PayShift is a service that automatically changes the payment type of a transaction based on the preferred deposit method.
For example, if a payment is created as a Check, but the Bank Account used has an active PayShift Rule, the payment can be automatically converted to another preferred payment type (such as ACH or Digital Check).
This allows your organization to continue issuing payments as usual, while giving payees flexibility to choose how they want to be paid.
How PayShift Works at a High Level
A payment is created in the Payments module.
The Bank Account used for the payment has a PayShift Rule configured.
Based on the rule settings and the payee’s configuration:
The payment may be immediately converted after importation, or
The payment will be under the "PayShift" status while we wait for the payee to select a deposit method
Once the deposit method is confirmed, the payment continues through Disburse using the selected payment type.
How to Create a PayShift Rule
Steps
To create a PayShift Rule, go to PayShift from the left navigation sidebar. This page gives you an overview of your PayShift activity, including total transactions, conversions to ACH, Digital Checks, Checks, and other helpful metrics like money saved, time saved, and your paperless impact score.
From there, click PayShift rules in the top-right corner, then select Create PayShift Rule.
Start by choosing the Bank Account you want to associate with the rule. Each PayShift Rule can only be linked to one bank account.
If you’re creating the rule from a payment batch, the bank account used in that batch will appear automatically.
Next, choose the payment types you want to make available to your payees. These are the options payees can choose from when deciding how they want to receive their payment. You can select ACH, Check, Digital Check, or a combination of these options, depending on which ones have been selected as available payment types for the chosen bank account. At least one payment type is required.
👀 Note: If you enable ACH as a deposit option, your payees may need to complete Bank Account Verification before receiving ACH payments. Bank Account Verification may include an additional fee. You’ll only be charged if the payee successfully completes the verification.
You’ll also need to set the payee response time. This determines how long the payee has to choose a payment method before the payment continues using the original payment type. You can set this using days and hours, depending on how much time you want to give payees to respond.
Finally, choose whether the rule should apply to All Payees or Specific Payees.
If you select All Payees, the rule will apply to all payees who are paid using the selected bank account. This means PayShift will be available for all payees associated with that bank account. When this option is selected, the table at the bottom of the page displays all of your payees.
If you select Specific Payees, the rule will only apply to payees who already have PayShift enabled. When this option is selected, the table at the bottom of the page displays the payees who currently have PayShift enabled.
⚠️ Important: PayShift cannot be enabled or disabled for payees from the PayShift Rules page. To manage a payee's PayShift status, go to the Payees module.
Once the rule is created, you can manage or update it at any time from the PayShift Rules page.
PayShift Scenarios and Behavior
1. PayShift for “All Payees” vs "Selected Payees"
When a PayShift Rule is created using All Payees, all payments created with the associated bank account will go through PayShift.
Alternatively, when the PayShift Rule is configured for Selected Payees only:
PayShift applies only to payees who have PayShift enabled.
Payments for payees without PayShift enabled:
Are processed exactly as they are created
Are not affected by the PayShift rule
2. Preferred Deposit Methods
You can manage the PayShift settings of each individual payee in the Payees module, by opening the desired payee and navigating to the PayShift tab.
From here, you have a few options:
2.1 Payee Has a Preferred Deposit Method Selected
If a payee already has a preferred deposit method selected, the payment is automatically created using that method.
As a result:
The payment is converted immediately at creation.
No email is sent to the payee to choose a deposit method.
The payment does not enter the PayShift status, since no confirmation from the payee is required.
The payment then continues through the normal workflow without any additional action needed.
⚠️ Important: For payments to automatically shift at creation, make sure you have enabled PayShift and selected a preferred deposit method for the payee(s) before importing or creating the payments.
2.2 Payee Does NOT Have a Preferred Deposit Method
If a payee does not have a preferred deposit method selected, then:
The payment is created using the original payment type.
After Approve and Sign, the payment moves to the PayShift tab.
The payee receives an email asking them to choose how they would like to receive the payment.
Each payment generates a separate PayShift email. If a payee receives multiple payments, they will receive one PayShift email per payment.
Once the payee makes a selection:
The payment is automatically shifted to the chosen deposit method.
The payment moves to the Disburse tab using that method.
When a payee receives the PayShift email, they also have the option to save their selection for future payments by choosing “Use this as my preferred deposit method.”
If the payee saves a preferred method, all future payments will follow the flow of section 2.1 above. Alternatively, if the payee does not save a preferred method, future payments will follow the original PayShift experience described in this section 2.2.
Reducing the Number of PayShift Emails
If you regularly send multiple payments to the same payee and want to minimize the number of PayShift emails they receive, the best approach is to first send them an Onboarding Invitation.
During onboarding, the payee can verify their bank account details and personal information. After onboarding is complete, you can set their preferred deposit method to ACH.
Once ACH is set as their preferred deposit method:
Payments are automatically shifted at creation.
The PayShift email is no longer sent.
Payments continue directly through the normal ACH workflow.
This is a recommended best practice for payees who receive frequent payments.
💡 To keep in mind: As a best practice, set up your PayShift rules and configure your payees preferred deposit methods before creating or importing your payments.
Sending a PayShift request
Once you have created or imported a payment in the Payments module, if the payee does not have a preferred deposit method, the payment will move into the PayShift tab. This happens after the payment has gone through the required approval and/or signature steps.
The payment will remain in the PayShift tab until the payee chooses how they want to be paid, or until the payee response time expires.
While the payment is in the PayShift tab, you can still take action on it. Depending on your permissions and the payment status, you may be able to void the payment, delete it, or cancel the PayShift request.
Once the payee selects their preferred payment method, you’ll be notified that the payment is ready to be disbursed. At that point, the payment moves to the Disburse tab so your team can complete the process.
Understanding PayShift Icons in the Payments Table
When viewing payments in CashCloud, you may see PayShift icons next to the payment amount. These icons help you quickly understand whether a payment went through PayShift and whether the payee has saved a preferred deposit method.
The purple PayShift icon means the payment has gone through the PayShift flow. This indicates that the payment was created as one payment type and then shifted based on the PayShift rule or the payee’s selected deposit method.
If you see a green checkmark next to the PayShift icon, it means the payee has saved a preferred deposit method. Going forward, future payments for that payee will automatically shift to their preferred method without sending them another PayShift email.
You can hover over the icon to see more details, including how the payment was originally created, what it was shifted to, the shift date, and whether the payee has selected a preferred deposit method.
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