Not every invoice follows the same path.
This article explains how Approval behaves in real-world situations - from direct exports and rejections to quality checks and special cases.
1. When some invoices need approval and others don’t
Once a document is captured, it appears in the Ready tab inside Documents.
Here, you decide which invoices go through approval and which can be exported directly.
Submit for approval - use when an invoice needs to be reviewed or signed off.
Export directly - use for trusted suppliers or recurring costs that don’t require approval.
Note: The Bulk edit button allows you to code (and directly export) multiple Ready documents at once.
2. When an invoice is rejected
Rejected invoices appear in
Approvals → Rejected
Documents → Needs Review
From there, you can:
Edit the invoice and Submit for approval again clicking 'View in Documents'
Archive it if you expect a corrected version from the supplier.
Force approve and export if you already have the approval confirmed elsewhere (for example, by email).
3. When an export fails
If an export fails, you’ll find the invoice in:
Approvals → Approved → Export Failed
Documents → Export Failed
There are two common scenarios:
1. Export error – failed connection with accounting software
If the issue is caused by a lost connection:
Open your folder in Documents.
Go to the Folder Menu and reconnect your accounting software.
Try exporting the document again.
2. Export error – data or validation issue (e.g. incorrect currency)
If the problem is related to invoice details:
Open the invoice in Documents (using View in Documents or by finding it directly).
Reset Approval to unlock editing.
Correct what’s needed (for example, coding or currency).
Export directly or Submit for approval again if review is required.
4. When the approver is unavailable
If an approver can’t review an invoice and you need to post it urgently, you can use Force approve and export.
Use this option only when approval has been confirmed through another channel (e.g. email) and time is critical.
The action is recorded in the Audit Trail for transparency.
Note: Force approve is also available as a bulk action.
5. Using approval for quality control or multi-person checks
Many teams use Approval for internal review before export:
Quality check flow – one person codes the invoice, another reviews and approves before export.
Formal approval flow – a manager or project lead confirms the cost before the finance team posts it to accounting.
Both flows work with single or bulk actions:
In Documents, select several invoices and Submit for approval.
In Approvals, select multiple invoices to Approve or Reject at once.
6. Moving invoices between folders
Some firms collect all invoices in a master folder, then route them to folders owned by individual approvers.
Here’s how it works in the new version:
Invoices can be moved only from inside the Documents module.
Moving is available from all tabs except Awaiting Approval.
When a document is moved, its approval is automatically reset.
All previous approval history remains visible in the document’s Audit Trail.
This setup allows each approver to focus only on invoices relevant to their department or project while keeping full traceability.
7. Where to find invoices by status
You can track every stage of an invoice in either module.
Statuses stay synced and show the same documents in both views.
In Documents | In Approvals | What it means |
Ready | — | Captured invoices waiting to be submitted or exported. |
Awaiting Approval | Awaiting Approval | Sent for review and waiting for action. |
Needs Review | Rejected | Returned by approver for correction. |
Awaiting Export | Approved → Awaiting Export | Approved and ready to export. |
Export Failed | Approved → Export Failed | Export failed - needs fixing. |
Exported / Archived | Exported / Archived | Successfully exported or archived. |
Use colour indicators and filters to quickly find invoices that need your action.
You can browse other helpful guides here: 👉 Explore all Approval articles