What this guide covers
This guide is designed for small business owners and finance managers who need to establish a formal approval workflow for accounts payable. You will learn how to configure FilePile to review vendor bills, set up recurring product detection, and use the Invoice Approval Workflows to ensure manager sign-off before payments are filed or processed.
Before you begin
This workflow requires a FilePile Business plan to access the Invoice Approval Workflows and advanced Business HQ features. Before starting, ensure you have your vendor invoices available as PDF files. Scanned PDFs are supported. You should also have your team members invited to the correct roles, such as Manager or Accountant, via the Team settings.
Step-by-step instructions
Follow these steps to upload your documents, configure recurring detection, and execute the invoice approval process.
- Log in at filepile.co/login.
- Open Dashboard from the left sidebar.
- Click the Process tab at the top of the Dashboard screen.
- Drag PDF files into the upload area or click to choose files from your computer. Remember that FilePile supports PDF uploads only, including scanned documents.
- Wait for the processing queue to analyze the data. You can monitor the status directly in the Process tab. If a job fails, use the retry failed jobs option to attempt processing again.
- Click the Browse tab on the Dashboard to view your sorted folders. You will see invoices organized by vendor name and month, allowing you to verify that the upload was successful.
- To set up recurring vendors, upload a second monthly invoice for the same vendor product. FilePile auto-detects recurring products after you upload at least two monthly invoices for the same vendor or product. You do not need to manually register these in a separate setup wizard.
- Click the Recurring tab on the Dashboard to confirm the setup. Locate the Recurring products section. You should see a checkmark for the current month next to the product name, indicating the invoice has been received.
- Return to the main Dashboard view and locate the card titled Upcoming vendor payments. This card lists individual invoices due in the next 30 days from your sorted PDFs. Review this list to understand immediate liabilities.
- Open Business HQ from the left sidebar by navigating to /account/business.
- Locate the Vendor Payment Command Center panel. This section displays your open bills, total amounts due, and a next-30-day outlook calculated from your uploaded invoice due dates.
- Find the Invoice Approval Workflows panel within Business HQ. This feature is specifically designed for manager sign-off on the Business plan.
- Select an invoice or batch of invoices that require approval. Assign the approval task to a manager within your team.
- The assigned manager should review the details in the Vendor Payment Command Center. Once reviewed, they can apply the sign-off directly within the workflow panel to authorize the payment.
- For one-off vendor bills listed in Upcoming vendor payments, you may optionally click Mark paid on the Dashboard to clear them from the open list. Do not use this button for auto-detected recurring products. For recurring services, the act of uploading the current month's PDF serves as confirmation of payment.
What you should see
After completing the upload steps, the Process tab should show a success status for your files. In the Recurring tab, you should see a clear list of expected vendors with a visual checkmark indicating the current month's invoice is received. Within Business HQ, the Vendor Payment Command Center should display a summary table of open bills with columns for vendor names, due dates, and amounts. The Invoice Approval Workflows panel should show the status of pending approvals, changing from Pending to Approved once the manager completes the sign-off. You should not see a separate form to enter payment dates or amounts in the Payment Command Center, as FilePile derives this data directly from the uploaded PDFs.
Tips and common issues
- Understanding Recurring Detection: If a recurring product does not appear in the Recurring tab, ensure you have uploaded at least two invoices for that specific vendor and product. FilePile handles this automatically, so no manual setup is required.
- Payment Confirmation: Avoid clicking Mark paid for recurring services. Simply uploading the invoice for the month confirms the transaction. Only use Mark paid for one-off bills in the Upcoming vendor payments list that you want to remove from the view.
- Missing Invoices: If you are missing a recurring invoice, check your Reminders at /account/reminders. FilePile sends recurring gap emails when auto-detected products are missing an upload, alerting you to follow up with the vendor.
- PDF Formats: Ensure all documents are in PDF format. If an upload fails, check that the file is not corrupted or password protected.
- Access Rights: Ensure your team members have the correct roles. Only users with appropriate permissions can access the Invoice Approval Workflows in Business HQ.
Why FilePile
Implementing a reliable invoice approval process is essential for maintaining financial control and preventing unauthorized payments. FilePile automates the tedious parts of accounts payable by auto-detecting recurring vendors and organizing your data without manual data entry. The Invoice Approval Workflows provide a clear audit trail and ensure that every payable is reviewed by a manager before it is filed or paid. By centralizing your payables in the Vendor Payment Command Center, your team gains visibility into cash flow and upcoming obligations, reducing the risk of late fees and overpayment.
Getting started with FilePile
Ready to streamline your invoice approval process? Sign up today to automate your payables and improve team collaboration.