Hey there, @Wambat3591.

Are you using the Online Bill Pay feature to pay your contractors in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT)? If so, the option to pay multiple vendors using a single ACH transaction is unavailable in the program. For now, you can only select one vendor/contractor at a time once creating a payment. 

Additionally, after you accept your categorized bank transactions, the program will automatically add them to your account. To clear these transactions, let's follow these steps:

1. Go to List and select Chart of Accounts.
2. Look for the bank, then double-click it to open.
3. Find the bank transactions that you've categorized. They will be marked as with a lightning strike under the Checked (/) column. 
4. Click the mark, then you'll be prompted if you want it to be marked as cleared. Simply select Yes to change its status.
5. Repeat the steps for the rest of the transactions you want to clear and close the window to exit.

Once you review and match your downloaded transactions, QuickBooks will separate them into 3 categories. Follow the steps in this article on how to categorize them: Add and match Bank Feed transactions in QBDT.

Let me know if you need further assistance with this. I'm always around to provide answers and clarifications to your questions. Have a great day ahead and take care.