5 Ways Accountants Can Improve Their Clients’ Cash Flow With Melio

Key takeaways

• Schedule client bill payments for their due dates to keep cash in their accounts as long as possible.

• Send payment requests and invoices sooner so clients get paid faster and close the timing gap.

• Sync payments with QuickBooks Online to produce accurate, up-to-date cash flow reports and projections.

• Set approval limits on large payments so clients stay in control of major expenses.

What causes cash flow problems for small businesses?

Poor cash flow usually comes down to timing. Money leaves the business before it comes in, which creates a gap that is hard to cover.

Common causes include customers who pay late, invoices that go out slowly, and bills that fall due before the money arrives. Seasonal dips and manual, error-prone bill pay make the gap wider.

In fact, a 2025 QuickBooks survey found that 43% of small businesses consider cash flow a problem, and 74% say it has worsened or stayed the same over the past year.

As their accountant and trusted advisor, you can help clients close this gap by speeding up payments in, timing payments out, and keeping a clear view of their cash. Here is how Melio helps.

Optimize your clients’ payment schedule

Optimizing a payment schedule means paying each bill as close to its due date as possible without being late. This keeps cash in your clients’ accounts longer while protecting vendor relationships.

Melio allows you to schedule multiple payments in advance, so your clients make the bill payments right on time but not too soon. Once the payment is scheduled, you can track the payment status at all times to be sure it arrives on time.

The Accountants Dashboard allows you to switch between all your client accounts seamlessly without the need to log into each client account, so you can efficiently handle multiple bill payments for all your clients with maximum efficiency.

Help your clients get paid earlier

Melio also enables you and your clients to send out payment requests to their business clients, upload or add invoices, track the payment status, and more. All from the same Accountant Dashboard. These tools can dramatically improve your clients’ cash-flow:

• Send payment requests and invoices faster: Many small business owners put off sending out invoices. Some still fill out invoices manually, pen, paper and all, and deliver them in person or via snail mail. However, the longer it takes before your clients send their invoices, the longer it’ll take until they get paid, and the more adverse is the effect on their cash-flow. Therefore, it is paramount for them to handle payment requests and send invoices as soon as practically possible. With Melio, you (or your clients) can send out online payment requests with just a few simple clicks, even if their clients are not using Melio. You can upload an invoice, add it manually or upload a concentrated list of invoices, to be sent out in bulk.

• Have better control of how and when your clients are paid: Just as your clients need to get paid earlier, the opposite logic applies to their clients, who have an incentive to pay as late as possible. Melio eliminates any “the check is in the mail” excuses: your clients’ clients receive an online payment request. They pay online with an ACH bank transfer (for free) or credit card (for a 2.9% fee) and schedule the payment date, with zero hassle. Your clients get an ACH transfer straight to their bank account (even if their clients pay with a card) at the scheduled payment date, at no cost to them.

Give clients up-to-date cash flow reports

Up-to-date cash flow reports let accountants forecast accurately and advise clients in real time. Accurate books are the foundation of every reliable projection.

But with manual bill-pay, there is generally a discrepancy between what’s in the books and what happens in the “real world,” since payments (whether to or by your client) are not recorded immediately and automatically when they’re made.

This obstacle, in turn, makes cash-flow reports less accessible because you need to eliminate any discrepancies first and make sure the books are up to date.

Melio has two-way sync with QuickBooks Online. All you have to do is connect your clients’ Melio accounts with their QuickBooks Online accounts. All Accounts Payable and vendor transactions made with Melio are automatically synced with QuickBooks Online, and automatically and immediately recorded in your clients’ books.

Syncing your clients’ accounts with QuickBooks Online will make it easier and faster for you to produce up-to-date cash-flow statements and more accurate projections whenever you need to, while reducing to a minimum the effort involved.

Increase float by paying bills with a credit card

Most credit card issuers provide a 30 (and sometimes 60) day billing cycle. By paying business bills with their credit card, your clients can defer payments to the next billing cycle and enjoy up to 45 days of float, and by doing so gaining an often-needed breathing room in terms of cash-flow without having to resort to taking high interest loans.

The problem is, most vendors are reluctant to accept credit card payments. Here’s where Melio comes into play: Melio allows users to pay their bills with their credit card (for a 2.9% fee for the payor), even if their vendors don’t accept them. Melio sends them the payment either by ACH transfer, or a paper check, per your clients’ choice.

Add a credit card as a payment option to cover any B2B bill — including utilities, rent, and more.

Give clients better control over larger expenses

When handling bill-pay for their clients, it is paramount that accountants make certain that an effective approval workflow is in place, so that clients keep their fingers on the pulse with larger expenses and are kept in the loop. A clients’ business decision, such as making a large purchase of goods, entering a new contractual obligation, or doing an office renovation should be an informed one, and sensitive to other upcoming material expenses. Otherwise, such a business decision can have a severe adverse impact on their cash-flow.

Set an approval limit so clients stay in control of large payments. Any payment above the limit stays pending until the client approves it. You can set the limit during onboarding or any time after.

How can accountants improve cash flow for clients?

Used together, these tools help you smooth client cash flow from both sides. You speed up the money coming in, time the money going out, and keep the books accurate enough to advise in real time.

That mix is what turns cash flow from a worry into something you can plan around. It also frees up hours each month so you can focus on higher-value advice.

Want to see how it works across all your clients in one place? Explore Melio for accountants and give your firm the tools to manage client bill pay and get paid with less effort.

Cash flow FAQs