Approving a batch is what releases the funds from your Weel account. Every invoice in the batch has already been approved on its own - this second approval is the final check before the money goes out. This article covers approving a batch, and setting up who approves batches for your business.
This feature is currently in Beta. To request access, please reach out to success@letsweel.com.
Before you start
- You'll need to be set up as an approver on your business's batch invoice payment approval rule.
- Batch approval is a second approval, separate from the invoice approvals that came before it. You're approving the release of funds, not the invoices themselves.
- Check your account balance covers the batch total before you approve. If it doesn't, every payment in the batch will fail.
- Batch approvals are available in the Weel web app only.
How to approve a batch payment
- Open the batch. You can get to it from the email you're sent, from the Approvals page, or from Accounts Payable in Batch Payments.
- Review the Payment details - what the batch is paid from, the reference number and when it's due to pay
- Check the Invoice summary table. It lists every invoice in the run with its supplier, owner, invoice number, due date, account details and amount
- Remove anything that shouldn't be included using the X next to the row. Removed invoices return to Ready to pay
- (Optional) Add a Comment for the person who created the batch
- Tick I confirm the batch details are correct and approve payments totalling [amount]
- Click Approve batch payment
How to decline a batch payment
- Open the batch and click Decline batch payment
- Confirm with Yes, decline this batch payment
All invoices return to Ready to pay, and the batch moves to the Archive tab with a Declined status. The person who created it is emailed.
Declining is all or nothing - there's no option to request changes on a batch. If most of the run is fine, remove the invoices you're unhappy with and approve the batch.
What happens next
If the batch was set to Pay now, Weel starts paying as soon as you approve it. If it was scheduled, it moves to the Scheduled tab and pays on its date.
Each invoice is then paid individually to its own supplier. Track progress on the Batch Payments page.
How to set up who approves batch payments
A default batch payment approval rule is set up for you, with the account Owner as the approver. You can change who that is. To change the approver:
- Go to Approval Rules page
- Find the Batch invoice payment rules card
- Click into it to open the drawer
- Add or change the users who should approve batch payments
- (Optional) Turn on Prevent self approval so the person who creates a batch can't approve their own.
- Save your changes.
FAQ
What if I'm the only approver and I created the batch myself?
Your batch is approved automatically and goes straight through, so long as Prevent self approval is turned off. It won't appear on the Pending batch approval tab.
Can I approve a batch from the Approvals page without opening it?
No. Batch payments can't be approved inline or included in a bulk approval. You'll see "This item requires additional authorisation and is not available for bulk approval." Open the batch to review and approve it.
Can two people be required to approve?
Yes. If your rule needs more than one approver, you can configure it in Approval Rules. When approving a batch, the drawer shows a count like Approved by (1/2) and tells you who's still outstanding.
Can I approve a batch on my phone?
No. Batch approvals are available in the Weel web app only. You can still approve individual invoices in the mobile app.
What happens to the batch if I'm on leave?
Batch approvals follow your normal out-of-office and delegate settings, so they're routed the same way as your other approvals.