How it works
How Elagon keeps your books.
Everything that arrives becomes one record. Our people and software work it to finished under your rules, and ask you only for decisions.
01 · Connect
We work from what you already have.
Reading never permits paying. What we can act on is agreed in writing and confirmed during scoping.
- MBank
- We read
- Balances and every transaction.
- We act
- Send payments you approved, from your accounts.
- RCards
- We read
- Charges, receipts, cardholders.
- We act
- Attach receipts and coding.
- Ledger
- We read
- Accounts, entries, reports.
- We act
- Record entries and close the month.
- DPayroll
- We read
- Runs, contractors, benefits.
- We act
- Nothing. We don't run payroll.
- Revenue
- We read
- Charges, fees, payouts.
- We act
- Nothing. Read only.
- Inbox & files
- We read
- Bills, receipts, contracts.
- We act
- Reply to suppliers from a finance address.
02 · One record
One record per obligation.
Every document, bank line and ledger entry that touches Northstar lives on one record, so nothing is paid twice or forgotten.
Drive · signed 28 Sep
Northstar agreement
Annual analytics service, 1 Oct 2026 – 30 Sep 2027. $24,000 payable in two installments. Remit to account ending 4821.
Total
$24,000
Paid
$12,000
Prepaid left
$22,000
03 · Your rules
Written once. Applied every time.
Your payment rules decide what we can do without asking. Try changing the approved $12,000 Northstar payment.
§1 · Exact approval
A payment goes out only to the exact payee, amount and account you approved.
§2 · Bank changes
Any new or changed bank details are verified by phone with a contact we already hold.
§3 · Timing
An approved payment is sent within 5 business days, or it comes back to you.
§4 · Cards
Card subscriptions under $500 a month are paid without asking.
Change the payment
Northstar, $12,000, account ending 4821. Same payee, amount and account. We send it.
rule: payment-rules v3 §1
04 · What finished means
Six states. Never collapsed.
A sent payment isn't a paid bill. Each state needs its own proof.
| State | Meaning | Proof | If it doesn't happen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approved | You approved this payee, amount and account. | Your approval, timestamped | Nothing is sent. |
| Sent | Your bank accepted the instruction. | Bank confirmation | We find out why and tell you. |
| Settled | The money arrived. | Settlement on the bank line | If returned, the money is back with you. We don't re-send without checking. |
| Reconciled | The bank line matches the bill, fees included. | Matched lines, differences explained | It stays open and ours. |
| Recorded | The ledger entry exists exactly once. | Entry ID, read back from the ledger | We check before writing again. |
| Outcome unknown | A system didn't confirm what happened. | Our check of the system | No retry until we know. |
| Closed | The month is closed and reviewed. | Reviewer sign-off | Open items are disclosed, owned and dated. |
05 · Audit trail
Who did what, and why.
Every step names the person or agent, the time and the rule it followed.
- Oct 2 09:15Elagon · agentMatched NS-2026-1042 to the signed agreement.rule: match contract terms
- Oct 11 07:59Elagon · agentHeld bank-change email from northstar-payments.co.rule: payment-rules v3 §2
- Oct 11 10:30Elagon · accountantCalled Northstar's listed contact. Change not sent by them.rule: payment-rules v3 §2
- Oct 13 09:42YouApproved $12,000 to account ending 4821.rule: payment-rules v3 §1
- Oct 15 10:02Elagon · agentSent through Mercury. Settled the same day.rule: payment-rules v3 §3
- Oct 16 08:10Elagon · agentQuickBooks didn't confirm the entry. No retry.rule: check before writing again
- Oct 16 09:05Elagon · accountantFound JE-1187. Recorded once.rule: one entry per event
- Nov 7 16:30Elagon · accountantReviewed and closed October.rule: close checklist v2
06 · People
Named people, not a queue.
Software does the repetitive work. People are accountable for the outcome.
Your delivery owner
One named person who owns your month end to end, and writes your Monday note.
An accounting reviewer
A qualified accountant who reviews the close before it's called closed.
Your specialists
Sales tax, inventory or payroll experts when you need them. Their work is tracked on the same record.
07 · Your AI tools
Ask from where you work.
Read the books from Slack, Sheets or your own agent. Asking is never the same as approving.
Maya · what did we spend on Northstar this month?
Elagon · $12,010 cash out (installment plus a $10 wire fee). October cost $2,010. source: Mercury 15 Oct, JE-1187, JE-1188
Maya · pay Fieldwork now please
Elagon · We can't pay from a chat message. I've added Fieldwork to Monday's approvals, where you'll see the exact payee, amount and account.
08 · When you hire a finance lead
We keep running underneath them.
Your controller or finance lead owns the rules and the review. We keep doing the work.
They own rules and review
They sign the payment rules and the close. We follow them.
They get the full history
Every record, source and decision since day one.
Nothing to migrate
Your books already live in your ledger, not ours.