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Overview

Bills in Smartbills follow an approval workflow similar to expense reports. Before a vendor invoice can be paid, it may need to be reviewed and approved by one or more authorized users. This guide explains the workflow from both the approver and submitter perspectives.
Approval configuration: Bill approval workflows are configured by administrators in Settings > Approval Workflows. The number of approval levels, thresholds, and designated approvers vary by organization.

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How Bill Approval Works

The bill approval lifecycle follows these stages:
  1. A user uploads a bill and saves it
  2. The bill enters the approval queue with a Pending status
  3. The designated approver reviews the bill
  4. The approver either approves or rejects the bill
  5. If approved, the bill moves to Approved status and can be paid
  6. If rejected, the submitter is notified with a reason

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For Approvers

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Reviewing a Bill

1

Open the Bill

Navigate to Approvals or Bills in the sidebar. Bills pending your approval appear with a Pending badge. Click on a bill to open its detail view.
2

Verify Vendor and Amount

Check that the vendor is correct and recognized in your vendor directory. Verify the invoice amount matches the original document and that any taxes are calculated properly.
3

Check Supporting Documents

Review the attached invoice document. Confirm that:
  • The invoice is legible and complete
  • Line items match the stated total
  • Payment terms and due date are correct
  • The invoice has not already been paid (check for duplicate entries)
4

Approve or Reject

After reviewing, take one of the following actions:To approve:
  1. Click Approve
  2. Add an optional note
  3. Click Confirm Approval
To reject:
  1. Click Reject
  2. Enter a rejection reason (required)
  3. Click Confirm Rejection

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Approval Thresholds

Your organization may have amount-based thresholds that determine which bills require approval:
Check your thresholds. Ask your administrator what approval thresholds apply to your role so you know which bills will route to you.

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For Submitters

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Uploading and Submitting

1

Upload the Bill

Follow the steps in the Upload a Bill guide to upload the vendor invoice and fill in the details.
2

Submit for Approval

When you save the bill, it is automatically submitted for approval if your organization requires it. The bill moves to Pending status.
3

Track the Status

Monitor the bill’s progress in the bills list. The status column shows where it is in the approval process:
  • Pending: Awaiting approver review
  • Approved: Approved and ready for payment
  • Rejected: Rejected by the approver (check the reason in the bill timeline)

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Handling a Rejected Bill

If your bill is rejected:
  1. Open the rejected bill to read the approver’s reason
  2. Correct the issues identified, this may involve uploading a new document, fixing the amount, or updating vendor details
  3. Save the changes to resubmit the bill for approval
  4. The bill returns to the approval queue

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Approval Audit Trail

Every action on a bill is recorded in the timeline at the bottom of the bill detail view:
  • Who uploaded the bill and when
  • Who approved or rejected it, with timestamps
  • Any notes or comments added during the process
  • Status changes and edits
This audit trail provides a complete history for compliance and accounting purposes.

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What’s Next?

Upload a Bill

Learn how to upload and process vendor invoices

Bills Overview

Return to the bills dashboard guide

Approvals Overview

Learn about the broader approval system

Vault

Access archived invoices and documents