1. What Approval helps you do
Approval helps you make sure invoices are reviewed before they reach your accounting system.
It’s useful when more than one person needs to check a bill - for example, when a project manager needs to approve costs, or when a second person double-checks coding before export.
2. When to use it
Use approval whenever you need an extra review step before sending an invoice to accounting. Typical examples:
Quality check flow - one person reviews invoice details and coding, another approves and exports.
Cost approval flow - a manager or project lead confirms costs before the finance team exports.
Mixed flow - some invoices are exported directly, others go through approval when they need review.
3. How to enable or disable approval
You can turn invoice approval on or off in the folder settings.
Once approval is enabled, the folder becomes visible in your Approvals module, and documents from that folder can be submitted for review.
If approval is turned off, invoices will follow your usual capture → export process.
4. How the approval flow works
The basic approval flow works like this:
Step 1: Upload and capture documents
Upload or forward invoices as usual (email, web, or mobile app)
Datamolino extracts the data and prepares your documents for the next step.
Step 2: Review and code
Check and code invoices in the Ready tab.
If you use Validate totals, the amounts must match before you can continue.
Step 3: Submit for approval or export directly
Click Submit for approval if the invoice requires review.
Click Export if no approval is needed.
Submitting for approval makes the invoice read-only in Documents and moves it to Approvals → Awaiting Approval. You can open it directly from the folder using View in Approvals.
Note on editing: Document cannot be edited once submitted for approval. If you need to make changes, you need to either Reset Approval in Documents or need to wait until the invoice is Rejected.
Step 4: Approve or reject
Approvers review invoices in the Approvals module. They can:
Approve - the invoice moves to Approved → Awaiting Export.
Reject - the invoice appears in Rejected (and as Needs Review in Documents).
Step 5: Export to accounting
Once approved, invoices can be exported from either Approvals or Documents.
The status always stays in sync across both modules.
5. If you use Datamolino to approve documents only
To review invoices, switch to the Approvals module using the top navigation bar.
This is where you’ll find all documents waiting for approval.
Inside Approvals, you’ll see three sections:
Awaiting Approval – documents waiting to review and approve or reject.
Approved → Awaiting Export – invoices that have already been approved and are ready to send to accounting.
Rejected – invoices sent back for correction.
To approve documents, follow these steps:
6. Bulk actions
If you’re working with multiple invoices at once, you can submit, approve, reject them in bulk:
In Documents, select several invoices and click Submit for approval.
In Approvals, select multiple invoices to Approve or Reject at once. Once approved, you can export documents in bulk or one by one.
This helps when processing larger volumes or end-of-month batches.
Note: Direct export without approval is only available as a single action from inside the document detail.
7. Examples: a simple approval workflow
Accounting practice
Let’s say your folder Client Expenses has approval enabled.
Anna uploads supplier invoices for this client.
She reviews and code the data and clicks Submit for approval.
David, the senior accountant, opens the Approvals module and sees these invoices under Awaiting Approval.
He checks coding and VAT treatment, approves them, and exports to Xero.
This ensures every client bill is reviewed before posting.
Business: Approving supplier invoices in a firm
Let’s say your folder Restaurant Supplies has approval enabled.
Claire uploads invoices for food and beverage deliveries.
She reviews the data and clicks Submit for approval.
Mark, the restaurant manager, opens the Approvals module and sees these invoices under Awaiting Approval.
He confirms quantities and prices, approves them, and exports to Xero.
This ensures supplier invoices match deliveries before payment.
8.Key takeaways
Use Approval when invoices need review before export.
You can still export directly if no approval is required.
Submitted invoices are read-only until approved or returned.
Approvals appear in a separate module for clarity.
You can also browse other helpful guides: 👉 Explore all Approval articles