Vantaca Invoice & Bill Payment Approval Workflow Setup Guide

In Vantaca, invoice and bill payment approvals are created by turning on the approvals feature, defining who must approve (roles/users), setting rules (amount, GL, vendor, property), and routing each invoice through an approval queue before it can be paid. If everything is already set up, the main task is assigning the right approvers and testing one invoice end-to-end.

 

Find the approvals area and confirm prerequisites

 

• Go to the Accounting area where Invoices / Bills (AP) are entered.
• Open Settings (or the admin/config area) and look for Approvals, Workflow, or Invoice Approval.
• Confirm users have correct roles/permissions: one person can enter invoices, approvers can approve, and accounting can pay.
• Confirm vendors, properties, and GL accounts exist. GL means the accounting category the expense posts to.

 

Build the approval workflow (rules + approvers)

 

• Create an Approval Rule (a rule decides when approvals are required).
• Choose the trigger:
  • Dollar threshold (example: anything over $500 needs board approval).
  • Vendor-based (example: all invoices from Landscaping Co. require manager approval).
  • GL-based (example: Repairs & Maintenance requires approval, Office Supplies does not).
  • Property/Association-based (example: only Property A requires 2-step approval).
• Set the approval chain:
  • Sequential (A then B) for control.
  • Parallel (A and B can approve in any order) for speed.
• Assign approvers by role or specific user. Use roles if staff changes often.
• Decide what happens on reject: require a reason, send back to the invoice creator, and block payment.

 

Use it on a real invoice (and test)

 

• Enter an invoice with correct vendor, property, GL, amount, and attach the PDF.
• Save and submit for approval. It should move to an Approval Queue (a list of items waiting for approval).
• Log in as an approver and approve. Confirm the invoice status changes to Approved.
• Only after approval, proceed to Pay Bills (check/ACH). Confirm the payment is not allowed while pending.

 

Common setup mistakes (and quick fixes)

 

• No approval triggered: rule conditions too narrow. Add a catch-all rule (example: “all invoices require at least 1 approval”).
• Wrong person gets it: user not in the right role, or rule points to the wrong property/GL.
• Invoice stuck pending: missing required field (GL/property), or approver lacks permission.
• Paid without approval: payment permissions too broad. Restrict “Pay” rights to accounting and require “Approved” status.

 

If everything is already set up

 

• Open an existing approved invoice and note which rule applied and who approved.
• Create one test invoice at $1 below and $1 above the threshold to confirm routing.
• Document the policy: what needs approval, who approves, and expected turnaround.

 

When to contact Vantaca support

 

• Approvals settings are not visible (may be a permission or feature toggle).
• Invoices can still be paid while pending approval.
• Approval notifications are not sending or queues are not updating.