Concur Invoice Standard Edition Administration Help

Invoice - Approval Routing

On the Approval Routing page you can select the process that invoices go through for approvals. You can choose between several routing possibilities, depending on your company's needs. You can also select whether managers and employees can add more approvers to the process. When the invoice is given the final approval, it is ready to be exported and paid.

Understanding the routing options

If you select Processor, you will use the easiest approval routing option. The invoice will go from the employee to the processor for approval on the Process Invoices page. The processor-only option will be the default setting. For smaller businesses, this option may be preferred because it removes a duplicate approval process.

If you select Manager > Processor, the invoice will go from the employee to their manager for approval, then to the processor for approval on the Process Invoices page.

Required configuration for the Manager > Processor option: Each employee must have an approver selected in the Invoice Approver field on the Users page.

If you select Manager > AuthorisedApprover > Processor, you will subsequently set limits per approver on the invoice amounts that they can approve on the Users page. The invoice will go from the employee to their manager. If their manager does not have a sufficient approval limit, then the manager will be prompted to select an additional approver from a list of users who have a sufficient approval limit. From the authorised approver, the invoice will go to the processor for approval on the Process Invoices page.

Required configuration for the Manager > AuthorisedApprover > Processor option:

  • Each employee must have a manager selected in the Invoice Approver list on the Users page.

  • Each Invoice Approver must have an amount entered in the Invoice Approver List list on the Users page.

If you select Manager > Manager'sManager (up to 5 levels) > Processor, the invoice will go from the employee to their manager for approval. If the submitter's manager has a sufficient approval limit, then the invoice will go to the processor for approval on the Process Invoices page (just like the option Manager > Processor.) If the employee's manager lacks a sufficient approval limit, the invoice will go to the Manager's Manager, and so on up to a total of five managers if necessary, until a manager with sufficient approval limit allows the invoice to go to the processor for approval on the Process Invoices page.

Required configuration for the Manager > Manager'sManager (up to 5 levels) > Processor option:

  • Each employee must have an approver selected in the Invoice Approver list on the Users page.

  • Each approver must have an amount entered in the Authorised Limit Approval? list on the Users page. Make sure that the final approver has a very high approval limit so that all invoices can be successfully approved. Also ensure that at least one other approver has a very high approval limit so that invoices submitted by the final approver can be successfully approved. Remember that no one can approve their own invoices.

If you select the Include Budget Approver option, a budget approval step will be added to the approval routing options on the Approval Routing page. The budget approval step will be placed before the processor step. Once you have included budget approval, the Manage Approvers (optional) tab appears on the Add Budget Item page, where you can add approvers.

If you select Processor, PO-based invoices will go from the employee to the processor for approval.

If you select Apply the same approval routing as regular invoice (what's selected above), whatever is selected for invoices apply to PO-based invoices as well.

To define your invoice routing option, select (enable) the check box for the desired invoice approval routing option.

Understanding the approval expiration setting

You can configure the number of days after which an invoice waiting for approval is automatically routed to an approving manager by selecting (enabling) and configuring the Set Pending Approval expiration and route to manager after (in days) setting. The setting is selected (enabled) by default and the default expiration interval is 10 days.

If an approver does not approve an invoice before the expiration interval elapses, the system forwards the invoice to the next approver in the approval workflow.

If the setting is cleared (disabled), the invoice remains in the pending approver’s queue.

When selected (enabled), this setting allows the system to take the following actions:

  • When the invoice enters the Pending Approval workflow step for the approver, the system begins timing the approver.

  • If the expiration interval elapses, the system automatically reassigns the affected invoice to the approver's manager and resets the timer. If the interval elapses again, the system forwards the invoice to the next approver or to the processor.

Understanding the additional approvers options

You have the option of choosing whether managers and employees can add more approvers to the invoice approval route. If you select either option, the manager or employee will see a button after approving or submitting that lets them select another approver. The approver they select will be added to the approval route after them, then the invoice will continue on the existing path. The additional approver does not replace the standard approvers.

To allow managers and/or employees to add approvers, select (enable) the relevant check box.

Assign invoice to Purchase Request Owner

The invoice user can assign an unsubmitted PO-based invoice to the original purchase request owner. The user will be able to see who the purchase request owner is and select them. To assign invoices to the original purchase request owner, select (enable) the Assign invoice to Purchase Request Owner check box.

Allow Invoice Processors to process their own invoices

You have the option of choosing whether Invoice Processors can process their own invoices. This is beneficial for clients who only have one processor in their company and where this processor also submits their own invoices. To allow processors to process their own invoices, select (enable) the Allow Invoice Processors to Process their own invoices check box.

Email supplier when payment has been made

Suppliers can receive an email when they are paid via ACH or Check with Invoice Pay, which will contain full remittance information including when, how, and for what they are paid. This applies to both partial and full payments.

The information in the email will contain the invoice date, invoice amount, invoice number, payment date, payment method and any notes that may exist on the payment submission. In addition, for Check emails the check number will be included. The paying company name must be in the Subject field and in the header line of the email.

The email address will be determined by what is entered in the Supplier Contact field of the Approved Supplier Import.

To email a supplier when payment has been made, select (enable) the Send supplier payment email notification for Check and ACH Invoice Pay types check box.

Understanding the recall option

You have the option of choosing whether managers and employees can add more approvers to the invoice approval route. If you select either option, the manager or employee will see a button after approving or submitting that lets them select another approver. The approver they select will be added to the approval route after them, then the invoice will continue on the existing path. The additional approver does not replace the standard approvers.

To allow managers and/or employees to add approvers, select the relevant check box.

You have the option of allowing employees to recall a submitted invoice at any time prior to an invoice status of Pending Payment.

When an invoice is recalled, the following actions can be taken by the employee:

  • Edit and resubmit the invoice.

  • Delete the invoice.

When an invoice is recalled, the following actions are taken by the system:

  • An entry is written to the audit trail showing the action on the invoice as Invoice Recall.

  • The name of the user recalling the invoice is displayed in the Status column of the Invoice List page.

  • Workflow is reset.

To allow employees to recall submitted invoices, leave the check box selected (enabled) to allow employees to recall invoices.