Understanding Payments and Reconciliation
How Payments Enter Paymely
Paymely receives payment notifications via inbound email. When a customer sends a payment confirmation (Interac transfer, payment screenshot, etc.) to your dedicated payment address (pay.paymely.app), the AI analyzes the content.
The Automatic Reconciliation Process
Step 1 — Email Received
The customer sends an email with their proof of payment to the address configured for your company.
Step 2 — AI Analysis
The AI automatically extracts:
- The sender's name
- The sender's email address
- The amount mentioned (if present)
- Payment references (transaction number, etc.)
Step 3 — Customer Matching
The AI searches your customer database for a match on two mandatory criteria:
- Email — the sender's email address must match
- Full name — the sender's name must match (approximately)
Security rule: A single match (email alone or name alone) is not sufficient for automatic approval. Both must match.
Step 4 — Decision
| Scenario | Result |
|---|---|
| Email ✓ + Name ✓ | ✅ Auto-approved — balance updated, reminders stopped |
| Email ✓ + Name ✗ | 🔍 Human review queue |
| Email ✗ + Name ✓ | 🔍 Human review queue |
| No match | ❌ Unmatched — visible in unmatched payments |
The Human Review Queue
Payments in the review queue are visible in Payments → Review Queue.
For each pending payment:
- Review the information extracted by the AI
- Compare with your customer database
- Click Approve (choose the customer) or Reject
Once manually approved:
- The customer's balance is updated
- Reminders stop
- The event is logged in the history
Add a Payment Manually
If you receive a payment outside email (cash, cheque, direct transfer):
- Go to Payments → Record Payment
- Select the customer
- Enter the amount and date
- Confirm — the balance is updated immediately
Payment Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Approved | Payment confirmed, balance updated |
| Pending Review | In human review queue — waiting for manual decision |
| Manually Assigned | Manually matched to a customer and approved |
| Rejected | Manually rejected (duplicate, error, fraud) |
| Extraction Failed | AI could not extract payment data from the email |
Payment History
Each approved payment is visible in the customer's profile under Payment History, and in the Review Queue (filter: Approved). Details include:
- Date and time
- Amount
- Method (AI automatic or manual)
- Associated customer
- Source email (if applicable)
Frequently Asked Questions
Customer paid but status is still "On Track"? Check that the confirmation email was received and processed. If not, add the payment manually.
AI misidentified a customer? Reject the auto-approved payment, manually correct the association, and verify that the customer's email in their profile is up to date.
How do I configure the receiving address? The receiving address is configured in Settings → Payments. Contact support if you need a custom subdomain.