Explore

Payout

A Payout is a collection of Worker Fees (e.g., from tasks worked on in a given month) that the manager wants to settle all at once. This approach gives managers a clear, consolidated view of fees owed, simplifies comparing different users’ payments, and allows analysis of how various fee types (Hourly, Frame, etc.) are distributed across the workforce.

By grouping Worker Fees for a specific time frame and user, you unify multiple approved tasks into a single Payout. This concept:

Reduces Administrative Overhead: One action replaces multiple small payments.

Enhances Reporting: Offers aggregated views of how many hours or frames each user contributed.

Facilitates Cross-User Comparisons: Encourages data-driven decisions regarding team performance and resource allocation.

⁠

1. Overview

Payout

A collection of Worker Fees (e.g., from tasks completed in a given month) that the manager intends to pay all at once.

Each Payout is associated with a single user, but can include multiple Worker Fees.

Why Payouts?

Streamlines Batch Payouts: Instead of approving and paying individual tasks one by one, managers can approve a batch of tasks in one go.

Enables Clear Summaries: A Payout can be displayed as a single entry, yet still provides a detailed breakdown of the tasks and Worker Fees included.

Comparison and Reporting: Managers can compare Payouts across multiple users, seeing who worked on what type of task, how many hours or frames, and for which period.

⁠

2. Workflow

2.1 Task and Worker Fee Approval

Normal Task Completion

The user finishes tasks (Hourly, Frame Fee, or Fixed).

The manager marks these tasks/Worker Fees as Approved when satisfied with the work.

Filter by Date or Criteria

Typically, the manager filters tasks from a specific date range (e.g., “This month’s tasks for User X”) that are now Approved but not yet paid.

2.2 Creating a Payout

Select Approved Worker Fees

In the finance interface, the manager highlights all Approved Worker Fees for a user that should be paid together.

Click “Create Payout”

This action bundles the selected Worker Fees into a new Payout.

Payout-Level Details

Name/Identifier: e.g., “John Doe – August 2025 Payment”

Pay Period: e.g., 01/08/2025 – 31/08/2025

Status: The new Payout might start as “Pending Payment.”

Notes: A text field where the manager can add relevant details (e.g., “Monthly VFX tasks—Frame Fee + Hourly combined”).

Withholding tax(amount / %) - The tax withheld at source from a payout, stated as both an amount and a percentage.

2.3 Managing the Payout

Overview vs. Detail View

Overview: Shows all Payouts for all users, including total amounts, primary date range, and status.

Detail View: Expands a single Payout to show each included Worker Fee.

Summaries Within the Payout

Sub-totals by Fee Type (Hourly, Fixed, Frame).

When hovering over a Fee Type, show sub-totals by Task Type (e.g., Rotoscoping, Animation).

Totals for frames worked, hours logged, or fixed fees agreed upon.

2.4 Executing the Payout

Payment Execution

Once the Payout is confirmed, the manager or finance team triggers the payment in their accounting system.

The Payout status can then be updated to Paid, indicating the entire batch is settled.

Single Payment Record

You can store a single reference (e.g., invoice #, transaction ID) that applies to all tasks within the Payout.

⁠

3. Use Cases and Benefits

End-of-Month Payroll

A manager checks all tasks completed in the last month, marks them as Approved, then forms a Payout for each user.

Streamlines the payout process into a single action per user, rather than paying task-by-task.

Flexible Intra-Month Payments

If a user needs a mid-month payment, the manager can create a smaller Payout with the tasks completed so far.

Analytical Insights

By grouping Worker Fees, the studio can easily see how costs break down among different tasks or cost centers (Frame Fee vs. Hourly vs. Fixed).

Helps management evaluate user productivity and project cost distribution.

⁠

4. Key Considerations and Potential Enhancements

Avoid Double Payments

Once a Worker Fee is assigned to a Payout, ensure it cannot be included in another Payout.

Partial or Multiple Payouts

If a manager creates two Payouts in the same month for a user (e.g., partial mid-month, final end-of-month), the system must handle that scenario gracefully.

Status Flow

Payouts could have statuses like Pending, Approved for Payment, Paid, Cancelled.

Worker Fees inside the Payout might adopt the Payout’s status or remain individually set to “Approved.”

Integration with Advance Payments

If you also implement advance payments, the Payout’s final amount might automatically be reduced by any user-level advances for that period.

Bulk Editing

Consider a convenient interface for managers to filter tasks by user and date, then create or update Payouts in bulk.

Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.

Try clicking the ··· in the right corner or using a keyboard shortcut (

CtrlP

) instead.