Invoices can be approved by users in a user group with Approve Invoice permissions. Refer to Managing User Groups.
Invoices can be approved from the Documents list or the Invoices list in the client workspace, or from My Approvals when using Workflow to approve invoices. Both of these scenarios are covered below.
When Invoices are approved, they will be synchronised with Xero Ledger, matched with a contact, and updated with the status of Draft in Xero. From that point on the invoice can be completed in Xero by sending to the client and sending payments. Changes will be synchronised to FYI. Refer to Synchronising Contacts, Invoices, and Client Ledger Reports with Xero Ledger
Approving Invoices from the Invoices list or Documents list
- The Approver displays the invoice from the Documents or Invoices tab in the client workspace. The invoice can be displayed and reviewed by opening the Details section in the drawer.
- If required, the invoice can be edited to make any changes.
- When ready to approve, the Approver clicks the Approved button to approve the invoice. This changes the Status based on your practice settings.
Note: The Status setting is based on your practice settings and allows users to configure the status of the invoice in Xero after the invoice has been approved in FYI and synchronised to the Xero Ledger. This can be set to either Draft, Awaiting Approval, or Approval. Refer to Managing Invoices Settings.
- The invoice is synchronised to Xero ready for Approval and can no longer be edited in FYI. If required, the invoice can be deleted in FYI until the invoice is approved in Xero.
The email address used for the invoice in Xero will be either the email on the Client - Summary tab, or a custom email address, depending on the Invoice Email Address option selected in Invoice Settings. Refer to Managing Invoices Settings.
- Once synchronised, the Invoice Number from Xero is added to the Invoice Number field in the Details section of the drawer. The Invoice Number field will be blank for invoices that have not yet synchronised.
Using Workflow to Approve Invoices
To approve invoices using Workflow, users must have the Approval Level set to "Approval" in their user profile. This is set by an FYI Admin, refer to Managing Users.
This example has two users in the workflow. It shows an invoice that is created by one user (for example, a junior) and sent for approval (for example, to a manager or a partner). The Approver checks and approves the invoice.
- In the FYI drawer, the user sets the Workflow Status as "Pending Approval" and selects the person to assign as the Approver. The user creating the invoice is set as the Owner and this can be changed if required by selecting a different user (for example, the manager or partner).
- The user can close the Invoice drawer by selecting the x.
- The invoice will be displayed in the Approver's Home - My Approvals workspace.
- The invoice can be displayed and reviewed by opening the Details section in the drawer.
- If required, the invoice can be edited to make any changes.
- When ready to approve, from the drawer, the Approver clicks the Approve button to approve the invoice. Invoices can also be approved without opening the drawer, by clicking the "Approved" button in the toolbar.
Note: The Status setting is based on your practice settings and allows users to configure the status of the invoice in Xero after the invoice has been approved in FYI and synchronised to the Xero Ledger. This can be set to either Draft, Awaiting Approval, or Approval. Refer to Managing Invoices Settings.
- The invoice is synchronised to Xero ready for Approval and can no longer be edited in FYI. If required, the invoice can be deleted from FYI until the invoice is approved in Xero. This will also remove the invoice from Xero. See Deleting and Voiding invoices.
Note: If needed, Comments or Tasks can be added. These can be added, for example, to let a user know that the invoice has been approved. A Task or Comment is added using the drawer. When doing this from My Approvals, add these before clicking Approved.
- Once synchronised, the Invoice Number from Xero is added to the Invoice Number field in the Details section of the drawer. The Invoice Number field will be blank for invoices that have not yet synchronised.
Requesting Changes
If any changes are needed, the Approver can optionally add any Comments or add a Task to the invoice and then set the Workflow to "Changes Requested". A Comment is created automatically and pre-filled with a message that changes have been requested and includes the name of the user requesting changes and the name of the Owner to send the Comment to. You can add additional information to the comment text. Click the Comment button to send it.
Note: When setting the Status to "Changes Requested", the invoice will no longer be included in your My Approvals tab.