Create and manage approval workflows for your team

  • Updated

Make your business more efficient by sharing responsibilities with your team, while still keeping control over payment approval.

Approval workflows allow all team members to make payments. Payments over a fixed amount then need to be approved by an admin and/or the business owner before they’re scheduled.  You can create payment approval workflows for payments made by specific individuals or by any accountant/contributor.

 

This article is relevant for: Core subscribers, Boost subscribers.

Note: Are you subscribed to the Go plan?

This is a premium feature. To add more team members and create and manage approval workflows, start by upgrading your plan.

 

This article will show you how to:

 

Available criteria for approval workflow

With criteria tailored to suit your business needs, you have the flexibility to create more efficient approval workflows.

You can set approval workflows:

  • Per amount
  • Per scheduler
  • Single or multiple approvers

Premium criteria available to Boost subscribers only:

  • Per vendor
  • Set a specific approver
  • Set multi-level approvers

Per amount

Set a payment amount. Payments equal to or above that amount will require approval.

 

Per scheduler

Choose the payment scheduler. You can set it for: 

  • Specific roles, either Any Accountant or Any Contributor.
  • A specific user. You’ll then be able to select which user.

 

Single or multiple approvers

Choose who needs to approve the payment. The company owner and admins are notified of any new payments. 

You can choose whether the payment needs one, two, or three approvers.

 

Premium criteria:

Per vendor

Choose one or more vendors for whom payments will require approval.

 

Set specific approvers

Choose which admin needs to approve the payment. 

You can choose whether the payment needs one, two, or three approvers.

 

Set multi-level approvers

If multiple approvers are required, specify the approval hierarchy.

 

Where to start setting approval workflows 

You can set up an approval workflow from two places:

Setting up an approval workflow from the Approvals tab

1. Sign in to your Melio account.

2. In Pay, the owner and all admin in a company will see an Approvals tab with payments that require approval. If you don’t have any payments to approve, click Manage workflows at the center of your screen:

new Approvals tab- click Manage workflows.png

 

If you already have payments to approve, set up an approval workflow by clicking Manage approval workflows in the top right corner:

payments to approve in the Approvals tab- click Manage approval workflows.png

 

3. You’ll be taken to Settings. On the right side of your screen, click + Add workflow.

Settings- Payment approval workflows- Add workflow.png

 

Setting up an approval workflow from Settings

1. Sign in to your Melio account.

2. Go to Settings in the left sidebar.

3. Select Approval workflows

4. In Payment approval workflows on the right side of your screen, click + Add workflow.

Settings- Payment approval workflows- Add workflow.png

 

 

How to add an approval workflow

In Add a payment approval workflow you set a new one up:

Add a payment approval workflow .png

 

1. Under When this happens, set the type of payments that require approval- per amount, per scheduler, and/or per vendor.

Note: Adding more than one criterion.

You can combine criteria by clicking +Add condition

For example, you can set approval workflow to payments set above a certain amount by a specific user.

 

Per amount:

1. Select Payment amount is from the dropdown list.

2. Choose from the dropdown list: either More than or equal to or Less than equal to.

3. Enter the amount.

Per amount.png

 

Per scheduler:

1. Select Payment scheduler is from the dropdown list.

2. Choose from the dropdown list: either Specific users or Specific roles.

    • Specific users, you’ll be asked to check the box next to the selected users.

Per scheduler- Specific users.png

 

    • Specific roles, you’ll be asked to choose if this will apply to any Accountant, any Contributor or both.

Per scheduler- Specific roles- any Accountant, any Contributor or both.png

 

Note: Existing payments

Payments scheduled by contributors or accountants before setting up the workflow won’t require approval.

 

Per vendor (available to Boost subscribers only):

1. Select Vendor is from the dropdown list.

2. Check the box next to the selected vendors.

Vendor is- select vendors.png

 

2. Under Then do this, choose who needs to approve the payment - Any approver or Specific approvers. Boost subscribers also see the option for Multi-level approvals. The company owner and admins are notified of any new payments.

 

Any approvers:

1. Select Any approvers from the dropdown list.

2. Choose if the payment requires approval from 1, 2, or 3 approvers.

Any approvers- 1 or 2 approvers.png

 

Specific approvers (available to Boost subscribers only):

1. Select Specific approvers from the dropdown list.

2. Check the box next to the selected admins. You can check up to 3 admins.

Specific approvers- Check the box next to the selected admins.png

 

Multi-level approvals (available to Boost subscribers only):

To set a hierarchy of approval:

1. Click + Add step to add the next level of approval.

2. Select from the dropdown list the required admin.

You can add up to 3 levels of approvals.

Multi-level approvals.png

 

4. Once your approval workflow is set up, click Save workflow.

5. In the Approval workflow added confirmation popup, click Got it.

Approval workflow added confirmation popup.png

 

6. The new workflow will appear in the details section on the right side of the screen.

The new workflow will appears in Settings.png

 

That's it! You can set up as many approval workflows as you need in the same way. These articles will show you how to approve single or multiple payments.

 

How to edit an approval workflow

1. Sign in to your Melio account.

2. Go to Settings.

3. Click Approval workflows.

4. Find the relevant approval workflow, and click the three dots.

5. Select Edit workflow from the dropdown list.

three dots- Edit workflow.png

 

6. Edit the required details.  

7. Click Save changes

8. In the Confirm changes to this workflow popup, click Confirm changes to finish.

Confirm changes to this workflow popup, click Confirm changes.png

 

 

How to delete an approval workflow

1. Sign in to your Melio account.

2. Go to Settings.

3. Click Approval workflows.

4. Find the relevant approval workflow, and click the three dots.

5. Select  Delete workflow from the dropdown list.

three dots- Delete workflow.png

 

6. In the Delete this approval workflow? Confirmation popup, click Delete workflow to complete. Any existing payments awaiting approval will now proceed without approval. 

Delete this approval workflow? Confirmation popup, click Delete workflow.png

 

 

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