For construction and trades
EFT vendor payments for construction companies
Dozens of subcontractors, progress billing, holdbacks and payment deadlines that carry legal weight. Zefty turns the bills you approve in Zoho Books into one EFT 1464 file per run, with the exact amount you decide to release on each bill.
Why construction payables are harder than most
Many subcontractors, many banks
A single project can involve thirty trades, each with its own bank and account. Keying those details into a bank portal, and keeping them current when a sub changes banks, is where errors start.
Progress billing
Subs invoice as work advances, and you pay the certified percentage, not the invoice total. Every payment is a partial payment that must match the certificate and leave the right balance open.
Holdbacks
Lien legislation in most provinces requires a holdback to be retained on each progress payment and released later. The retained amount has to be visible on the bill, not lost in a spreadsheet.
Payment deadlines with consequences
Prompt payment rules and contract terms set hard dates. A rejected bank file discovered on the due date can put you in breach, and a missed sub payment stalls the site.
A progress payment run in Zefty
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Sync approved bills from Zoho Books
Bills entered by your project accountants sync every night and on demand. Point Zefty at a Zoho Books view such as "Certified for payment" so only bills the project manager has approved appear.
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Enter the amount to release on each bill
Type the certified amount net of holdback on each bill. The total of your selection updates in real time so you can match it to the draw before generating.
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Generate the file with the payment date
Choose the payment date your contract terms require and download the file, formatted for your bank. Bills for subs with missing banking details are blocked before the file exists.
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Upload, approve and keep the record
Upload the file in your bank portal and approve it there. Zefty records the released amount in Zoho Books, leaves the holdback as the open balance and keeps the report for the project file.
Features that matter on a job site
Partial payments per bill
Pay the certified amount on each bill and leave the holdback open. The file and the Zoho Books payment both use the partial amount, so the remaining balance is always visible on the bill.
Missing banking details blocked
A sub without complete account, transit and institution numbers in Zoho Books cannot be included. The bill is flagged and held until the vendor record is completed and synced.
Payment date on every run
Choose the date the credits should land when you generate the file. Your bank processes the run on the date your contracts require.
Test mode for new banks and new subs
Validate a file with your bank before any money moves. Test files are marked as tests, kept in your payment history and never recorded in Zoho Books.
Construction companies and Zefty: common questions
Enter the amount net of holdback on the bill before generating the file. Zefty pays that amount and leaves the holdback as the open balance on the bill in Zoho Books. When the holdback is due, select the same bill again and pay the remaining balance in a later run.
Update the vendor's banking details in Zoho Books and sync. The next file uses the new details. Vendor banking data is encrypted at rest in Zefty.
Yes. Each selected bill becomes its own payment in the file, so a sub with three certified invoices receives three credits, each traceable to a bill and a payment in Zoho Books. That keeps the paper trail bill by bill, which is what lien and holdback accounting needs.
No. Zefty prepares the file and updates Zoho Books; your bank portal remains where the file is uploaded, approved and released under the signing rules you already have. Zefty never moves money on its own and never holds your bank login.
Pay your trades on time, with the right amount on every bill
Connect Zoho Books, pick your bank and generate progress payment files that respect holdbacks. Plans from $29 per month in CAD.