Disbursement Flow

Disbursement requests (DRs) are the core financial transaction in SeedTrust. Understanding this flow is critical because it connects the client-facing experience (uploading receipts) to the staff workflow (approving payments).

The Full Flow

GC Uploads Receipt → DR Created → Queue (sorted by urgency) → Staff Review → Approve/Reject → ACH Batch

1. Receipt Upload (GC Mobile Flow)

GC taps “Upload Receipt” from their dashboard
Camera opens or file picker appears
GC selects an expense category (tied to their contract allowances)
Enters the amount and optional notes
Submits — this creates a Disbursement Request

2. Category & Allowance Rules

Available expense categories depend on which journey milestones have been reached:

Milestone	Categories Unlocked
Contract Signed	Legal fees, agency fees
Medical Clearance	Medical expenses, travel
Confirmed Pregnant	Maternity clothing, monthly compensation
Heartbeat Confirmed	Increased payment tier
Birth	Final compensation, closing costs

Some allowances have caps — for example, “Maternity Clothing: $500 max.” The system tracks spend against these caps and prevents over-submission.

Certain categories require itemized receipt breakdowns (not just a total).

3. DR Queue (Payments Team)

Approved DRs appear in the payments team queue, sorted by:

Rush flag — GC marked the request as urgent need
Age — auto-escalated if pending longer than 48 hours
Amount — certain thresholds require supervisor approval

4. Review & Approval

Staff reviews each DR by:

Comparing the receipt against contract terms
Verifying the expense category and amount
Checking remaining allowance balance
Approving or rejecting with notes

5. Batch Processing

Approved DRs are batched for ACH processing. The batch cycle and timing depend on operational schedules.

Escalation Rules

Condition	Action
Pending > 48 hours	Auto-escalate to supervisor
Amount > threshold	Requires supervisor approval
Rush flag	Moves to top of queue
Allowance cap exceeded	Auto-reject with notification