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Training · Approvals

Set up a bill approval workflow in QuickBooks Online (and Xero)

To set up a bill approval workflow, decide who approves what (by amount, vendor and department), then build those rules in your system. In QuickBooks Online that means the Bill Multi-Condition Approval workflow template, which Intuit offers to Bill Pay Elite customers; in Aequo AP it means Approval Rules with amount bands, vendor and department conditions.
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New to the topic? Read the explainer first: Invoice approval routing — How to design an approval matrix by amount, department and PO.

Last updated · Aequo AP training

The steps, in plain language

  1. 1

    Write down the approval matrix

    For each amount band, who must approve? Add vendor or department exceptions only where they matter.

  2. 2

    Decide what is auto-approved

    Small, PO-matched invoices often need no human approval. Write the limit down so auditors can see it.

  3. 3

    Choose sequential or parallel approval

    Large bills may need a manager and then the controller. Decide the order.

  4. 4

    Plan for absence

    Name a delegate for each approver, so bills do not stall when someone is away.

  5. 5

    Set reminders and escalation

    Decide how many hours a bill can wait before a reminder, and when it escalates.

  6. 6

    Separate approval from payment

    The person who approves a bill should not be the person who releases the payment.

In Aequo AP

Set up approval rules in Aequo AP

Aequo uses a rules table rather than a workflow builder. Conditions are amount, vendor and department.

  1. 1

    Open Approval Rules

    Go to Settings › Approval Rules (in the sidebar: Approvals › Approval Workflows).

  2. 2

    Add a rule

    Select Add Rule. Give it a Name, set Min Amount and Max Amount, optionally a Vendor, choose the Type (Required, Optional (FYI) or Auto-approve) and pick the Approvers.

  3. 3

    Use the advanced fields where needed

    Open Advanced rule fields to set Order (for multi-step routing), Department, and Auto-approve After (Hours).

  4. 4

    Add delegation

    On the same page, under Delegation, select Add Delegation and set the Unavailable User, the Delegate, and the Start Date and End Date.

  5. 5

    Set reminders and escalation

    In Settings › SLA & Escalation, set Reminder after (hrs), Escalate after (hrs), Max reminders and the Escalation role, then Save settings.

  6. 6

    How approvers approve

    Approvers open Approvals, where the Pending tab lists their bills. In a bill they choose Approve, Reject, Request changes or Ask a question; Reject and Request changes need a reason.

  7. 7

    When no rule matches

    The invoice’s approval section says no approval rule covers it and shows a suggested approver. Select Assign to accept it, or Choose Different Approver.

In QuickBooks Online

Set up the bill approval workflow in QuickBooks Online

From Intuit’s help page. Intuit says Bill Pay Elite customers can add a bill approval workflow.

  1. 1

    Open the workflow templates

    Select the lightning bolt icon near the top of the screen, then the Templates tab.

  2. 2

    Choose the template

    Select Bill Multi-Condition Approval and name it.

  3. 3

    Set conditions

    In the When this happens block, set conditions on amount, vendor, location or a combination. Use Add Condition for more than one.

  4. 4

    Choose approvers

    In the Do this block, choose one to seven approvers. For a group, choose Anyone approves, Any 2 people approve or All users approve. You can add up to five sequential approval layers.

  5. 5

    Cover other bills

    Add more When this happens and Do this blocks for bills that do not meet the first conditions.

  6. 6

    Turn it on

    Select Save and enable.

  7. 7

    How approvers approve

    Approvers find the task in the Dashboard Tasks widget or the Tasks menu, open the bill with View/edit bill and choose Approve or Deny.

In Xero

Approval in Xero

Xero’s built-in bill approval is an approve step controlled by user role, not a rules engine.

  1. 1

    How it works

    A bill is saved as a draft, submitted for approval, and once approved moves to awaiting payment. Which users can approve depends on their Xero user role.

  2. 2

    Routing by amount or department

    If you need different approvers by amount, vendor or department, route and approve the bill in Aequo, which then syncs it to Xero.

Common mistakes

  • One approver for every amount, so the CFO approves office supplies.
  • No delegate, so bills stall during holidays.
  • Approvers who can also edit vendor bank details or release payments.

Frequently asked questions

Does QuickBooks Online have a bill approval workflow?

Yes. Intuit’s Bill Multi-Condition Approval template routes bills by amount, vendor or location to up to seven approvers, with up to five sequential layers. Intuit says it is available to Bill Pay Elite customers.

Can I set up approvals by amount without QuickBooks Bill Pay Elite?

Yes, outside QuickBooks. Aequo AP’s Approval Rules route by amount, vendor and department and then sync approved bills to QuickBooks Online.

Does Xero have approval workflows?

Xero bills have a submit-for-approval and approve step, with approval rights set by user role. For rules by amount, vendor or department, teams route and approve in a tool such as Aequo AP and sync the approved bill to Xero.

What happens if an approver is away?

In Aequo, set a delegation with start and end dates, and set escalation in SLA & Escalation so overdue bills move on.

Try it in Aequo AP

Aequo AP captures invoices, matches them to purchase orders and delivery notes, routes approvals and flags exceptions and duplicates, then syncs approved bills with QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks or Zoho Books.

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Related guides and tools

Sources

Third-party steps follow the vendor’s own help pages. Menus change; check the current page if a label differs.

  1. Intuit: Set up and use bill approval and payment release workflows — Updated by Intuit 26 August 2026; fetched 23 October 2026.