Field descriptions: AP supplier invoice approvals

Enable AP supplier invoice approval

Turns on the approval process. Create an approval policy to determine the required approvers and approval chain, and approvals based on the total AP supplier invoice amount (value approvals).

Learn more about setting up approvals.

Email notifications

Enable the ability for approvers to receive email notifications when an AP supplier invoice is ready for their approval. Users then enable notifications for AP supplier invoice approvals on their Preferences page.

Approval policies and Manage

• Supplier-based Approval: Approval requests are sent to the AP supplier invoice approver you specify for the supplier. AP supplier invoices without assigned AP supplier invoice approvers are automatically approved. To set up, you must assign AP supplier invoice approvers on supplier records after adding the rule.
  
• Value Approval: Approval requests are sent based on the total AP supplier invoice amount. The approval amount for AP supplier invoices is set according to the approval amounts on the Value Approval Rule page. Requests are sent directly to the level in which the total AP supplier invoice amount falls.
• Value Approval - Transaction Department: Approval requests will be sent to the manager of the department selected in the AP supplier invoice. To set up, you must create a Value Approval Rule Set that determines who approves an AP supplier invoice based on amount.
• User Level: The approval request is routed to the specific user. Select the user in the User column.

Unrestricted

Select a user who can terminate the rest of the approval cycle by approving or declining the AP supplier invoice.

Rule type

Use the rule type column to create a sequence of approvals.

For example, you might want an AP supplier invoice to be approved first based on the department for the transaction and the amount. Then, you might want it approved by a specific user.

The rule types are:

• Supplier-based Approval: Approval requests are sent to the AP supplier invoice approver selected on the supplier record. After adding this rule and saving your changes, you need to update supplier records to select approvers.
• Value Approval: Approval requests are sent based on the total AP supplier invoice amount. This value approval rule determines the levels of approval and approval amounts at each level. Approval requests are sent directly to the level in which the AP supplier invoice amount falls.
• Value Approval, Transaction Department: Approval requests are sent based on the department selected in the transaction and the total AP supplier invoice amount. The value approval rule for the department or the default value approval rule if the department does not have its own specific value approval rule, which are defined by the selected rule set, determine the number of approvers and their approval amount limits. Only one department can be selected per transaction for this rule type to function correctly.
• User Level: The approval request is routed to a specific user. Select the user from the dropdown list in the User column.

  For a user to appear in the list, the following must be true:

  • The user has any user type other than CRM
  • The user has Approve AP supplier invoices: List permissions in Accounts Payable
  • The user is not restricted to any entities, departments, or territories

Rule set

If you selected Value Approval - Transaction Department as a rule type, you must set up a rule set. A rule set enables you to define a collection of value approval rules for the Value Approval: Transaction Department rule type. A value approval rule defines the approvers you want and their approval amounts.

A rule set contains:

• Default value approval rules: The default value approval rules for any department that doesn’t have its own specific value approval rule. For example, you might not want to set up a rule for every department if your company has many departments. Instead, set up a default rule that will be used across all departments.
• Department-specific value approval rules: While one default value approval rule might work for the majority of your departments, other departments might need their own rules with different approvers and/or approval amounts. Use department-specific value approval rules for any departments that need their own specific rules.

Learn more about value approval rule sets and value approval rules.

Manage rule

This column is applicable when Value Approval is selected as the rule type. You can select Edit to add or edit the value approval rule used to route the approval requests. The approval rule for this rule type defines the number of levels of approval needed and the approval amounts for each level. The approvers for a specific level are those users who have permission for AP supplier invoice Approvals and appropriate approval amount levels.

Learn more about the value approval rule for permission-based approvals.

Rule set name

The name of the rule set.

Rule type

This is a read-only field. Department dimension-based means that these value approval rules are based on transaction departments.

Approver

Select a user who will receive a approval request for the range of values on each line. For each approver, specify approvable amounts by the Value from and Value to fields.

For a user to appear in the list, the following must be true:

• The user has any user type other than CRM
• The user has Approve AP supplier invoices: List permissions in Accounts Payable
• The user is not restricted to any entities, departments, or territories

Learn more about assigning permissions.

The amounts that can be approved by each approver is the limit specified by Value from and Value to. For example, you might define the following three approvers: 

• Approver 1: Department Manager, R500 to R1,000
• Approver 2: Mark Johnson, R1,000.01 to R5,000
• Approver 3: Lucy Ruiz, R5,000.01 to no-maximum-limit

Depending on the total amount of the AP supplier invoice, here's how the approval routing would work:

• R100 total AP supplier invoice amount: Not routed because it's automatically posted.
• R2,500 total AP supplier invoice amount: Routed to Approver 2, Mark Johnson.
• R15,000 total AP supplier invoice amount: Routed to Approver 3, Lucy Ruiz.

Value from

The minimum amount that can be approved. Anything below the minimum amount will automatically post and skip any approvals.

Value to

The maximum amount that can be approved for a particular level.

Department ID and Department name

The ID and name of the department with its own value approval rule.

Description

The optional note that was entered for the department's value approval rule when the rule was added or edited.

Trash can icon

Select this icon to delete the value approval rule for the department.

Department ID

The department for the value approval rule.

Description

An optional note about the value approval rule.

Approver

Select a user who will receive approval requests for the range of values on each line. If the total AP supplier invoice amount is greater than the approver's Value to amount, the approver will still need to approve the AP supplier invoice before it can continue up the approval chain.

For a user to appear in the list, the following must be true:

• The user has any user type other than CRM
• The user has Approve AP supplier invoices: List permissions in Accounts Payable
• The user is not restricted to any entities, departments, or territories

Value from

The minimum amount that can be approved. If there are no approval levels below this one, then anything below the minimum amount will post automatically.

Value to

The maximum amount that the Approver can approve.

Transaction Department approvals work differently from Permission-based approvals. If there are multiple approval levels, the AP supplier invoice must proceed through each level of approvals through to the level with a Value to that either exceeds the AP supplier invoice amount or is open-ended.

Description

An optional note about the value approval rule.

Level

Specify how many levels of approval you want, the amounts that require approval, and the number of required approvers. Sage Intacct supports a maximum of 6 approval levels.

Value approval requests are sent directly to the approvers for the level in which the transaction amount falls.

Value from

The minimum amount that can be approved. Anything below the minimum amount will automatically post and skip any approvals.

Value to

The maximum amount that can be approved.

Minimum approvers

Specify the required number of approvers for the level. AP supplier invoices can be approved by anyone with permission for that level of approval.