Finance
Finance at Shorebird is lean by design. We work with an external accounting partner for bookkeeping and close, and rely on a small set of tools to keep our financial operations accurate, auditable, and low-friction. This page documents our core processes so anyone at the company can understand how money moves and what’s expected of vendors, employees, and the team.
| Purpose | Tool |
|---|---|
| Payments & subscriptions | Stripe |
| Bookkeeping | QuickBooks & Pilot |
| Expense management | Ramp |
| Payroll | Rippling |
| Banking | Mercury |
Accounts Payable
Section titled “Accounts Payable”Invoice Requirements
Section titled “Invoice Requirements”To process payment, vendor invoices must include the following:
- Legal business name of the vendor
- Vendor address
- Invoice number
- Invoice date and due date
- Itemized description of goods or services rendered
- Total amount due, with currency clearly specified (USD unless otherwise agreed)
- Payment instructions — see requirements by payment type below
- W-9 on file (US vendors) or W-8BEN / W-8BEN-E (international vendors), required before first payment
Invoices missing required fields will be returned before processing. We do not process invoices retroactively submitted more than 90 days after services were rendered without prior approval.
Payment Instructions — US (ACH / Domestic Wire)
Section titled “Payment Instructions — US (ACH / Domestic Wire)”US-based vendors should provide:
- Bank name
- Account holder name (must match legal business name on invoice)
- Routing number (ABA)
- Account number
- Account type (checking or savings)
We prefer ACH for domestic payments. If a vendor requires a domestic wire instead, please note that in the invoice.
Payment Instructions — International (Wire Transfer)
Section titled “Payment Instructions — International (Wire Transfer)”International vendors should provide:
- Bank name and full bank address
- Account holder name
- Account holder address
- IBAN or account number
- SWIFT / BIC code
- Intermediary bank details (if applicable)
- Currency to be received (if not USD)
International wires may incur fees on the receiving end. Vendors who require Shorebird to cover wire fees must specify this in their contract or on the invoice. We do not retroactively cover undisclosed fees.
Payment Terms
Section titled “Payment Terms”Our standard payment terms are Net 30 from invoice date unless a contract specifies otherwise. We batch most payments on a weekly cycle. If a vendor requires expedited payment, that must be agreed upon in the contract or communicated in advance.
W-9 and Tax Documentation
Section titled “W-9 and Tax Documentation”All US-based contractors and vendors must provide a completed W-9 before their first invoice is paid. We issue 1099s annually to applicable vendors per IRS requirements. Non-US vendors should provide a completed W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E as applicable.
Accounts Receivable
Section titled “Accounts Receivable”Customer billing is handled through Stripe. Invoices are generated automatically for subscription customers, and manually for enterprise customers on custom billing arrangements.
For bank transfer payments, note that wire and ACH fees may result in a payment amount slightly less than the invoice total. Differences under $25 may be written off via credit note in Stripe rather than chasing the customer for the remainder.
Expense Management
Section titled “Expense Management”Employees should submit expenses with:
- Receipt (required for any purchase over $25)
- Business purpose — a brief note on what it was for
- Category — use our standard chart of accounts (see below)
Expenses should be submitted within 30 days of the purchase. Recurring subscriptions charged to a company card should be documented in our [Vendor & Tooling Registry].
Tax & Compliance
Section titled “Tax & Compliance”We file federal and applicable state tax returns annually through our external accounting partner. We maintain records of active state registrations and review nexus obligations as the business grows.
If you receive any notice from a taxing authority — federal, state, or local — forward it to operations@shorebird.dev immediately. Do not ignore or discard government correspondence.
Monthly Close
Section titled “Monthly Close”Our external accounting partner runs a monthly close process. To support a clean close:
- Submit and reconcile all expenses by the last business day of the month
- Flag any unusual transactions or one-time purchases so they can be categorized correctly
- Ensure any new vendors have a W-9 on file before the close period
Questions about bookkeeping, categorization, or financial reporting should go to operations@shorebird.dev.