New Updates to Payment Approval Workflows in QuickBooks Bill Pay
Why This Matters
Whether you are an Accounting Firm or an internal user, handling bill payments carries a lot of responsibility. Safeguards need to be put in place to prevent errors, protect cash flow, and make sure only the right people are able to authorize money to leave company accounts. The new approval workflows provide exactly that — stronger controls and greater flexibility.
With this release, only authorized users can release payments, reducing risk and ensuring that approvals happen before any funds move.
Who Can Use It
- Available for Bill Pay Elite and QuickBooks Advanced customers.
- Must be set up by a primary or company admin.
- Currently available in the U.S. only.
How It Works
Setting up and using the approval workflows is straightforward and customizable:
- Set Up the Workflow
- Navigate to the Workflows tab.
- Create a new approval workflow template.
- Customize rules based on vendor, payment amount, or other conditions.
- Choose how approvers are notified — either directly in QuickBooks or via email.
- Save and activate with a single click.
- Navigate to the Workflows tab.
- Submitting a Payment
- When a QuickBooks accountant (or designated user) schedules a payment, they select the date and amount, but the payment cannot be released until approval is granted.
- The system clearly indicates that an approval is required before funds are withdrawn.
- When a QuickBooks accountant (or designated user) schedules a payment, they select the date and amount, but the payment cannot be released until approval is granted.
- Approving or Rejecting Payments
- Approvers receive notifications (via email or QuickBooks).
- They can approve bills one by one or in bulk.
- If a payment needs to be held back, the approver can reject it with notes, ensuring clarity on the reason.
- Approvers receive notifications (via email or QuickBooks).
- Tracking Pending Approvals
- Accountants (or designated users) can check the Unpaid Bills page to see the status of each payment.
- If something is pending, they can copy a direct link to the approval request and share it through Slack, Teams, or other firm communication tools to keep things moving
- Accountants (or designated users) can check the Unpaid Bills page to see the status of each payment.
Added Benefits
In addition to approval controls, firms also gain access to audit trail downloads. This makes it easy to see who approved or rejected payments, creating clear accountability and documentation.
Another key benefit: Accounting firms can handle the preparation of bill payments while allowing the client to give the final sign-off before money leaves the account. This gives clients peace of mind while maintaining efficiency.
Why You’ll Love It
- Stronger protection for company funds.
- Better cash flow management with approvals before money moves.
- Customizable workflows to match firm needs.
- Audit trails for clear accountability.
- Flexible notifications for faster decision-making.
Final Thoughts
This update strengthens the way firms and clients manage bill payments in QuickBooks. With customizable approval workflows, audit trails, and secure controls, QuickBooks Bill Pay is now more powerful and reliable than ever.
If you’re on Bill Pay Elite or QuickBooks Advanced, you can start using the new approval workflows today by visiting the Workflows tab in QuickBooks.
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