How the Contractor Portal Works
Available on: Solo add-on. Team 5 seats included. Firm unlimited seats.
The contractor portal gives subcontractors, freelancers, and field workers a dedicated mobile interface to submit invoices and timesheets directly. Everything flows into your Sumext review queue and waits for Owner or Admin approval before accounting sync.
How It Works - Overview
Sumext AI extracts fields
You get WhatsApp notification if enabled
You review in Costs - Review
You approve and submit to accounting
Setting Up the Contractor Portal
For seat billing, invite expiry, mobile installation and access recovery, follow the complete contractor invitation guide.
Check Your Plan
Solo seats are $5/seat/month. Team includes 5 contractor seats. Firm includes unlimited contractor seats.
Go to Contractors
In the left sidebar, click Contractors. You will see your contractor list, empty if none have been added yet.
Invite a Contractor
Click + Invite Contractor, enter full name, email, optional phone number and notes, then click Send Invite.
Contractor Creates Account
The contractor clicks the email invitation, confirms their name, sets a password, and accesses app.sumext.com/portal.
What Your Contractor Sees
The portal shows Submit Invoice, My Submissions, and each submission status: Pending, Approved, Rejected, Synced, or Paid.
They cannot see: your other invoices, financial data, other contractors' submissions, or accounting data.
How a Contractor Submits
- Open app.sumext.com/portal.
- Tap Submit Invoice.
- Take a photo, upload from files, or pick an email attachment.
- Add optional notes, such as the service period or site visit.
- Tap Submit.
The contractor sees a submitted-successfully message and can track the status in their portal.
Step 6: Review in Costs - Review
Contractor submissions do not automatically sync to Xero or your accounting software.
After a contractor submits:
- You receive a WhatsApp notification if enabled.
- Go to Costs - Review in your dashboard.
- Find the contractor submission marked with the Contractor badge.
- Review the extracted fields.
- Confirm ledger account and tax code.
- Click Approve.
- Click Submit to Xero.
This gives you full control over every contractor submission before it enters your books.
If the invoice has an issue, click Reject, add a reason, and the contractor can resubmit a corrected invoice.
Managing Your Contractors
Go to Contractors to view names, emails, status, submission count, and seat type. Deactivate a contractor when they leave; they lose portal access, submissions remain for records, and the seat becomes available for someone new.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do contractors need to pay for Sumext?
No. Contractor accounts are free for contractors. Only the admin pays for contractor seats.
Can a contractor submit timesheets as well as invoices?
Yes. The upload accepts any file, including Word timesheets, Excel sheets, or PDF timesheets.
Can contractors see each other's submissions?
No. Each contractor only sees their own submissions.
Does a contractor submission automatically go to Xero?
No. Every contractor submission requires Owner or Admin review and approval before it can be submitted to accounting. This ensures nothing unexpected enters your books.
What happens if a contractor submits the same invoice twice?
Sumext flags potential duplicates based on amount and vendor so you see a warning in review.
Is there a mobile app for contractors?
The portal is a mobile-optimised web app. No download required, and contractors can add it to their home screen.