Accounting > A/P > A/P Setup >  Invoice Approval Rules


Create rules to allow the automation of the Invoice approval process. 


uManage allows you to create customized Rules and to establish Approvers to route invoices through the approval process. Invoice Approvers can be internal uManage users or board members. Invoices are not eligible to be paid until they are fully approved by all users/board members assigned to the approval process. Additionally, the invoice has to show both "Approved" and "Posted" on the Manage Invoice page.  


The invoice approval process consists of the following:


  • Invoice Approvers - Internal firm Users or Board members assigned to approve invoices. 


NOTE- This feature is optional and not required to pay invoices. 


  • Invoice Approval Rules - Defines the approval process to be used for the invoice. Rules can be set up by vendor, association and/or dollar amount.


  • Notifications - Supports step-level and nightly invoice approval reminders. An invoice awaiting approval cannot be paid; therefore, a Pending Invoice Approval reminder email is sent to all persons who are the current approver of an invoice. This notification cannot be disabled.


Add an Invoice Approval Rule


Step 1. Navigate to Accounting > A/P > A/P Setup > Invoice Approval Rules.


Step 2. Click the Add Item button.



Step 3. Enter information in the Invoice Approval Rule Edit window. 


Overview Tab - Rule Section


  • Title - Enter a name for the rule.

  • Over Amount - Enter a minimum dollar amount for the rule to apply.

  • Active - Check to activate the rule.  

NOTE- Rules highlighted in red on the Invoice Approval Rule page are inactive and will not be considered when matching an invoice to a rule. 

  • Apply to All Associations - Click to the apply rule to all Associations, or unclick to apply the rule to specific Association(s) listed on the "Association" tab.

  • Apply to All Vendors - Click to apply rule to all Vendors, or unclick to apply the rule to specific Vendor(s) listed on the "Vendor" tab.

  • Set Ready to Pay When Completely Approved - Click to automatically set the status to Ready to Pay (Approved) on the Manage Invoice page when the last Approver approves the invoice.

  • Auto Post When Completely Approved - Click to automatically Post the invoice when the last approver in the process approves the invoice. Leave unclicked to manually post the invoice after the approval process is complete.

NOTE- For Associations that use the Accrual method of accounting, the invoice will not be expensed until it is posted.

  • Description - Enter any additional information about the Invoice Approval Rule, if needed. 


Step 4. Click the Save button when completed. This will activate the Approver Section. 


Step 5. Click the Pencil icon to reopen the Invoice Approval Rule Edit window for the new rule you just created. The Approver Section should now allow you to add Approvers. 



Step 6. Click the Add Approver button to open the Approver window. 



Step 7. Complete the Approver window. 


Approver- Select the Approver from the drop down menu.


  • Association Invoice Approver - User specified on the A/P Tab on the Manage Association page.


  • Association Manager - User set to Manager on the Overview Tab on the Manage Association page.


Board Approvers


The following Approvers are established on the Manage Association page, Board Members Tab. CLICK HERE for more information. 


NOTE-  If multiple Board Member Approvals are needed in any order, add multiple rows with the same approver number (for example, "Board Approver 1").  If multiple Board Member Approvals are needed in sequential order, add multiple rows with a different approval number(for example, "Board Approver 1", "Board Approver 2", etc.).


  • Board Approver 1 - Board member(s) designated as the first invoice approver(s).

  • Board Approver 2 - Board member(s) designated as the second invoice approver(s).

  • Board Approver 3 - Board member(s) designated as the third invoice approver(s).

  • Board Approver 4 - Board member(s) designated as the fourth invoice approver(s).

  • Board Approver 5 - Board member(s) designated as the fifth invoice approver(s).

  • Firm Invoice Approver - A single user designated at the firm level in the A/P Section of the Preferences Tab of the Manage Firm page CLICK HERE for more information. 

  • Firm User - Choose this option to select any User by name. This will open an additional drop down menu to choose the User. 



Denied Step- Select the user to be notified if the Approver denies the invoice.


Send Notification- Click to send an email notification to the approver next in line.  Note:  This will produce one email each time an invoice is sent to an approver.



Step 8. Continue this process until all the necessary approval levels have been created and click the Save button to finalize. 


Step 9. This returns you to the Approver Section of the Overview Tab. From here you can change the order of the Approvers by dragging and dropping them in place. 



Overview Tab - Association Section


Use this Tab to assign Associations to the Rule. Highlight the Association(s) in the right pane and use the arrow to move it to the lwft pane. 


NOTE- This Tab is only available if “Apply to All Associations'' was not clicked on the Overview Tab.



Overview Tab - Vendor Section


Use this Tab to assign Vendors to the Rule. Highlight the Vendor(s) in the right pane and use the arrow to move it to the left pane. 


NOTE- This Tab is only available if “Apply to All Vendors'' was not checked on the Overview Tab.



Overview Tab - Exclude Association Section


Use this Tab to exclude specific Associations when "Apply to All Associations” was checked on the Overview Tab. To exclude an Association(s), highlight the name(s) in the right pane and use the arrow to move it to the left pane.



Overview Tab - Exclude Vendor Section


Use this Tab to exclude specific Vendors when "Apply to All Vendors” was checked on the Overview Tab. To exclude an Association(s), highlight the name(s) in the right pane and use the arrow to move it to the left pane.



Step 10. Click the Save button to finalize and add the new rule. 


Edit the Order of Approval Rules


Approval rules should be ordered from the most specific to the most general. Use drag/drop to arrange the rules in the correct order.  


NOTE- Rules highlighted in RED are inactive.



Edit Invoice Approval Rule


Click the Pencil icon corresponding to the Invoice Approval Rule that needs to be edited. Make necessary changes and click the Save button to finalize.



Delete Invoice Approval Rule


Click the Trash icon to delete an Approval Rule. 



To Enable Invoice Approval on Portal


Step 1. Navigate to Portals > Board Portal > Manage Board Portal Features.


Step 2.  Locate the Invoice Approval menu item and check the corresponding box. 



Step 3.  Click the Process button to update the Board Features.