A vendor bill is approved before it is paid
Who is involved
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Accounts payable clerk | Enters the bill and submits it for approval. The clerk's role cannot approve. |
| Finance controller | Approves the bill or sends it back with a reason. |
| Accountant | Posts the approved bill to the ledger. |
Step by step
- Accounts payable clerk
Opens Payables, creates the bill against the vendor with the vendor's invoice number and lines, and presses Save and submit.
What they see:The bill shows Submitted. A bill under the auto-approve limit skips straight to Approved.
- Finance controller
Opens the bell message, which leads to the bill, and reviews it.
What they see:The bill with its lines, vendor, and any purchase-order match.
- Finance controller
Tries to approve a bill they keyed or submitted themselves, if the company has switched on separation of duties.
What they see:A refusal: the person who prepared a bill cannot approve it.
- Finance controller
Approves with the bill's approve button, or rejects with a reason.
What they see:The bill moves to Approved, or to Rejected with the reason.
- Accountant
Opens the approved bill and presses Post to ledger.
What they see:The bill is Posted and its ledger entry is linked.
- Accounts payable clerk
Records the payment when it falls due.
What they see:The bill shows Paid, or Partly paid for a part payment.
Who is told what
The finance controller and accountants get an in-app alert when a bill is submitted. Accountants are told when it is approved and again when it posts.