Invoice Approval Settings let you build a structured approval process for invoices in the accounting module, so every invoice is reviewed before it is processed. Using a locked standard rule plus your own custom rules, you can tailor the workflow to your organization, reduce errors, and keep clear visibility into each invoice's approval status.
How Approval Rules Work
Standard Approval – a locked rule every invoice passes through, ensuring a baseline level of review. You can set only primary or secondary approvers on this rule.
Custom Rules – additional rules that trigger when an invoice meets specific criteria, such as a particular vendor, amount, or COA (Chart of Accounts).
Primary approvers are notified of invoices pending their approval and can approve or reject them under the standard rule. Secondary approvers can approve invoices but are not notified; they can override primary approvals when expedited processing or extra scrutiny is needed, and they see invoices in the All Invoices tab.
Prerequisites
Your role must have AP Settings permissions, granted under Administration, then Roles, then Accounting, then the Administration section.
Configure Invoice Approval
1. Log in to Inn-Flow.
2. In the left main navigation, select Accounting.
3. Scroll to the Settings section and select AP Settings (previously called Invoice Approvals).
4. You will see two tabs: General and Invoice Approval. Select the Invoice Approval tab.
Note: For more details on General Settings, please see the Knowledge Base article Accounts Payable General Setting Configuration.
5. View existing rules on the left side of the screen, such as Standard Approval. Click a rule to open its details.
6. In the Primary Approvers section, click Add Role and select the appropriate role(s), for example Sales or Corporate.
7. In the Secondary Approvers section, click Add Role and select the role(s), for example Corporate Controller. Use this for roles that can approve the rule but should not be notified.
Add a New Approval Rule
1. Click Add Approval at the bottom of the approval list.
2. Enter a Name for the rule.
3. Choose an Approval Type from the dropdown: COA (Chart of Accounts), Department, Invoice Amount, or Vendor.
4. Add an Internal Note if needed.
5. Set the Primary Approvers and Secondary Approvers with Add Role.
6. Click Save Rule to save, or Discard to cancel the changes.
Why Configure Approval Rules
• Enhanced financial control – tighter oversight through a structured approval process.
• Reduced errors – catches problems early, before an incorrect invoice is processed.
• Compliance – enforces internal policies and external regulations.
• Transparency and accountability – clear approval paths and defined roles at each step.