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Create approval workflows

Set up approval workflows in Apron to control who can approve and process payments.

Marek Liszka avatar
Written by Marek Liszka
Updated this week

Want to control who approves payments before they go out? Approval workflows help keep everything secure and organised by ensuring the right people review payments at the right time.

Types of workflows you can create

  • Supplier payments (bills and invoices from vendors)

  • Payroll payments (staff wages and salaries)

  • Manual payments (one-off payments without invoices)

To set up workflows

  1. Go to Settings, then Payment approval workflows

  2. Click Add workflow, add a label and pick your payment type(s)

  3. Choose your approval structure:

    • Default – Each person approves in order, then one payer completes the payment

    • Any of – Multiple people can approve simultaneously, then any of the payers can complete it

    • Custom – Choose customised settings for approvers (if all or any of them can approve the payment) and payers (if one or any of them can complete the payment)

Understanding the roles within the approval workflow

  • Approver – a team member responsible for reviewing and approving payments. When a payment is created, approvers are notified and must approve the payrun before it can proceed further.

  • Payer – a team member who authorises and completes approved payments. Once a payment is approved, payers receive notifications that the payrun is ready. They then review the details and complete it using the connected bank account or card.

Flexible options

Use Any of to let multiple people approve (whoever responds first), create one-off workflows for unusual payments, or change approvers for individual payments if needed (admin access required).

Best practices: Don't let the same person create and approve payments, set up backup approvers to avoid delays, use different approval levels for different payment types, and make sure everyone understands their role.

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