1. We Don’t Have Your W-9 On File
The most common reason for delayed payment is a missing or incomplete W-9 form. ABC Legal is unable to issue payment until a valid W-9 has been submitted and processed.
➡️ What to do:
You are prompted to fill out a W9 and EFT during your onboarding process. If you have not done so, you can find links to both of those forms on this page: Pay
*** You can expect your first payment to be issued within 5 to 7 days, depending on the processing times of your banking institution. ***
If you have submitted one, please allow up to 5 business days for our Accounts Payable team to process it. If it has been more than 5 business days, there is a chance there was an issue with the submission. If that's the case, a member of our team will reach out for corrections.
Once your W-9 is on file, payments can be processed for completed and approved work.
2. You Haven’t Resolved Your Assigned Address and Returned the Proof
Payment is only issued after you have:
Fully resolved* the assigned address
Submitted and had your proof of service received by ABC Legal
➡️ What to do: Open the mobile app or web dashboard and make sure you've completed all necessary steps for the assignment. If the proof of service is still pending your signature or hasn’t been uploaded, payment will not be released. Be sure to return the proof via the method required on each individual job. See: Returning Proofs Back to ABC
Job Holds and Payment Delays
A job may be placed on hold under specific circumstances, such as when the subject of the service will be away for more than one week. During this time:
No changes can be made to the job.
Payments cannot be processed until the hold is lifted and the job is reactivated. Once the hold is lifted, you can review the job for updates and proceed with service attempts. If the job is resolved successfully, a proof will be generated, and payment will process after the proof is received.
"Resolved" (per ABC Legal's expectations) = either successfully and compliantly served the documents OR non-served the address by providing adequate evidence it is no longer a good address to serve the defendant at
Compliance and Serve Validation:
Missing demographic details, such as the race of the person served, can invalidate a serve. Ensure all required details are included in your service notes and attach a photo of the coversheet if necessary.
For jobs requiring personal service only, serving someone other than the intended subject (e.g., a family member) will invalidate the job. Always confirm the service requirements before proceeding.
3. There May Be a Technical Issue
In rare cases, there may be a delay caused by a system error. If you’ve resolved the address and see that the proof of service has already generated (but you haven’t yet signed or submitted it), and you do not see any payment pending, it could be a technical issue.
➡️ What to do: Contact Process Server Support so we can review the case and make any necessary corrections.