How to Review and Approve Bills and Expenses in Addition: A Step-by-Step Guide

Managing business bills and expenses is an important part of keeping your finances organised. However, when invoices arrive from multiple suppliers and different team members are responsible for approving them, it can be difficult to keep track of what's been reviewed, approved and paid.

Addition simplifies this process by bringing supplier invoices, expense approvals and approval rules together in one platform. You can review bills, check transaction details, approve expenses and ensure invoices follow the correct approval process before they're recorded or included in a payment run.

In this article, we'll walk you through how to review and approve bills and expenses in Addition, explain how approval rules work and show you how to manage supplier invoices more efficiently.

Step 1: Log In to Addition and Open Your Overview Page

Start by logging in to your Addition account and navigating to the Overview page.

Your dashboard displays tasks that require your attention, including any bills and expenses awaiting your approval.

For example, you might see a notification showing that you have two bills and expenses to approve.

Click on this task to open the approvals area.

Here, you'll find the invoices that have been assigned to you for review based on your business's approval rules.

This means you don't need to search through emails or manually track which supplier invoices require your attention. Addition brings the relevant approvals together in one place.

Step 2: Understand How Approval Rules Work in Addition

Before reviewing individual bills, it's useful to understand how Addition's approval system works.

One of the platform's key features is its flexibility. Businesses can create approval rules that determine who needs to review different types of invoices before they're processed.

Within the approvals area, you'll find a Manage Approval Rules option.

This allows your business to configure approval workflows based on different criteria, including:

Supplier names: Assign invoices from particular suppliers to specific team members.
Invoice amounts: Require additional approval for invoices above a certain value.
Account codes: Route invoices based on the accounting category assigned to the expense.
Business units: Direct expenses to the appropriate department or business area.
Tracking categories: Create approval rules using the categories your business uses to monitor spending.

These rules help ensure the right people are reviewing the right expenses.

For example, your marketing department might be responsible for approving advertising invoices, while your operations team reviews invoices relating to suppliers and business operations.

By setting up these rules in advance, you can create a more organised and consistent approach to managing business spending.

Step 3: Set Up Multi-Level Approvals for Larger Expenses

Addition also supports approval workflows involving more than one person.

This can be particularly useful for businesses that want tighter controls over larger purchases.

For example, imagine your marketing team receives an invoice from Meta for advertising expenses.

You could configure an approval rule so that:

Any invoice from Meta is automatically assigned to the marketing team for review.
A member of the marketing team checks the invoice and confirms that the advertising expense is correct.
If the invoice exceeds £5,000, it also requires approval from a senior manager or Chief Operating Officer (COO).
The invoice can only progress once the required approvals have been completed.

The £5,000 threshold is simply an example. You can configure approval limits that suit your business's internal processes.

This approach allows employees to review expenses relating to their departments while ensuring larger financial commitments receive additional oversight.

It also reduces the risk of invoices being processed without the appropriate authorisation.

Step 4: Review Your First Supplier Invoice

Once you're familiar with the approval process, you can start reviewing the bills assigned to you.

In the approvals area, select the first invoice awaiting your attention.

For example, you might see a supplier invoice from Porto Ceramics that was emailed into Addition by a colleague.

Open the invoice and review the details.

Check the following information:

Supplier name: Confirm that the invoice is from the correct supplier.
Invoice description: Check what products or services the business is being charged for.
Invoice amount: Make sure the total matches what you expected to pay.
Supporting information: Review the invoice details to confirm that the purchase is legitimate.
Business purpose: Make sure the expense relates to an authorised business purchase.

For example, if Porto Ceramics has invoiced your business for a hand-painted ceramic sample, you can check that the description matches the sample your business ordered.

If the supplier, description and amount are correct, you can proceed with approval.

Step 5: Approve the Supplier Invoice

Once you've reviewed the invoice and are satisfied that the information is correct, you can approve it.

To do this:

Open the invoice awaiting your review.
Check the supplier details and description.
Confirm that the invoice amount is correct.
Make sure the purchase has been authorised.
Click Approve.

The invoice will then progress through the relevant approval workflow.

If your business has additional approval requirements, such as a second review for invoices above a certain amount, those rules will still need to be satisfied.

This helps ensure that invoices aren't processed without the appropriate checks.

Step 6: Review and Approve Additional Bills

If you have multiple invoices awaiting approval, repeat the process for each one.

For example, your second invoice might be from Royal Mail.

Open the invoice and check that the amount matches the expected charge.

If the invoice shows £42.30, confirm that this matches the amount your business was expecting to pay.

Once you're satisfied with the details:

Select the invoice.
Review the supplier and amount.
Confirm that the expense is correct.
Click Approve.

Continue until you've reviewed all the invoices assigned to you.

It's important to check each bill individually rather than approving everything without reviewing the details.

This helps identify potential errors before they progress through your accounting process.

Step 7: Check That Your Approvals Are Complete

After approving your outstanding invoices, return to the approvals overview.

If you've completed all the tasks assigned to you, Addition will show that there are no approvals waiting for your attention.

This means you've completed your part of the approval process and are no longer holding up the invoices that were waiting for your review.

For businesses with several people involved in purchasing and finance, this visibility is particularly useful.

Everyone can complete their assigned approvals, helping invoices move through the process without unnecessary delays.

Step 8: Understand What Happens After You Approve a Bill

Approving a supplier invoice doesn't necessarily mean the bill has been paid.

Once the required approvals have been completed, the invoice can progress to the next stage of the accounting process.

Approved invoices move into the Unpaid Bills area, where they can be managed alongside your business's other outstanding supplier payments.

Depending on the circumstances, Addition may:

Match the bill to an existing bank transaction: If a corresponding payment has already appeared in your bank transactions, the system may automatically match it to the invoice.
Keep the bill in Unpaid Bills: If the invoice hasn't been paid, it remains available for the next stage of payment processing.

This helps keep your supplier invoices organised and provides visibility over which bills still need to be settled.

Importantly, Addition's approval rules help prevent invoices from being processed into your accounting records or included in payment runs before the required approvals have been completed.

Why Are Bill and Expense Approval Rules Important?

As a business grows, managing supplier invoices becomes more complicated.

Different departments may purchase goods and services, managers may have different spending limits, and larger invoices may require senior approval.

Without a structured process, businesses risk losing track of invoices, approving incorrect charges or making payments without the necessary authorisation.

Addition helps address these challenges through configurable approval workflows.

Greater Control Over Business Spending

Approval rules allow you to decide who can authorise different expenses.

For example, your marketing team can review advertising costs while larger purchases require additional management approval.

This creates clearer accountability over business spending.

Fewer Invoice Processing Errors

Reviewing invoices before they're processed gives your team the opportunity to identify incorrect amounts, unexpected charges or purchases that need clarification.

This can help prevent errors from entering your accounting records.

More Efficient Invoice Approvals

Rather than forwarding invoices between employees and chasing approvals by email, Addition routes invoices to the relevant people based on your approval rules.

This makes it easier to see which invoices require attention and helps reduce unnecessary delays.

Better Visibility Over Unpaid Bills

Once invoices have been approved, they move into the Unpaid Bills area or can be matched against existing bank transactions.

This gives your business a clearer view of outstanding supplier invoices and helps your finance team manage the next stage of processing.

Flexible Workflows That Suit Your Business

Every business operates differently.

A small business might only need one person to approve expenses, while a larger organisation may require department-level reviews and additional authorisation for high-value purchases.

Addition allows approval rules to be configured around your business's requirements rather than forcing everyone to follow the same process.

Final Thoughts

Reviewing and approving bills and expenses in Addition is designed to be a straightforward process.

From your Overview page, you can see which invoices need your attention, review supplier details and amounts, and approve each bill once you're satisfied that the information is correct.

With configurable approval rules, you can also ensure invoices are reviewed by the appropriate people, including additional management approval for larger expenses.

Once the required approvals are complete, invoices can progress into the Unpaid Bills area or be matched against existing bank transactions.

The result is a more organised approach to managing supplier invoices, with greater control over spending and fewer delays in the approval process.

Need Help Managing Your Business Bills and Expenses?

Keeping track of supplier invoices, expense approvals and outstanding payments can take valuable time away from running your business.

With Addition, you get an easy-to-use financial platform alongside the support of an expert finance team, helping you manage your accounting processes with greater clarity and control.

Whether you need help with bookkeeping, supplier invoices or managing your wider business finances, we're here to make things simpler.

Book a free call with our team today and discover how Addition can help you streamline your financial processes and spend less time on administration.

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