · 3 min read

Closing the month on the day the run settles

Month-end close for contractor spend is usually a rebuild: export the payouts, match them to bank lines, recode the fees. It doesn’t have to be. What changes when each run posts itself.