How to Make Bulk Payments in Niobi Introduction The Bulk Payment feature in Niobi is built for when you need to pay many people at once—running payroll, paying multiple vendors, or settling several invoices in one go. Instead of repeating a single-payment flow over and over, Bulk Payment lets you either upload a CSV file with all your payments pre-listed or build the list manually inside the app, then review, authorize, and send everything together. In this guide, you'll learn how to: - Choose between uploading a file and creating payments manually - Review and fix issues in an uploaded CSV before paying - Add multiple payments by hand if you're not using a file - Read the consolidated summary and authorize the batch - Interpret and act on the final results, including retrying failed payments Time to complete: 5–10 minutes\ Difficulty: Intermediate Before You Start Before you make bulk payments in Niobi, make sure you have: - An active Niobi account with sufficient available balance to cover the full batch - If uploading a file: a CSV, XLS, or XLSX file (max 10MB) formatted to match Niobi's required template - If entering manually: your payees, amounts, and payment methods ready, since you'll enter each one individually - Your authenticator app set up, since every bulk payment batch requires 2-factor authorization before it's sent If you're uploading a file for the first time, download the CSV template from the upload screen first—matching the expected column structure avoids most validation errors later in the flow. \--- Step 1: Choose Your Method From the Make Payments screen, select Bulk Payment from the dropdown. This is Step 1 of 6 — Upload File. Pick one of two methods: - Upload CSV — Import multiple payments at once from a file. Drag and drop your file into the upload zone, or click Browse files. If you don't have a file ready, click Download next to "Download CSV Template" to get the correct format first. - Create Manually — Add payments individually inside the app, one by one, without a file. Your choice here determines what the next screen looks like—both paths reconnect later in the flow. Step 2A: Review Your Upload (CSV Path) If you uploaded a file, this screen—Step 2 of 6, Amount/Submit for Approval—validates everything before you commit: - Use the filter tabs (All Rows, Selected, Valid, Invalid, Duplicates) to quickly isolate rows that need attention - Switch between Table View and Form View depending on how you prefer to review - Select All lets you check or uncheck every row at once - Each row shows the payee, invoice number, transaction amount, fees, and payment method - Rows with problems show inline errors—for example, a bank name that doesn't match Niobi's records, or a payee that looks similar to an existing one ("X similar payees found") Fix or exclude any invalid rows before moving on. The summary cards at the top (Total Selected, Total Amount, Total Fee) update as you make changes. Step 2B: Add Payments (Manual Path) If you chose to create payments manually, this screen lets you build your list one entry at a time: - Each payment appears in its own Payment panel with these fields: - Payee\* — select from your saved payees - Payment Method\* — select the method to use for this payee - Amount\* — the amount to send - VAT — select the applicable treatment - Fee — calculated automatically - Category\* — for reporting and reconciliation - Description — optional notes - Click + Add another payment to add as many additional payments as you need—each gets its own panel - The summary cards at the top (Total Payments, Total Amount, Total Fee) update as you add entries - Once every required field across all payments is filled in, click Pay Now to continue Step 3: Review the Bulk Payment Summary Whether you uploaded a file or built the list manually, both paths land here—Step 3 of 6, Transaction Summary: - Four stat cards show Total Transactions, Subtotal, Total Fees, and Total Debit across the entire batch - Payments are grouped by payment method (e.g., "M-Pesa Send Money," "M-Pesa Till"), each with its own subtotal and a table listing payee, invoice number, payment method, amount, and fee This is your last opportunity to catch an error before authorizing. Once you're satisfied, click Proceed to pay. Step 4: Authorize the Batch Every bulk payment requires 2-factor authentication before it's processed—this is Step 4 of 6, OTP: - Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app - If you don't have access to it, click Send via Email for an alternate code - Click Authorize to submit the entire batch A footer note confirms: "Your transaction is protected with 2-factor authentication." Step 5: Review the Payment Result After authorization, you'll land on the Payment Result screen, which breaks down what happened across the whole batch: - Three summary cards show Successful Payments, Pending payments, and Failed payments, each with a total amount and count - Filter tabs (All, Successful, Failed, Pending) let you narrow the results table - The results table lists each payment's date, reference, type, payment method, category, payee, account name, transaction amount, and status - Failed payments show a Retry button next to them individually Use Export CSV or Search reference or payee to find specific transactions in a large batch quickly. Step 6: Handle Failed Payments and Wrap Up If any payments failed: - Click Retry Failed to reattempt all failed payments in the batch at once, or use the individual Retry button next to a specific row - Use Export Report to download a full record of the batch for your files - Click Make Another Payment once you're done to start a new batch Tips & Best Practices for Bulk Payments - Always download the CSV template before your first upload — matching the exact column format prevents most validation errors on Step 2. - Resolve "similar payees found" warnings carefully — this usually means your file has a payee name that closely matches an existing one, and choosing the wrong match can send money to the wrong recipient. - Use Form View for large batches with errors, and Table View for large batches without them — Form View makes it easier to fix flagged rows one at a time, while Table View is faster for scanning totals. - Double-check Total Debit on Step 3, not just the totals in Step 2 — fees can shift once everything is grouped and finalized. - Don't close the Payment Result screen until you've handled failures — export a report first if you need to follow up on failed payments later, since retries change the batch's history. Frequently Asked Questions What file formats are supported for bulk payment uploads? Niobi accepts .CSV, .XLS, and .XLSX files, up to 10MB in size. Use the provided template to ensure your file is formatted correctly. Can I mix payment methods in a single bulk payment? Yes. Both the upload and manual paths support multiple payment methods in one batch—they're automatically grouped by method on the Transaction Summary screen. What does "similar payees found" mean during CSV review? It means the payee name in your file closely matches one or more existing payees in your account. Review the suggested matches carefully to avoid paying the wrong recipient or creating duplicate payee records. What happens if some payments in my batch fail? The Payment Result screen automatically separates successful, pending, and failed payments. You can retry failed payments individually or all at once without affecting the payments that already succeeded. Can I switch from CSV upload to manual entry partway through? Go back to Step 1 and select the other method—the two paths use different screens to build the payment list and don't currently support switching mid-flow. Bulk Payment Troubleshooting Issue: My CSV file won't upload or shows a format error.\ Solution: Download the latest CSV template from Step 1 and confirm your file matches its co