Your payout settings decide where your money lands. This guide explains every field on the payout form, what happens after you save, and the difference between the two ways OrdaBill settles payments.

Pick your payout destination

You choose one of four destinations in Payout Settings. Whichever you pick, payments settle automatically to it.

  • Bank account — pick your bank from the list, type the bank account number (10–12 digits, as printed on your statement) and the account holder name exactly as the bank records it. For a business account that is usually the company name; for a personal account, your full name.
  • M-PESA number — the M-PESA phone number that should receive your payouts. Any format works (0712345678, +254712345678); we store it in the international form.
  • M-PESA Till — your business Till number (the shortcode you use to collect at a Till).
  • M-PESA Paybill — two numbers: the business Paybill (shortcode) number and the account number under the paybill that the money should be routed to. Paybills route money by account number, and many reject payments that arrive without one.

The most common reason payouts fail on a bank destination is an account name that does not match the bank's records, or a number typed with a missing digit. Check both against your bank app before saving. For M-PESA destinations the number must be correct and the account must be able to receive money (personal wallet, Till or Paybill registered to you).

You can switch destinations at any time. OrdaBill creates a fresh settlement account for the new destination and retires the old one, so future payments go where you expect.

What happens when you save

OrdaBill does not hold your payout details as loose data. It creates a settlement account (a "subaccount") with Paystack, our payment provider, linked to your destination — bank account, M-PESA number, Till or Paybill. That is what the compliance item Payout account verified confirms — it turns green automatically once Paystack accepts the details. You do not need to do anything else for that item.

You can change the account later: open the same form, update the details and save. The new account is verified again on the next save, and payouts already in progress are not affected.

How settlement works: split vs held

There are two ways your share of a payment reaches you, and OrdaBill picks the right one automatically:

  • Split (normal): once your payout settings are saved, every payment through your payment links is split at the moment it is made. Your share is settled straight to your chosen destination (bank, M-PESA wallet, Till or Paybill) by Paystack, and our commission stays with OrdaBill.
  • Held (before your payout settings exist): if a customer pays before you have saved payout details, we keep only our commission and hold your share safely. The moment your payout settings are saved, the held balance is paid out to your bank automatically — and if anything is left over, you can settle it from the payout page.

Held balances and "Settle now"

If a customer pays before your payout details are saved, we keep only our commission and hold your share safely. That amount appears as Available to settle on the Payout Settings page:

  • Saving your payout details settles it automatically, or
  • Press Settle now on the Payout Settings page to pay it out immediately.

If Paystack requires approval for a transfer, the page says the transfer is awaiting approval. Approve it in your Paystack dashboard and press Settle now again — the payout is never created twice for the same balance.

When will the money be in my bank?

Bank transfers usually take 1–2 business days to reflect after settlement; M-PESA payouts typically arrive faster. If it has been longer, check the details on this page, then contact support with the payment reference (you can find it under Payments in your dashboard).

Security

Your payout details are only used to create the settlement account with Paystack — they are never shown to your customers, and only the destination type and the masked number are visible in your own dashboard. If you suspect someone has changed your payout destination, contact support immediately.

See also: the compliance and payout FAQ and the compliance checklist guide.