Guide · November 7, 2026

How to pay your subs and always know what you owe

Three subs, five jobs, and half the invoices came by text. At the end of the month you cannot say who is paid and who is waiting. A sub who waits too long stops picking up the phone.

Keep one list of money going out

Clients pay you against an invoice. Your subs deserve the same order. Four rules are enough.

One contract per sub per job, signed before the work starts. It says the scope and the total.
The sub bills against that contract, in writing. Not by voice message.
You never pay more than the contract total without a written change.
Every payment gets a method and a reference: Zelle, check number, cash.

Two questions the list must answer

What do I owe this sub across all jobs? Useful on the day you sit down to pay.
What does labor cost on this one job? Useful before you quote the next one like it.

Keep the tax paper too

Collect a W-9 from each sub before the first payment. In January you need the totals you paid each of them. Ask your accountant which of your subs need a 1099-NEC.

How it works in WorkTime CRM

Your saved subcontractors live in Subs → My partners. Money going out to them is on one page, the Sub Invoices tab.

It lists what the subs submitted from their own portal, the steps of the payment schedule they have not billed yet, and assignments still waiting for a signature. At the top you see Paid out, Owed and how many are pending. A sub cannot invoice more than the contract total.

The "Group by" switch answers both questions. "Subcontractor" shows everything for one sub across all jobs. "Client / Project" shows what labor costs on one job.

To pay, open a submitted invoice and press Pay. Pick Zelle, Check, Cash or Other, and type the check number if there is one. For Zelle the window shows the amount and the sub's details with Copy buttons. Open your bank, send the money there, come back and press "I sent it — mark paid". Only that button marks it paid. The CRM does not move the money itself.

Marking it paid also books the labor expense on the project and emails the sub. At tax time, Accounting builds the 1099-NEC list from the sub invoices you paid in the CRM.

The Estimates page of WorkTime CRM with the tab row: Estimates, Clients, Invoices and Sub Invoices — The tab row: Sub Invoices sits next to Estimates and Invoices. Demo company, made-up people.

Questions

Does WorkTime CRM send the money to my sub?+

No. You pay by Zelle, check or cash. You then press "I sent it — mark paid" so the records are right.

Can I pay a step the sub has not invoiced?+

No. Scheduled steps and unsigned assignments are shown so you can see them, but only a submitted invoice can be paid. There is a "Remind to Invoice" button for the sub.

Does the sub need an account?+

The sub gets a link to a portal where they see their contract and request payment. The page for each sub also has Resend email and Copy link buttons.

💬 Discuss this article

Comments, likes and Ivan's answers live on the original page.

Open the comments →

Work Time CRM

Every lead gets an answer: AI on the phone, estimates from a photo, payments and the whole job in one app.

Try 7 days free →About the CRM