Referee & Assignor Bank Account & Tax Information Setup
Admins should contact referees and/or assignors (referred to as payees in this guide) who want to accept payouts to fill out their payment information and W2. This is done via the profile page under the Payment Settings area of the Payments section.
Entering Bank Account Information
To enter their banking info, the user will need to:
Referees and assignors will follow the path designated below, depending on their role:
For Referees - Log in and select My Account, and then select the Referee. Next, referees will click the Access your Profile button. The referee will be taken into their referee profile, where they can manage their assignment calendar, game reports, and preferences.
For Assignors - Log in and select the Org Profile button.
Once in the profile, select the Payments tab and then Payment Settings. The payee will click Add Payout Method to get started.
3. The payee will then enter in general information such as address, email address, and DOB. Once information is entered, they will click Next.
4. The payee will then add their banking information - bank routing number, account number, and the name on the account. Once complete, click Add.
Note: This information is not stored by OTTO SPORT. It is stored by our payout provider, Trolley. Click here to read more about how Trolley stores account information securely.
Entering Tax Information
Tax information must be entered by all payees. U.S. federal tax law requires tax information to be collected through an IRS Form W-9 or W-8 series and report on certain income paid.
The confirmation page from entering banking account information will have an option for the payee to directly begin the process of entering their tax info.
If the payee begins to submit their tax info directly after entering their banking information, they will click Submit a Tax Form.
If they choose to complete the tax form at a later time, they will access the form by logging in and returning to their profile > Payments area and clicking into Payment Settings view.
2. Tax forms can be submitted through the Trolley interface by clicking the Continue button, or they can be uploaded directly using the upload option in the disclaimer.
3. If the payee is using the Trolley interface, they will need to fill out all required fields and validate the personal information on the first page of the W-9 form.
4. The second page of the W-9 will display a review of their information. The payee will need to verify that the information that is about to be submitted is correct and acknowledge the statements under the certification section. Lastly, they will type their name and click Complete W-9.
5. A confirmation window will appear, letting the payee know that once the W-9 is submitted, no further changes can be made. Click Submit Form. If corrections are needed, the payee can submit a new form.
The successful submission begins the account verification and validation process handled by Trolley. During this process, Trolley will:
Validate the supplied banking information
Account holder name is searched against the AML (Anti Money Laundering) watch lists: OFAC, FBI, SDN, and others
Routing Numbers are validated using ABA Routing Number validation and Account Numbers based on length (format)
Validate the Tax ID and check it against their compliance requirements.
Tax IDs are validated against the IRS Tax Database to ensure that the name and Tax ID provided by the payee are accurate.
Once the compliance checks are completed successfully, the payee’s payout method will be marked as active, and the tax form will be marked as reviewed. This signifies that they are now payable.
Revising Bank or Tax Information
If the provided bank/tax information needs to be edited or corrected, payees can access their details in the Payment Settings view.
They have the option to:
Continue progress on filling out incomplete information
Enter or revise bank details
Enter a new tax form (no edits on submitted forms are allowed)
Check the status of their submitted details
Bank and Tax Information Statuses
The verification and validation of bank and tax information is all handled by Trolley and occurs in a matter of minutes. The status is returned in the Payment Settings view.
If there are no issues with any of the bank or tax information provided, the button next to the bank transfer and tax forms will be flagged in green.
If there is an issue with any of the bank or tax Information provided, the button next to the bank transfer and tax forms will be flagged in yellow with an inactive status. This signifies that the payees must resubmit the data provided. Payees must check this view manually.
Notes:At any time, a person may quit the process and resume where they last saved their progress.
We do not currently support payouts for Canada.
Payouts
Funding Assignor & Referee Payouts using specific Bank Accounts
The ability to set banking account information per competition is available, so referee and assignor batch payouts can be funded from specific accounts as needed per competition. Organizations can have multiple bank accounts added to ensure payouts are funded appropriately for each competition.
Adding Additional Bank Accounts for Referee or Assignor Payouts
If you would like to have access to multiple referee or assignor payout funding accounts, email billing@ottosport.ai.
Once you have your bank accounts set up in OTTO Sport, you can now designate which account you wish payouts to be drafted from for each competition your organization is hosting.
Designating Bank Account Info for Payouts for Competitions
On the navigation, click Programs > choose your program > Program Info > Select Funding Account.
The Funding Account drop-down will list all bank accounts that have been set up for funding as directed by your organization. Select the appropriate account from the drop-down and click Confirm.
Note: If you are not utilizing multiple banking accounts to fund payouts, the default bank account on record will be set as the default account for payouts
Once saved, the Banking Info will be listed under the Financial Settings section. The account nickname and the last four digits of the account number will display.
Reviewing and Disbursing Payouts
Referee and assignor payout permissions are automatic for all Full Admins. If an assignor should be granted permission to create payout batches, the permission can be turned on by editing the permissions for the assignor’s profile.
Admins can first go to the Reports > Referee > Referee Reports > Assignment Payouts Report to view the list of all completed assignments per payee or view payouts by status using the Status dropdown menu. Before the payout occurs, the admin has the ability to modify the payout status, payout amount, make a remark about the payout, or set the disbursement type to In-Person or Via Batch. This is all done via the edit icon underneath the Row Actions column.
When selecting the edit icon, the following options will display for modification:
Status
Payable: Allows the payout to be included in a batch
Review: Holds the payout from being included in a batch until a manual review is done and marked payable or canceled.
Canceled: Prevents the payout from being included in a batch. Canceled payouts can be set to Review or Payable anytime.
Disbursement Types
Via Batch: Allows the payout to be included in a batch
In - Person: Prevents the payout batch because the admin intends for the payee to be paid in person (not through direct deposit).
Payout Amount
The amount the payee will receive for completing the assignment. This can be modified and is originally sourced from the Role Pay on the Game Assignment Template.
Remark
Textbox for admins to note reasons for changes
The Assignment Payouts report also includes other important information related to completing a payout. Specifically, the Account Verified column and the Batch Date column:
Account Verified: There are two potential statuses - Yes or No. Yes means the payee has completed their account setup steps successfully. No signifies they have not. Those payees with a status of No are NOT eligible for batch (direct deposit) payments.
Batch Date: By default, the report will filter the list of completed assignments that have not been batched. Batched means grouped and paid out. This filter can be removed from the report to show all payouts that have occurred.
Payout Status Changes based on Game Assignment Modifications
When a referee accepts a game assignment, a payout record is automatically created with a status of ‘Payable’, which can change based on modifications that may be made to the assignment. Review the possible scenarios below to understand how the payout status will change:
For games in the past:
If a referee is manually removed from an assignment, the payout record will change to a status of ‘Review’.
If a referee is manually removed from an assignment, and another referee then accepts the same role, the original referee’s payout record will change to a status of ‘Canceled’.
For game start times of 24 hours or sooner:
If a referee has accepted a game assignment and is then removed (either manually or via a game change trigger), the payout status will automatically be updated to 'Review'.
The outlier to this scenario is if another referee accepts the game role. If this occurs, the assigned initial referee's payout status will change to ‘Canceled.’
For game start times greater than 24 hours:
If a referee has accepted a game assignment and is then removed (either manually or via a game change trigger), the payout status will automatically update to 'Canceled'.
Email notifications will be sent out to referees letting them know their assignment status has changed for all scenarios outlined above.
Administrators can run a report of all payout records, with an option to filter on the status (e.g., “Review”) before processing a payout batch to ensure all payouts that need to be included in a batch have been marked as “Payable”.
Generating Payouts via Direct Deposit using the Program Funding Account
If the admin has set payouts with a disbursement type of Via Batch, the following steps must be taken in order to create batches:
The full admin will navigate to the Reports tab and select the Payment Batches report. This report will initially display all payment batches. To create a new payment batch, click the mini menu and select Add Payment Batch.
2. Select your funding account from the drop-down menu. All pending payouts for competitions that are associated with the selected funding account will be displayed. Select the payouts you want to include in the batch and click Save.
Note: Any referees or assignors who are ineligible to be paid out will be unable to be selected.
3. Once all payouts have been selected for the batch, the admin will review the Pay Batch summary, which displays a system-generated pay batch number, the total amount to be paid, total fees, totals to be debited, and the number of recipients. Select either Submit for Processing, which will begin processing the batch for payouts for the selected assignments, or Save for Later. Click here for more details on the effects of selecting Submit for Processing/ Save for Later.
4. Choosing Save for Later will then list the batch on the Payment Batches view in a Pending status, where you can either further modify or submit the batch. Use the Edit Payment Batch icon to modify the assignments to be paid out within the designated batch.
5. Use the boxes to deselect any assignments that need to be removed from the batch. Once done editing, click Save.
Note: The funding account for the batch is locked for further editing.
6. Once ready to submit the pending batch, click the Submit Payment Batch icon. The Pay Batch Summary will display on the screen, review the payout detail information in the dialog box, and select Submit for Processing.
If choosing Submit for Processing:
Instantly sends the batch off for processing. The status of the batch in the report will update to ‘Submitted’.
The client account is debited (based on the Juno bank account settings). The status of the batch in the report will update to ‘Debited’.
The funds are then released to the payees. This process takes at most 7 business days from debiting to payment being made available in a payee’s bank account. The status of the batch in the report will update to ‘Paid’.
Batch Processing Failures:
If a payee’s account is invalid or rejects the payment, then the entire batch status will change to ‘Partial’.
The individual payout for the payee will be updated to reflect a ‘Returned’ status. This action will immediately mark the payee as ‘Not Payable’ until corrections are made with their bank information on record. The failure can occur up to 21 days after the post-batch processing request.
This will trigger an email to the payee and the batch submitter notifying them of the failed attempt.
Once a payee’s bank account information has been corrected, all payments in a Returned status for the payee will automatically be reprocessed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. If the payee’s payment is still not processed, contact support @ottosport.ai for assistance.
If all Returned payout records are updated to Paid, then the entire batch status will also update to Paid.
If a payee’s record is not corrected within 90 days of being in a Returned status, the payment record will be updated to Failed. Payment batches that include a failed status with no Returned statuses will be marked as Paid. Once a payment record fails, a reverse payment will be created and sent back to the funding account. This reverse payout record will be visible in the payment batch report and will be completed by the OTTO Sport billing team.
If choosing Save for Later:
Allows admin to go back to the Payout Report and send the batch when they are ready. The status of the batch in the report will update to ‘Pending’.
When the admin is ready to submit a prepared batch, they click the Submit Payment Batch button in the report view. This action will force the admin to confirm the batch amount again and have them elect to Submit the batch for processing. The steps above under ‘Submit for Processing’ then begin.
Generating Payments via In-Person
If the admin sets some payouts with a Disbursement Type as In-Person, the payout will remain in the Referee Payouts report at this time. Admins can choose to add a remark to this view if desired to indicate that the payout has occurred.
Referees' Access to Pending and Applied Payments
Referees can view a history of their payout history via the Referees > Reports > Assignment History. The role, pay, amount due, and amount paid are available for all completed game assignments.
Assignor Access to Pending and Applied Payments
Assignors can view a history of their payout history via their account by selecting Assignor > My Payouts view. The role pay, amount due, and amount paid are available for all completed game assignments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Admin Controls
What happens if debiting a client’s account fails?
The batch would be marked as failed, and payees will not be paid. The payouts would be released from the batch so they can be added to a new batch when the client is ready.
How many days does it take to debit a client’s account?
It takes 3 business days for a processed batch to settle with OTTO Sport. This occurs on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week. A batch will be in the Submitted state until the account is debited, and the status will update to Debited
How do Admins view all completed payouts?
The payment batches report will show all batches and their status. Also, in the Referee Payouts report, you can filter on all payouts that have been batched by date.
What happens if a game assignment is modified? Will it change the referee’s payout status?
Yes, click here for more information on how payout statuses change when assignments are modified.
How do Role Amounts get set?
Role amounts are set in the game crew templates, which can also be overridden at the individual game level.
What happens if a Role Amount gets modified via the Template after a Payout Batch has been created?
There is no impact on previously scheduled payouts when game crew templates are edited
How do Admins cancel a Pending Batch?
Admins can edit a pending batch that has been “Saved for Later” and remove all of the payout line items from the batch.
How do Admins modify a Pending Batch?
Admins can edit a pending batch that has been “saved for later” and remove any of the payout line items from the batch, then resubmit.
What permissions are needed to create payouts?
Referee and assignor payout permissions are automatic for all Full Admins. If an assignor should be granted permissions to create payout batches, the permission can be turned on by editing the permissions for the assignor’s profile.
How many days after debiting a client’s account does it take for the payee to access their funds?
After an account is debited, payouts will be released to a payee’s bank account on the next Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. The funds will show up in the account of the payee, depending on the bank.
What happens when payment to an individual fails?
If a payee’s account is invalid or rejects the payment, then the entire batch status will change to ‘Partial’.
The individual payout for the payee will be updated to reflect a ‘Returned’ status. This action will immediately mark the payee as ‘Not Payable’ until corrections are made with their bank information on record. The failure can occur up to 21 days after the post-batch processing request.
This will trigger an email to the payee and the batch submitter notifying them of the failed attempt.
Once a payee’s bank account information has been corrected, all payments in a Returned status for the payee will automatically be reprocessed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. If the payee’s payment is still not processed, contact support@ ottosport.ai for assistance.
If all Returned payout records are updated to Paid, then the entire batch status will also update to Paid.
If a payee’s record is not corrected within 90 days of being in a Returned status, the payment record will be updated to Failed. Payment batches that include a failed status with no Returned statuses will be marked as Paid. Once a payment record fails, a reverse payment will be created and sent back to the funding account. This reverse payout record will be visible in the payment batch report and will be completed by the Demosphere billing team.
Payees (Referees and Assignors)
When will the payee have access to their funds?
After an account is debited, payouts will be released to a payee's bank account on the next Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. The funds will show up in the account of the payee, depending on the bank. The timing on this will start 2-3 business days after the payment status is marked as Paid. This status is found under the My Payouts report.
What happens if a payee’s bank or tax information is incorrect?
If the bank or tax information is rejected or no longer valid, the payee’s assignments can not be included in the batch. This includes individuals with foreign tax IDs.
If the information is accepted, but is incorrect, the payment will be processed to the account provided. The likelihood of this happening is extremely low, but if it does occur, the funds will be lost.
What will payees see in their bank accounts when payments are made?
They will see something similar to the following on their bank statement: “Corporate ACH 0065658 Demosphere 65658- 2526144”