Approval workflows define how documents like invoices and expenses progress through your organization before being posted to the ledger. This article explains how to configure approval workflows and r...
Last updated Jul 22, 2026 · 3 min read
Approval workflows are sequential approval processes where documents move through approval stages before final posting. Each stage can require approval from one or more users, based on document attributes like amount, type, or custom criteria.
Workflows prevent unauthorized spending, catch errors early, and create an audit trail of who approved what and when. They're essential for compliance and financial controls.
Light includes the following built-in workflow types:
Bill Approval - Controls how vendor invoices (bills) move through approval before payment. Triggered when bill data changes.
Invoice Dunning - Automates payment reminders (dunning) and collection follow-up for AR invoices. Triggered when an invoice is posted.
Credit Note Approval - Controls how customer credit notes move through approval before being posted to the ledger. Triggered when a credit note is submitted for posting.
Purchase Request Approval - Routes purchase requests for approval before converting to purchase orders or vendor cards. Triggered when a purchase request is created.
Card Approval - Routes vendor card requests for review and approval. Triggered when a card request is created.
Expense Submission - Routes submitted employee expense reports for review before reimbursement. Triggered when an expense report is submitted.
Journal Entry Approval - Controls how journal entries move through approval before being posted to the ledger. Triggered when a journal entry is submitted for posting.
Vendor Approval - Routes new or changed vendor master data for approval. Triggered when a vendor is created or bank data changes.
Additional workflow types may be available depending on your integrations, such as sync workflows for HubSpot, Salesforce, Stripe, or HRM systems.
Light uses a visual flow editor to define workflows. Each workflow is built by connecting nodes on a canvas:
The visual editor lets you see the entire approval path at a glance and makes it easy to add branching logic.
Condition nodes route documents to different approval paths based on criteria:
Each condition creates branches (including an "else" default path) that connect to different downstream nodes.
Approval nodes are stop points where designated users must approve or reject a document before the workflow continues. Each approval node shows two paths:
Workflows exist in draft and published states:
Draft - You can edit the workflow freely in the visual editor, but it doesn't apply to new documents.
Published - The workflow is active and applies to new documents. Each workflow tracks its version number and who published it.
To publish a workflow:
The Workflows list shows the published date, who published it, and the current version number for each workflow.
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