Payments by Lumanu FAQ
How does Payments by Lumanu work?
Lumanu Payments makes it easier, faster, and cheaper to get paid by your brand partners. To use Lumanu Payments you must request access after which you will connect your bank account via Plaid by Visa. Through your Lumanu Payments dashboard, you can follow our simple guided process to request payment from your brand partner.
By using Lumanu Payments, Lumanu will handle the following for you:
- Creating and sending of invoices
- Vendor sign-up processes
- Tax paperwork and forms
- Any necessary follow-ups with your brand partner
Once Lumanu receives payment, funds will be deposited directly into your bank account.
How quickly will I be paid through Lumanu?
Lumanu helps streamline the entire process by completing any vendor signup processes/other paperwork for you, managing the invoicing and follow up process, and streamlining payment by automating the ACH process with same day or 1 day ACH processing.
You will receive money in your bank account as soon as your brand partner remits funds. Because Lumanu has pre-established relationships with leading brands and influencer agencies we are often able to accelerate payment terms. Lumanu does not hold onto your money in a “balance” and immediately deposits your money into your bank account.
Because of our process, creators are often paid around 20 days faster when using Lumanu as compared to managing the invoicing process themselves.
How is my personal and banking information kept secure?
Lumanu secure integration with Plaid by Visa ensures all of your personal and payment information is fully encrypted so that no one (including Lumanu) has access to your account or routing number. When connecting via Plaid, Lumanu sets you up as a “receive only” user. This means that Lumanu does not have access to withdraw funds from your account, Lumanu can only deposit money into your account. You can learn more about how Plaid keeps your data secure here.
How do I create a payment request?
Please follow our step by step guide in this help article to create your first payment request.
How does Lumanu compare to PayPal or other payment options?
- Lumanu’s fees are lower. PayPal charges an uncapped 2.9% + $0.30 on every transaction between a brand and creator. Lumanu charges 2% per transaction but caps the fee charged at $10.
- Lumanu sends payment directly to your bank account. We do not store your balance in an account like PayPal or Venmo which requires an extra step to get the money in your hands.
- Lumanu manages the invoicing and follow up with your brand partner to ensure you get paid as soon as possible. You can think of us as your virtual collections assistant.
- Lumanu manages any required vendor sign up process on your behalf to save you time and hassle.
How does tax paperwork work on Lumanu? Do I still need to file tax forms with each brand?
Lumanu is designated as a third party settlement organization. This means we are responsible for handling tax reporting requirements. Because payments are sent to you via Lumanu, you do not need to submit W-9s to your brand partners and they will not be required to issue a 1099-MISC. If your brand partner asks, you can tell them that you would like to be paid through Lumanu, and that your tax paperwork is handled by us.
You will be required to file a W-9 with Lumanu in the event that you use Lumanu for 200 transactions AND a total of $20,000 (or more) in a calendar year. Lumanu will issue a 1099-K at the end of the year if you meet these requirements. If not, your annual earnings will be available in Lumanu to assist with income reporting and tax preparation.
Does Lumanu guarantee payment?
Yes, with Lumanu, your payment is 100% guaranteed as long as your brand partner pays your request.
Does Lumanu chase down payments for me?
We sure do! We will handle all of the follow-up and reminders with your brand partner to ensure you are paid as soon as possible. You can still send personal follow-ups if you would like, but just know we are also doing this for you! You can think of us as your virtual collections assistant.
What if I need to cancel my payment request or if I made a mistake?
Lumanu’s lets you view and manage all your payment requests in an easy to use dashboard. If you need to cancel a request, simply cancel in your Lumanu dashboard. If you need to edit a payment request after it is sent you will need to cancel the sent request and send a new payment request with the correct information.
Once you cancel a payment request we will let your brand partner know the request has been canceled.
How do I connect my bank?
Connecting your bank is fast and easy. Simply navigate to your profile within your Lumanu account and select “add payment”. This will prompt Plaid by Visa to pop up with a step by step guided process on how to select the bank that you prefer to have the funds deposited in once you are paid. Once you have selected your bank, you will be prompted to log in to your bank with your banking credentials. This process is entirely tokenized and encrypted for your security, Lumanu never has access to your account information. Plaid supports over 4,500 U.S. based financial institutions, however, ff you do not see your bank within Plaid’s list of options, please reach out to payments@lumanu.com.
What is Plaid by Visa?
Lumanu integrates with Plaid by Visa to ensure that we can collect your banking information safely and simply. Plaid is technology made for apps and used by top brands like American Express, Venmo, and Acorns as the most trusted technology in the space. To learn more about Plaid, you can visit their website here.
Does Lumanu support payments to creators with an international bank account?
No. Lumanu currently supports depositing funds to U.S. based financial institutions in US dollars.
What if I am not comfortable adding my banking information to Lumanu?
Remember that you are NOT adding your banking information to Lumanu. You are granting access to a Plaid token (a Visa company which is used by Venmo) which allows Lumanu to deposit funds into your account. We never see your account information and cannot withdraw funds. That said we do require you connect an account (or we can’t pay you).
How do I tell my brand partner I want to be paid through Lumanu? Does this need to be on my contract ahead of time?
It is preferable (but not required) to inform your brand partner during the contract/negotiation process that you will be sending a payment request via Lumanu, a third party settlement organization that processes your payments. In fact you can insert this Lumanu Payments clause into your contract!
If you do not inform your brand partner prior to negotiations, no worries (this is what happens most of the time). Lumanu will generate an invoice for the brand based on your payment request which will serve as an invoice for the brand’s records. We even give you the option to include a PO# (purchase order number) if the brand requires it to be listed. In the rare event the brand requires a vendor number we take care of that for you behind the scenes.
Lumanu will invoice your brand partner or agency as “Payable to Lumanu, care of YOUR NAME” so that we can manage the vendor setup process for you.
What does it cost to use Lumanu Payments?
Lumanu is free to use for creators. There is no charge for using Lumanu to help manage your payment requests. We do deduct a small convenience fee (2% or $10) from your payment to use our service and unlock the benefits of an easier, faster, and more secure way to get paid directly to your bank account.
Standard Fees:
Lumanu is the cheapest option in the industry to get paid outside of slow and old school checks. Lumanu charges 2% of your total payment capped at $10 as a convenience fee. We are the only payment solution for creators that caps the transaction fees to ensure that you can take home as much of your check as possible. You will see the total convenience fee when creating your payment request and when you get paid, the total amount you receive will have the $10 or 2% (whichever is less) automatically deducted from your deposit. We recommend that you discuss who will cover the transaction fee with your brand partner and to include the fee in the total amount on your contract ahead of time.
Why do I not need to worry about vendor sign up processes when I use Lumanu?
“Vendor Sign up Processes” is the process of needing to go through a required registration process with your brand partner to get approved as a “Vendor” in their internal systems. Not all brands require a vendor sign up the approval process, but if they do it can oftentimes be a confusing and tedious process to have to go through as a creator. Lumanu will take this off your plate entirely so you never have to worry about this step again. The reason Lumanu will go through the process is so that the vendor can send us payment on your behalf.
What if I work on a monthly retainer with a long term contract with my brand partner?
If you are currently responsible for submitting invoices / monthly requests for payment Lumanu’s payment solution may be a great option.
What if my payment terms are 50% upfront and 50% later?
Lumanu makes it really easy to submit multiple payment requests for a single collaboration and ensures you get paid on time for each and every payment request. Lumanu also supports setting up payment requests up front and saving as drafts so you can send out as you complete deliverables.
When is the best time to initiate a payment request?
This varies depending on your brand partner. We typically recommend sending payment requests upfront (based on your terms) to get the payable process started. For example, if your agreement states that you will be paid net 30 once content is posted, you may want to send an invoice due 30 days after your planned post date. That said, some brands require you to wait until content is delivered to send an invoice so definitely check with your brand partner.
Once I get paid, I then have to pay other members of my team. Can I pay them via Lumanu too?
While your team members could technically request money from you via Lumanu we realize this is not practical. Currently, Lumanu is only supporting brand to creator payments OR agency to creator payments. However, we understand that many creators have multiple paid members of their team to pay once they are paid. The ability to send payments as a creator to your team is a feature we are working on, so hang tight!
What if the brand pays an agency, talent firm, or my manager first. How do I get paid?
If you are paid by your agency or manager then you would request the payment from your agency or manager through Lumanu instead of your brand partner directly.
Does Lumanu have other creator benefits?
Yes! Lumanu has several other amazing features that creators can take advantage of free of charge. Check out our other products here for an overview of how you can get the most out of Lumanu as a creator.
