> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nyumbazetu.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Owner disbursements

> Pay owners what their statements show is due, with the right account, reference and audit trail.

**Owners → Disbursements → `/owner-disbursements`** <sup>Beta</sup>

A disbursement is money leaving your account for an owner. It settles the **net payable** their
statement shows.

## The disbursement record

| Field                | Meaning                                                        |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Owner**            | Who is being paid.                                             |
| **Amount**           | The payout value.                                              |
| **Method**           | How it is paid — bank transfer, mobile money.                  |
| **Account**          | The owner's payout account. Defaults to their default account. |
| **Reference**        | The outbound transaction reference, for reconciliation.        |
| **Paid at**          | When the money actually left.                                  |
| **Status**           | Where the payout is in its lifecycle.                          |
| **Notes**            | Anything the next person needs to know.                        |
| **Linked statement** | The statement this settles.                                    |
| **Timeline**         | The audit trail of the payout.                                 |

## Running a payout

<Steps>
  <Step title="Generate and review statements first">
    A disbursement without a reviewed statement behind it is a payment nobody can explain. See
    [Owner statements](/guides/owner-statements).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the owner overview">
    `/owner-overview` shows who is due what across the portfolio, before you start.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the thresholds">
    Amounts below the contract's **minimum disbursement** carry forward rather than being paid.
    Negative balances follow the contract's negative-balance handling.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the payout account">
    The owner's default account, unless there is a documented reason to override it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the disbursement">
    Amount, method, account, reference and date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pay, then record the reference">
    The bank or mobile-money reference is what makes the payout reconcilable. A disbursement
    without one is very hard to match later.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Recording a disbursement in the system does **not** move money. It records the intent and the
  outcome; someone still has to execute the payment. Reconcile disbursements against the bank
  statement every cycle so an unpaid-but-recorded payout is caught within days, not months.
</Warning>

## Settlement lag

The contract's settlement lag exists so that receipts have cleared before you pay them out. Paying
ahead of the lag means paying out money you have recorded but not yet actually received —
particularly risky where a large receipt later bounces or is reversed.

## Reconciling

<Steps>
  <Step title="Filter disbursements by date and account">
    One bank account, one statement period.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Match on reference">
    Every disbursement should have a corresponding bank debit.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Investigate both directions">
    A disbursement with no bank debit was never paid. A bank debit with no disbursement is an
    unrecorded payout — the more serious of the two.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the owner ledger">
    After reconciliation, the owner's ledger balance should equal what their latest statement
    carried forward, less anything paid since.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common problems

| Symptom                                         | Cause and fix                                                                                                  |
| ----------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Disbursement cannot be created                  | No default payout account on the owner.                                                                        |
| Amount differs from the statement's net payable | Carried-forward balance, a threshold, or a partial payout. Check the linked statement.                         |
| Owner says they were not paid                   | Check the reference against the bank; then check whether the recorded payout was ever executed.                |
| Duplicate payout                                | Recorded twice, or recorded and also paid manually outside the system. Reconcile before creating anything new. |

## Next steps

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Owner statements" icon="file-invoice-dollar" href="/guides/owner-statements">
    Where the payable figure comes from.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bank accounts" icon="building-columns" href="/guides/bank-accounts">
    The accounts payouts are made from.
  </Card>
</Columns>