Invoices entered through the AP Inbox must be approved before they appear on financial reports. The approval workflow moves invoices through distinct stages: AP Inbox > Invoice Approval > Additional Approval (if rules apply) -> Approved. This article walks you through accessing, reviewing, and approving invoices on the Invoice Approval page.
Approval Workflow Stages
Stage | What Happens |
AP Inbox | Invoices are entered, coded, and submitted for approval. |
Pending Approval | Invoices appear on the Invoice Approval page, waiting for the assigned approver(s) to act. |
Additional Approval | If approval rules are configured (by account, vendor, or amount), the invoice routes to the required additional approver after primary approval. |
Approved | All required approvals are complete. The invoice is included in financial reports and available for payment. |
Understanding Approver Roles
Role | Description | Where They See Invoices |
Primary Approver | The main user responsible for approving invoices. Receives notifications when invoices are waiting. | Waiting on Me tab |
Secondary Approver | A backup approver who can approve invoices covered by a rule but does not receive notifications. Use this for managers or roles that can approve when needed but are not the main responsible party. | All Invoices tab |
Additional Approval Rule | A rule-based approval triggered by specific conditions (account code, vendor, or dollar amount). The invoice requires sign-off from this approver even after primary approval. | All Invoices tab — look for the approval status indicator on the invoice row |
IF PRO TIP: Primary and Secondary Approvers are configured in Settings > AP Settings. Additional Approval Rules are also set up there. If you need to change who approves invoices, talk to your administrator or visit that settings page.
Invoice Approval Page Tabs
The Invoice Approval page has three tabs that organize invoices by their approval status and assignment.
Tab | What It Shows |
Waiting on Me | Invoices where you are the Primary Approver. These are your action items. |
All Invoices | Every invoice currently pending approval across all approvers. Administrators and Secondary Approvers use this tab to find invoices they can act on. |
Pending Vendor Approval | Invoices that require vendor confirmation before they can be approved internally. This tab is only relevant if Vendor Approval permissions have been granted. |
Vendor Approval is a special permission granted to individual users. If you do not see the Pending Vendor Approval tab, you do not have this permission enabled.
Page Layout and Navigation
Column Details
The default columns displayed include Vendor Name, Invoice Number, Accounting Period, Invoice Date, Total Amount, and Payment Method. You can customize which columns appear by clicking the Column Selector icon and toggling columns on or off.
IF PRO TIP: After customizing your columns, click Save as Default Columns so your preferred layout loads every time you visit the page.
Sorting and Filtering
Use the Search bar to find invoices by vendor name, amount, invoice number, or keywords.
Click any column header to sort invoices ascending or descending by that field.
Combine search and sort to quickly locate specific invoices in a large list.
View Settings
Toggle between Wide View and Narrow View depending on your preference. Wide View shows more columns at once, while Narrow View is better for smaller screens. You can save your preferred view as the default.
Expanding Line Item Details
Click Expand All to reveal the line item details for every invoice on the page. This lets you review GL coding and amounts without opening each invoice individually.
Multi-Hotel Access
If you have access to multiple properties, use the hotel dropdown at the top of the page to switch between hotels or view invoices across all properties at once.
How to Approve Invoices
Bulk Approval
To approve multiple invoices at once:
Use the checkboxes on the left side of each invoice row to select the invoices you want to approve.
Click the Approve button at the bottom of the page.
All selected invoices are approved (or moved to Additional Approval if rules apply).
Single Invoice Approval
To approve one invoice without opening it, click the Approve button on the right side of that invoice row.
Reviewing an Invoice Before Approval
For a detailed review before approving, use the Invoice Slide-Out Panel.
Click the invoice row to open the Invoice Slide-Out Panel.
Review the invoice details including GL coding, line item amounts, Payment Method, and any attached documents.
If everything looks correct, click Approve inside the slide-out panel.
Check the Proceed to Next Invoice checkbox to automatically advance to the next pending invoice after approving. This is useful when working through a batch of invoices sequentially.
Additional Approval Rules
Some invoices require approval beyond the Primary Approver. These additional approval rules are configured in Settings > AP Settings and are triggered by specific conditions.
Rule Type | Example |
Chart of Account | All invoices coded to a CAPEX account require approval from the Regional Director. |
Vendor | Invoices from a specific high-value vendor require a second sign-off. |
Invoice Amount | Any invoice over $5,000 requires approval from the GM or ownership. |
When an invoice has additional approval requirements, you will see the approval status on the Invoice Slide-Out Panel. It shows which approvals have been completed and which are still outstanding. You can complete your part of the approval, but the invoice will not move to Approved status until all required approvers have signed off.
[Screenshot: Slide-Out Panel showing additional approval rules with completed and pending approval indicators]
If an invoice is stuck in Pending Approval and you have already approved it, check the slide-out panel for outstanding Additional Approval requirements. Another approver may still need to act. |
Exporting Invoice Data
To export a list of invoices from the Invoice Approval page, click the triple-dot menu (more options) in the top-right corner and select Export. The export will reflect whatever filters and view settings you currently have applied.
Quick Reference
Invoices must be fully approved before they appear on financial reports.
Primary Approvers see their assigned invoices under Waiting on Me and receive notifications.
Secondary Approvers can approve invoices but do not receive notifications — they use the All Invoices tab.
Additional Approval Rules are triggered by account code, vendor, or invoice amount and require sign-off from a designated approver.
Use the Invoice Slide-Out Panel for detailed review and the Proceed to Next Invoice option for efficient batch processing.
For setup or access changes, visit Settings > AP Settings or contact your administrator.