Hello Ficos Merchants! If you employ contract drivers who are paid per delivery, keeping track of who is owed what can be a significant challenge. Manual tracking on paper or in spreadsheets is time-consuming and prone to errors.
To solve this, we’ve built a powerful Driver Payouts system directly into Ficos. This tool automatically tracks the earnings for each of your contract drivers and provides a simple, professional workflow to record their payments, ensuring your financial records are always accurate and up-to-date.
How Driver Payouts Work in Ficos #
The system is fully automated and based on the settings you’ve chosen for your staff.
- Automatic Earnings Accrual: When a staff member designated as a “Contract Driver” (paid per delivery) successfully marks a delivery as “Delivered,” Ficos automatically calculates their fee for that trip (based on your delivery zones) and adds it to their unpaid balance.
- Centralized Tracking: The Driver Payouts screen gives you a single place to see the total amount owed to every contract driver at a glance.
- Integrated with Expenses: When you record a payment to a driver, Ficos automatically creates a corresponding entry in your Expenses module under the “Driver Payouts” category. This provides a complete, professional audit trail for your business accounting.
- Driver Transparency: Your drivers can also see their own earnings history, including which deliveries have been paid and which are still pending, directly in their Ficos app.
A Closer Look at the Driver Payouts Screen #
The Driver Payouts screen is your command center for this workflow.
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- The Summary List:
- What it is: The main view, which shows a list of all your contract drivers who have an outstanding balance. For each driver, you can see their name and the total amount you currently owe them.
- The Summary List:
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- The Detail View:
- What it is: Tapping on any driver in the summary list opens a detailed, itemized list of every single unpaid delivery they have completed, including the date, order number, and the fee earned for each trip.
- The Detail View:
- Record Payment Function:
- What it is: The action you take to pay a driver. This opens a simple form where you can confirm the payment amount, select the payment method (e.g., Cash, Bank Transfer), and add any internal notes.
Step 1: Navigate to the Driver Payouts Screen #
Accessing your payout summary is easy.
- From your main Dashboard, tap on Online Store.
- On the Online Store Dashboard, find the “Management Shortcuts” card and tap on Driver Payouts.
Step 2: Review Unpaid Balances #
On the main Driver Payouts screen, you will see a list of all your contract drivers with pending payments.
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- See the Big Picture: Quickly scan the list to see the total amount owed to each driver.
- Drill Down for Details: Tap on a specific driver to see a complete, itemized breakdown of all the unpaid deliveries that make up their total balance. This is perfect for verifying amounts with your driver before making a payment.
Step 3: Record a Payment #
When you are ready to pay a driver, follow these steps to keep your records clean.
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- From the driver’s detailed view, tap the “Record Manual Payment” button.
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- Fill Out the Payment Form:
- Amount: The form will automatically be pre-filled with the driver’s total outstanding balance. You can adjust this if you are making a partial payment.
- Payment Method: Select how you paid the driver (e.g., Cash, Bank Transfer).
- Notes: Add any internal notes for your records (e.g., “Weekly Payout – May Week 1”).
- Fill Out the Payment Form:
- Confirm the Payout: Tap the “Confirm Payout” button.
What Happens Next? The Automation Flow #
The moment you confirm a payout, Ficos does the accounting work for you:
- All of the driver’s unpaid delivery records are marked as “Paid.”
- A new expense record is automatically created in your Expenses module under the “Driver Payouts” category.
- The driver’s unpaid balance is reset to zero.
- The driver can see in their app that the deliveries have been paid.
Conclusion #
The Driver Payouts Management system is designed to bring professionalism, accuracy, and efficiency to your delivery operations. By automating earnings tracking and integrating payouts with your expenses, Ficos saves you administrative time and provides a clear, auditable record of your delivery costs, helping you run a more profitable business. For more helpful tips, visit the Ficos Documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Does this feature work for salaried (Internal Staff) drivers? #
No. This automated tracking system is designed specifically for staff members you have designated as “Contract Drivers” (paid per delivery). Salaried employees are not tracked in this module, as their compensation is handled outside of the per-delivery fee structure.
How is the fee for each delivery calculated? #
The fee is calculated automatically based on the Delivery Zones you have configured. When a driver marks an order as “Delivered,” Ficos determines which zone the customer’s address falls into and logs the corresponding fee for that zone in the driver’s payout ledger.
Can I make a partial payment to a driver? #
Yes. When you tap “Record Manual Payment,” the amount field is pre-filled with the total balance owed. However, you can edit this amount to a smaller number if you are making a partial payment. Please note that recording a payment marks all currently unpaid deliveries as “Paid.”
Where can I see a history of all the payouts I've made? #
All recorded payouts are automatically created as expenses. You can see a complete history by navigating to the Expenses module in your Ficos app and filtering by the “Driver Payouts” category.
Can my drivers see their payment status? #
Yes. The Ficos app provides a dedicated section for drivers where they can view their own earnings history. They can see an itemized list of all their completed deliveries and a clear status for each one (Paid or Unpaid), ensuring full transparency.
