How to Use Payment Runs in NetSuite to Process Multiple Vendor Payments
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A Payment Run in NetSuite is a feature that groups multiple payables into a single reviewed and approved payment batch. It covers vendor bills, vendor credits, journal entries, and expense reports. A Payment Run moves through four stages: Creation (select the payables to include), Review (verify amounts, vendors, and payment methods), Approval (route through workflow if approval is required), and Processing (generate the payments). Payment Runs integrate with Electronic Bank Payments for EFT and ACH disbursements and with check printing. Navigate to Transactions > Payables > Payment Runs to create a new run. The approval workflow for Payment Runs is configured separately from bill approval workflows; verify that the correct approvers are set up before processing your first run. Using Payment Runs instead of paying bills individually gives AP teams a structured review checkpoint before funds leave the account.
What is a Payment Run?
A Payment Run is a new AP transaction type introduced in NetSuite 2026.2. Instead of paying each vendor bill one at a time, you add multiple payables to a single Payment Run, review the batch, get approvals, and process everything together.
A single Payment Run can include any combination of:
- Vendor bills
- Vendor credits
- Journal entries
- Expense reports
- Bill payments
NetSuite processes the payments using the Bulk Processing Framework. After processing, each source transaction shows the related payment activity on its record, so you can trace which Payment Run settled a given bill without searching through payment history.
What Are the Four Stages of a Payment Run?
Stage 1: Prepare
Create the Payment Run and add the payables you want to include. You can mix record types freely. This is also your first opportunity to review for duplicates.
Stage 2: Review
Before any payment is processed, the full batch is available for review. Remove any items that do not belong in this run, verify totals, and check for duplicate entries. No payment leaves NetSuite until this stage is complete and approved.
Stage 3: Approve
If your account uses an approval workflow for AP, the Payment Run routes through it here. Approvers see the full batch, not individual records, before giving the go-ahead.
Stage 4: Process
NetSuite executes the payments. Each source transaction is updated with the related payment activity from the run.
What Does Payment Runs Integrate With in NetSuite?
Payment Runs are a standard NetSuite record type. They support:
- Permissions and roles: define who can create, review, approve, and process payment runs
- Approval workflows: use your existing NetSuite approval logic
- Custom fields and custom segments: add additional tracking data to payment runs
- Saved searches: report on payment run status, amounts, and history
- SuiteScript: automate or extend payment runs with scripts
- REST web services: integrate with external systems that trigger or read payment runs
- CSV import: import payment run data in bulk
Why Use Payment Runs Instead of Paying Bills Individually?
Efficiency. Processing a batch of vendor payments in one workflow is significantly faster than opening and paying each bill separately, especially for AP teams with high transaction volumes.
Reduced duplicate payment risk. When each payment is an independent transaction, it is easy to accidentally process the same bill twice. The Payment Run review stage makes the full batch visible before anything is paid, giving you a clear opportunity to catch duplicates.
Better traceability. Related payment activity appears on source transactions after processing. You can see at a glance which Payment Run settled a bill without digging through transaction history.
Availability
Payment Runs is new in NetSuite 2026.2. If you do not see it in your account, confirm that your account has been upgraded to the 2026.2 release.
For background on the feature and why it was introduced, see NetSuite Payment Runs: A New AP Workflow for Paying Multiple Vendors at Once.
Related Resources
How to Use Advanced Record Customization (ARC) in NetSuite
Advanced Record Customization (ARC) is a new area in NetSuite 2026.2 under Customization where you can manage AI descriptions for standard and custom record types. Here is how to access it and what you can do.
How to Use the Match Suggestions Tab in NetSuite Bank Reconciliation
NetSuite 2026.2 replaced the Review subtab on the Match Bank Data page with a new Match Suggestions subtab. Here is how to navigate to it, what the five suggested actions mean, and what else changed on the page.
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