Hi there, @BFrancis17.
Welcome to the Community. I appreciate you for sharing detailed information on your concern. I can shed some light on how QuickBooks works and walk you through paying your invoice online.
QuickBooks accounts don't speak to one another. Hence, you won't see that invoice sent to you by your contractor in your QuickBooks account.
The Pay now button on the invoice is a convenient way of paying it online by credit/debit card or ACH bank transfer. You'll just have to click the link in the email and follow the on-screen instructions to pay it.
Another option is to pay your contractors manually by sending them a cash or checks.
Since you're also using QuickBooks Online for your business, record this transaction manually by entering it as a Bill. Here's how:
- Click the + New menu, then select Bill.
- Select a vendor from the Vendor dropdown menu.
- Enter all necessary information in the Category or Item details, then select Save and close.
Then, follow the steps to pay your bills when it's due. Here's our resource that can help you learn about when to use bills, checks, and expenses in QuickBooks Online.
You might also want to get paid faster when your customers received their invoices. Read through this article for more insights: Take and process payments in QuickBooks Online.
Let me know if you have additional questions. We're always delighted to help some more.
