Workflow Template

Invoice Approval Workflow

Accounts payable workflow that intakes invoices, checks them against purchase orders, loops back to submitters on discrepancies, routes for manager or finance-lead approval based on amount, and notifies submitters of the outcome.

If your accounts payable process still involves chasing people over email to check an invoice against a purchase order, this workflow takes that off your plate. It captures each invoice through a simple form, checks it against the PO, automatically loops back to the submitter when something doesn't match, and routes approval to a manager or finance lead depending on the amount. Your team gets a clear record of where every invoice stands, and submitters are kept in the loop by email without anyone having to follow up manually.

Business Outcomes

Fewer invoices stuck in email back-and-forth over PO mismatches
Clearer visibility into where each invoice sits in the approval process
Approval routing that adjusts automatically based on invoice amount
Less manual chasing to notify submitters of outcomes
A timeline record for each invoice showing every step it went through

Workflow Steps

Steps

1
Create Invoice Recordcreate record
Registers the submitted invoice as a new record.
2
Set Status to Submittedupdate record
Sets the invoice status to Submitted and calculates the invoice total.
3
Send Acknowledgement Emailsend email
Emails the submitter an acknowledgement with their invoice reference number.
4
Set Status to Under Reviewupdate record
Sets the invoice status to Under Review before finance checks it against the PO.
5
Finance Review: Check Invoice Against POcreate task
Assigns the finance reviewer a task to check the invoice against the purchase order.
6
Save Review Resultupdate record
Persists the PO check result and reviewer comments to the record.
7
Route on PO Check Result
Routes to correction request if a discrepancy is found, otherwise proceeds to approval routing.
po_check_result: "Discrepancy"→Set Status to Returned
po_check_result: "Matches"→Route Approval by Amount
Default→End
8
Set Status to Returnedupdate record
Sets the invoice status to Returned due to a discrepancy against the PO.
9
Request Corrected Details from Submitterrequest external input
Emails the submitter the reviewer's comments and requests corrected invoice details.
10
Save Corrected Detailsupdate record
Persists the submitter's corrected invoice details and resets status to Under Review.
11
Loop Back to Finance Reviewrestart from step
Restarts the workflow from the PO check task so finance can re-review the corrected invoice.
12
Route Approval by Amount
Routes to manager approval if the invoice total is under $5,000, otherwise to finance lead approval.
invoice_total: "5000"→Manager Approval
invoice_total: "5000"→Finance Lead Approval
Default→Manager Approval
13
Manager Approvalrequest approvalrequires approval
Requests manager approval for invoices under $5,000.
14
Route Manager Approval Outcome
Routes based on the manager's approval decision.
approval_status: "approved"→Set Status to Ready for Payment
approval_status: "rejected"→Set Status to Rejected
Default→End
15
Finance Lead Approvalrequest approvalrequires approval
Requests finance lead approval for invoices of $5,000 or more.
16
Route Finance Lead Approval Outcome
Routes based on the finance lead's approval decision.
approval_status: "approved"→Set Status to Ready for Payment
approval_status: "rejected"→Set Status to Rejected
Default→End
17
Set Status to Rejectedupdate record
Sets the invoice status to Rejected.
18
Send Rejection Emailsend email
Emails the submitter that the invoice was not approved.
19
Set Status to Ready for Paymentupdate record
Sets the invoice status to Ready for Payment.
20
Send Approval Emailsend email
Emails the submitter that the invoice is approved for payment.

Fields

Show all 15 fields

FormInvoice Submission

Submitter Name*· Text
Submitter Email*· Email
Supplier*· Text
Invoice Number*· Text
Invoice Date*· Date
Purchase Order Reference*· Text
Amount Before Tax*· Number
Tax Amount*· Number
Cost Centre*· Text
Invoice Upload*· File upload

TaskFinance Review: Check Invoice Against PO

PO Check Result*· Choice
Reviewer Comments· Long text

Other fields

Invoice Total· Number
Invoice Status· Choice
Corrected Invoice Details*· Long text

Submitter Name*
Submitter Email*
Supplier*
Invoice Number*
Invoice Date*
Purchase Order Reference*

Forms

Invoice Submission

10 fields

Data Views

Invoices

supplier, invoice_number, invoice_total, cost_centre +1 more

Dashboard Widgets

Invoices by Status

Recommended integrations

Setup the following integrations to extend workflow capability.

Send email in the workflow
AWS SES

invoice approvalaccounts payableinvoice processingAP workflowsupplier invoicepayment approval

Similar Workflows

Purchase Order Approval Workflow Expense Claim Workflow Purchase Requisition Workflow

Similar Categories

Governance & Compliance

FAQs

Do I need to set up separate systems for purchase order checks and approvals?

No, this workflow handles both in one place. The finance reviewer checks the invoice against the PO as a task within the workflow, and the outcome automatically determines whether the invoice goes back to the submitter for corrections or moves on to approval routing.

Can my team change the approval amount threshold?

Yes, the $5,000 threshold that decides whether an invoice goes to a manager or a finance lead is just a step in the workflow. You can describe the change you want in plain English, or edit the routing step directly in the workflow editor, and earlier versions of the workflow are kept.

Is this suitable for teams without a dedicated finance system?

Yes, submitters use a public request form to submit invoices and never need an account. The workflow itself manages the record, status, and communications, so your team doesn't need any other software connected to run this process.

Who is involved in approving an invoice?

A finance reviewer checks the invoice against the purchase order first. Depending on the invoice total, either a manager or a finance lead is then assigned an approval task, and their decision determines whether the invoice moves toward payment or is marked rejected.

What happens when there's a discrepancy against the purchase order?

The invoice status is set to Returned, and the submitter is emailed the reviewer's comments along with a request for corrected details. Once the submitter provides those corrections, the status resets to Under Review and the workflow loops back to finance for a re-check.

How does the submitter find out if their invoice was approved or rejected?

The workflow sends an automatic email at the end of the process — an approval email if the invoice is marked Ready for Payment, or a rejection email if it's marked Rejected. Submitters don't need to log in or check anywhere else; the outcome comes straight to their inbox.

Can we track the status of an invoice while it's being reviewed?

Yes, every invoice is created as a record with a reference number and a status that updates at each stage, such as Submitted, Under Review, Returned, or Ready for Payment. Table views and dashboards show records by status, and each record keeps a timeline of what's happened to it.

What information do submitters need to provide upfront?

The request form asks for details like submitter name and email, supplier, invoice number and date, PO reference, amounts, cost centre, and the invoice upload. This gives finance everything needed to run the PO check without any back-and-forth at the start.

Can we adjust the emails sent to submitters?

Yes, the acknowledgement, correction request, rejection, and approval emails are all steps in the workflow and can be edited by describing the change in plain English or updating them in the workflow editor. Changes apply going forward, and earlier versions of the workflow are kept.

Ready to use this workflow?

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