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Agencies & contractors

Great client work.
Clear contractor payments.

For agencies and studios that staff client projects with contractors. Pay from approved hours and milestones, and keep the work behind every amount easy to follow.

Talk through contractor payments Follow one project
Agency colleagues reviewing creative work on a studio display
From the project team to financeThe work reference stays with the payment

Northstar website · NS-204

Pay from approved work.

Maya submits 42 hours for the website project. The project lead approves 38 and queries four. Finance starts with the accepted work and the agreed USD 60 hourly rate.

The agency keeps the approval in its work system. Gruv receives the approved contractor amount with NS-204 attached.

Maya Rao · Website design

Hours submitted
42 hours
Hours approved
38 hours
Agreed hourly rate
USD 60

38 hours × USD 60

USD 2,280

Approved payable · NS-204

What happens to the other four hours?

The project lead resolves the query with Maya in the work system. Finance can prepare another payable for newly approved hours, with its own approval reference. The current USD 2,280 stays traceable to the original 38 hours.

Follow the payment back to the work.

Keep the contractor and work reference beside the amount, through review and into the result.

  1. 01 · Approve

    Accept the work

    Who: Project lead, in your work system

    38 of 42 hours approved

    Approval stays in the tool your agency already uses for timesheets or milestones.

  2. 02 · Prepare

    Carry the approved amount

    Who: Finance

    Maya Rao · USD 2,280

    Work reference NS-204 accompanies the contractor’s payable row in the payout run.

  3. 03 · Review and send

    Check before paying

    Who: Approvers · an authorized team member

    Contractor and payment details

    Review readiness and resolve any item that needs attention. Complete the required approvals, then an authorized team member sends eligible payments.

  4. 04 · Reconcile

    Match the payment result

    Who: Finance

    NS-204 remains attached

    Use the payout state and payment reference to match the outcome to approved work.

A contractor asks about payment. Your team can start with their project reference and the item’s current status, then identify the next action without rebuilding the story from messages.

Connect the rest of your cycle.

Bring contractor setup, payment review and finance follow-up into the conversation.

Contractor onboarding

Connect the engagement, required documents and review before payment.

Explore Contractor onboarding

Run contractor payouts

Review approved amounts and follow individual payment results.

Explore Run contractor payouts

Keep finance records connected

Match work references and payment outcomes for reconciliation.

Explore Keep finance records connected

Working with your own clients? See invoicing for freelancers

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do we approve contractor work?+
Keep work approval in the system your agency already uses for invoices, timesheets, milestones or purchase orders. Pass the approved amount and its reference into the payout row so finance can match the result back to that decision.
Can we begin with a CSV?+
Yes. Import approved contractor payables as CSV or structured items. Each row needs a beneficiary, amount and currency. Include the work reference and relevant project or period details for follow-up.
What happens when a payout needs attention?+
Review the affected item’s status, reason and reference. Resolve the contractor or payment details behind the issue, then follow the next step for that payout. An approved timesheet alone does not clear every payment check.
Does approving hours create a contractor invoice?+
Work approval establishes the amount your agency accepts. Invoice issuance and any self-billing arrangement are separate parts of your contractor setup. Agree who issues the document and what it must contain before using it for billing or tax records.
Does Gruv fund the gap before our client pays?+
This payout workflow does not provide working-capital financing. Plan contractor due dates and available funds alongside your client collection cycle. Keep the approved work reference available to both teams.
What do we agree before the first payment run?+
Confirm contractor requirements, payment methods, countries, currencies, fees and the people who resolve exceptions. Agree tax-document and filing responsibilities for your setup. Start the conversation with how you pay contractors today; no prepared payout file is needed.

Plan your next contractor run.

Tell us how your agency approves work and pays contractors today. We’ll help map the next step.

Talk through contractor payments