If the Local Partner has an existing Bill.com account, please email ap@pilot.com with: 

• A copy of the Local Partner’s W-9

• The Local Partner’s Bill.com Payment Network ID (PNI)

If the Local Partner does not have an existing Bill.com account, please email ap@pilot.com with: 

• A copy of the Local Partner’s W-9

• The email address that the Local Partner wishes to use for account setup. 

Once received, the Pilot AP team will send an account invitation to the preferred email address for the Local Partner to create a new account.

The Pilot AP team uses Bill.com to process payments for Local Partners and requires the following information to set up each Local Partner prior to the first payment:

If the Local Partner has an existing Bill.com account, please email ap@pilot.com with: 

• A copy of the Local Partner’s W-9

• The Local Partner’s Bill.com Payment Network ID (PNI)

If the Local Partner does not have an existing Bill.com account, please email ap@pilot.com with: 

• A copy of the Local Partner’s W-9

• The email address that the Local Partner wishes to use for account setup. 

Once received, the Pilot AP team will send an account invitation to the preferred email address for the Local Partner to create a new account.

For each Local Partner, the Pilot Accounting team will create a Google Sheet to track all the Platform Client payments collected by Pilot. The Platform Client payments are as defined in your Local Partner Agreement, including Platform Revenue share fees and Pilot Referral fees.

The Platform Client payments received each month will be tracked in separate tabs in the Google Sheet. The Local Partner will be granted commenter-level access to the Google Sheet following the first month that Pilot has collected payments from your Platform Client(s). 

The Local Partner will be paid out by Pilot following the process defined below: 

1. The Pilot Accounting team will update the Google Sheet by the 2nd business day (excluding holidays) of each month, reflecting Platform Client payments received during the prior month. The Local Partner will be notified via email when the Google Sheet is ready for review. 

2. The Local Partner will have the 3rd and 4th business days (excluding holidays) of the month to review the calculations and supporting data in the latest Google Sheet tab. During this review window, any questions or discrepancies must be raised with Pilot immediately via Zulip in the channel topic “Billing” to ensure resolution before the invoice deadline.

3. Once all questions or discrepancies, if any, are resolved, the Local Partner will create an invoice listing the Platform Client payments received, minus the 30% fee on Platform Revenue collected due to Pilot, and submit the invoice to ap@pilot.com by the end of the 4th business day (excluding holidays) of the month. Submissions after this invoice deadline may take additional time to process payment. 

   a. Please see an invoice example with the format and details we require here.

4. If the invoice is received on time via email by the Pilot AP team, it will be reviewed, approved, and processed for payment by the 6th business day (excluding holidays) of the month. If the invoice is received late by the Pilot AP team, this may result in additional time to process payment.

Example timeline, for June 2025 Platform Client payments received:

1. The Pilot Accounting will update and notify the Local Partner of the updated Google Sheet by July 2nd. 

2. The Local Partner will have July 3rd and 7th to review the latest Google Sheet tab.

3. The Local Partner will submit the invoice to ap@pilot.com by the end of July 7th.

4. The invoice will be reviewed, approved and processed for payment by July 9th.

For details on the products available for quoting bookkeeping engagements under the Local Partner program, please refer to the Quotable products tab.

The client billing frequency, timing, and generation method for each type of bookkeeping product is as defined: 

• Local Partner Monthly Close Subscription

  • Frequency: Monthly

  • Timing: On the Contract Start Date, then on the 1st of the month thereafter

  • Billing generation: Auto-generated monthly
    

Local Partner Hourly Services

• Two billing cadence options

  1. Completed services - Billed in arrears 

     • Frequency: Monthly

     • Timing: Local Partner to submit completed hours in this Google Form by the 2nd business day (excluding holidays) of the following month to have clients billed in that same month. 

       • Example timeline: Local Partner submits June 2025 completed hours on July 2nd. The Pilot AR team bills the client in July 2025. 

     • Billing generation: Manual - requires Local Partner input via Google Form

  2. Prepaid services - Billed in advance 

     • Frequency: Monthly

     • Timing: Local Partner to submit prepaid hours in this Google Form by the 2nd business day (excluding holidays) of the month to have clients billed in that same month. 

       • Example timeline: Local Partner submits June 2025 prepaid hours on June 3rd. The Pilot AR team bills the client in June 2025. 

       • Billing generation: Manual - requires Local Partner input via Google Form

• Local Partner Onboarding

  • Frequency: One time

  • Timing: On the Contract Start Date

  • Billing generation: Auto-generated upon contract activation

• Local Partner Bookkeeping Catch-Up

  • Frequency: One time

  • Timing: On the Contract Start Date

  • Billing generation: Auto-generated upon contract activation

• Local Partner Bookkeeping Discount

  • Frequency: Monthly, for the first 12 months

  • Timing: On the 1st of the month

  • Billing generation: Auto-generated monthly

1. Access to your Pilot account

2. Access to the client’s QuickBooks Online (QBO) account:

   1. If the client owns the QBO account, ensure you have done the following:

      1. Had them invite you as an Accountant user

      2. Accepted the invite

   2. If you are setting up a new QBO account for the client, ensure you have done the following:

      1. Determined the level of QBO needed

      2. Discussed who will own/pay for the subscription

      3. Created the client in your QBOA console

3. A list of financial institutions/accounts to be reconciled (e.g., banks and credit cards)

   1. Accounts will be synced through Pilot’s bank sync (powered by Plaid). 

      1. Note: Plaid supports most institutions, but when it doesn’t, you will need PDF bank statements. You may not know this at this point, and that is okay.

4. Based on your initial conversations and understanding of the client’s expectations for the Chart of Accounts, be prepared to set this up. 

Once you have confirmed all of the above, book a time with Lauren here. We will need at least two sessions, if not more, so feel free to book the first two at once!

This article outlines the general quoting and contracting guidelines for the Local Partner program and includes the products available for sale.

Contract Start Dates

All contracts begin on the 1st of the month. The contract start date serves two purposes:

• It is the initial billing date.

• It marks the first month of bookkeeping the Local Partner will complete for the customer, which is delivered the following month.

For example, a contract with a start date of 6/1/2025 covers bookkeeping for June, which will be delivered in July. If a customer signs the quote on 5/25/2025 with a 6/1/2025 start date, they will be billed on 6/1/2025 for their first month of service.

Contracts can not “ramp” (i.e. the price in M2 can’t be greater than M1, and M3 can’t be greater than M2). The Local Partner must set a base price for the term of the engagement.

Catch Up Work

If a customer needs bookkeeping for months prior to their contract start date, a separate “catch up work” product can be used to bill for historical months.

Using the same example, if the customer incorporated in January 2025 and has not completed any bookkeeping, the contract should still begin on 6/1/2025 and include five months of catch up work (January through May 2025).

Discounting for Historical Work

Pilot has a standard discounting model for historical work. Local Partners may use the table in the Resources tab of this document as a reference if they choose to offer customers a discounted rate for prior-period bookkeeping.

Quotable Products for Bookkeeping Engagements

The following products are available for quoting bookkeeping engagements under the Local Partner program. All customers must have at least a Monthly Close subscription. All products, other than the Monthly Close product, are optional. 

• Local Partner Monthly Close Subscription - Paid Monthly

  • Recurring base subscription

  • Billed monthly, on the Contract Start Date, then on the first of the month thereafter

  • Represents the “all in” monthly subscription fee for recurring work completed by the Local Partner to close the customer’s books

• Local Partner Hourly Services

  • Usage-based charge

  • Two billing cadence options

    1. Completed services - Billed in arrears the month following the work completed

    2. Prepaid services - Billed in advance during the same month the work is scheduled

  • Available for work completed outside the standard monthly close. Common examples include maintaining custom reporting or tasks outside of the agreed on scope of work

  • One rate can be set per contract

  • Billable in 1/10th hour increments.

• Local Partner Onboarding

  • One time setup charge

  • Used to recover costs for connecting financial institutions, setting up QuickBooks, and migrating an existing bookkeeping file onto Pilot

• Local Partner Bookkeeping Catch-Up

  • One time charge, billed as “price x quantity” (e.g. 9 months of catch-up at $200/mo)

  • Used to quote and charge for historical bookkeeping prior to the subscription start date

  • A discount table is available in the resources tab of this document

• Local Partner Bookkeeping Discount

  • Percentage discount applied to the base subscription

  • Valid for the first 12 charges

  • Once the discount expires, a customer reverts to list pricing

  • Can be used as a pricing lever/tool to help close hesitant prospects

Contracting & Payment Process

Pilot will assist with generating and issuing an order form once pricing is finalized. The following pages include a sample of the order form that will be sent to the customer.

The order form will be sent through Pilot’s Docusign system. It will first be routed to the Local Partner for review and signature, then to the customer. After both parties have signed, the Local Partner will receive a fully executed copy for their records.

If the Local Partner has prepared a scope of work or proposal document, it should be included in the Docusign envelope for the customer to review and sign alongside the order form. The document may be sent prior to the quote being issued, but should also be included in the order form. It is not required to prepare a separate scope of work or proposal document.

By default, Pilot’s Subscription Agreement will cover the subscription. If the Local Partner wishes to overwrite the Subscription Agreement in whole (or in part), they can do that by including a scope of work or proposal document with their own agreement.

Pilot will also manage collection of payment information after the customer signs. For now, all payments are processed via ACH from the customer’s bank account. Payment information is collected from the customer at the time of signature.

Contract Changes & Amendments

The flat rate pricing model is designed to give customers a consistent monthly fee for their month-end close. If the scope of an engagement changes, the Local Partner may adjust the customer’s monthly rate accordingly, either increasing or decreasing it.

Local Partners should avoid frequent repricing. Ideally, the customer’s monthly rate remains consistent throughout the year. If a rate change is necessary, it should occur no more than twice per year.

To initiate a rate change, the Local Partner should tag the Local Partner program management team in Zulip and clearly state:

• The updated monthly rate

• The effective date for the new rate

All rate changes must be post-dated and take effect on the 1st of a month.

Example: A customer signs an agreement on July 22, 2025, for $1,000/month. By October 2025, the scope of work expands and the new rate is $1,500/month. The Local Partner notifies the program management team in Zulip, requesting the new rate to take effect on 11/1/2025. The program management team will prepare and send an amendment order form via DocuSign for signature.

Catch up work/Historicals discounting table

[1] If the catch-up work makes the date of Local Partner’s responsibility start with the first month of the customer’s tax year (e.g. January for most customers on a calendar tax year) or the very first month that the customer’s business was started (the inception date), the maximum allowable discount percentage is 10% higher than the table above.

[2] If a customer has hired us for catch-up bookkeeping back to when the customer’s business was started (the inception date) and they had a very low expense rate (<$15k/mo) for most of those months, the maximum allowable discount percentage is 10% higher than the table above.