---
title: "How do I mark a bill as paid if I paid it outside Cleo Pay?"
description: "Open the bill and choose Mark as Paid Manually. Pick how you paid, add a note or a receipt if you like, and click Mark as Paid. No money moves through Cleo Pay; the bill is recorded as Paid."
url: https://cleo-pay.com/help/mark-a-bill-paid-outside-cleo-pay
category: "Bills and approvals"
audience: [business]
updated: 2026-10-22
support: support@cleo-pay.com
---

# How do I mark a bill as paid if I paid it outside Cleo Pay?

> Open the bill and choose Mark as Paid Manually. Pick how you paid, add a note or a receipt if you like, and click Mark as Paid. No money moves through Cleo Pay; the bill is recorded as Paid.

If you paid a bill by check, wire, cash or some other way outside Cleo Pay, open the bill and choose **Mark as Paid Manually**. Pick the payment method, add a description or proof of payment if you want, and click **Mark as Paid**. The bill moves to Paid. No money moves through Cleo Pay.

## Before you start

- The bill has to be Awaiting Payment. If it's still Awaiting Approval, it needs to be approved first. See [How bill approvals work](https://cleo-pay.com/help/how-bill-approvals-work).
- You can't mark a bill paid while a Cleo Pay payment for it is on the way, scheduled or held.
- You need permission to pay bills. Admins always have it. If your approval workflow has a payment step, you need to be on that step.
- If your account requires categories, every line needs one first. The bill tells you what's missing.

## How to mark a bill paid

1. Click **Pay** in the sidebar and open the bill. You can also use the row's menu in the list.
2. Click **Mark as Paid Manually**.
3. Under **Payment Method**, choose how you paid: Cash, Check, Credit Card, Venmo, Wire Transfer or Zelle. This is optional.
4. Add a **Description (optional)**, like the check number or a wire confirmation. Up to 500 characters.
5. Under **Proof of Payment (optional)**, upload receipts or bank statements. You can add up to 5 files, 5MB each, as PDF, JPEG or PNG.
6. Click **Mark as Paid**.

You'll see "Invoice marked as paid".

## What it records

- The bill's status changes to Paid.
- A completed payment is saved on the bill with the method and description you entered. Cleo Pay doesn't send any money.
- Any files you uploaded are saved on the bill as proof of payment.
- The activity log shows "Marked as paid" with your name.
- Cleo Pay emails the vendor that the invoice was marked as paid.

There's no button to undo it, so check the bill before you confirm.

## QuickBooks

If QuickBooks Online is connected and **Auto-create bill payments** is on, Cleo Pay records a bill payment in QuickBooks for it, the same as for a payment sent through Cleo Pay. If that setting is off, nothing is sent to QuickBooks. See [How to connect QuickBooks Online to Cleo Pay](https://cleo-pay.com/help/connect-quickbooks-online).

## If it doesn't work

If you don't see **Mark as Paid Manually**, check that the bill is Awaiting Payment and nothing is already on its way. If you marked the wrong bill, or you still can't do it, email support@cleo-pay.com with the vendor name, the invoice number and the amount.