How QuickBooks Bill Pay simplifies the AP workflow for accountants and clients

When managing accounts payable for clients, you're responsible for catching what the client misses and making sure the right bills get processed. However, this doesn't create clear boundaries between your role and your clients' roles. What seems like one approval step is actually two: reviewing the bill and authorizing the payment.

QuickBooks Bill Pay Elite separates those actions into two distinct stages: one for review and approval, and one for payment release. Each stage has a clear driver. Here’s how it works.

Customizing the workflows to fit your client

QuickBooks Bill Pay Elite allows you to build and customize approvals according to your client’s needs. For smaller clients with a straightforward AP process, one approval step may be enough. But for larger businesses that need multiple levels of approval, QuickBooks Bill Pay Elite offers separate bill approval and payment release to maintain strong internal controls and financial oversight.

Why separating bill approval from payment release matters

Bill review and payment authorization are two different decisions. Keeping them as separate steps, assigned to different people, means each stage has a clear owner and the record shows exactly who did what.

When you split the approval process into two steps, there's no confusion over who reviews and who authorizes the payment release. In QuickBooks Bill Pay Elite, those roles are clear.

How bill approval and payment release work in QuickBooks Bill Pay

There are two separate workflows: Bill approval and payment release. 

• Each workflow serves a specific purpose.
• Each step has an owner responsible. 
• Both record automatically in QuickBooks Online.

In QuickBooks Bill Pay, AP moves through distinct workflows:

#1: The Bill clerk creates or imports the bill. The clerk role is assigned to someone on the client's team or handled by the firm. The clerk adds bills to QuickBooks Online, which includes AI-powered bill capture. They review the bill for accuracy before they send it to the approver.

#2: The Bill approver reviews the bill. The approver is a client-assigned point of contact, such as a manager, department head, or someone on the client's team who can confirm the service was received or the materials were delivered. They're not checking the coding. They're confirming the work happened. If they approve, the bill advances. If not, it goes back to the Clerk.

#3: The Bill payer schedules the payment. The payer is the firm or a designated client-side person. Once approved, the payer determines the payment method, the amount (full or partial), and when it will be sent. The funds are not released at this point.

The bill approval workflow supports approval groups, sequential approvals, and configurable thresholds.

#4: The payment release approver authorizes the funds. Based on the payment release workflow you've configured, the payment is sent to the designated approver at the company, typically the CEO or CFO, who reviews and authorizes the release of funds.

What you need to access workflows and roles in QuickBooks Bill Pay

Approval workflows and role assignments are available with a Bill Pay Elite subscription or a QuickBooks Online Advanced account with any QuickBooks Bill Pay subscription.

Approvers need a QuickBooks Online seat.  They can leverage the seats already included in your client's QuickBooks Online subscription:

•   QuickBooks Essentials: 3 user seats
•   QuickBooks Plus: 5 user seats
• QuickBooks Online Advanced: 25 user seats

How to configure the right structure for each client in QuickBooks Bill Pay

• Match the setup to how the client's business actually runs. 
• Depending on size, a small business might need two stages. 
• A larger client might use layered groups and sequential approvals for bigger payments.

There is no one-size-fits-all setup here, and that's intentional. A small business client with one owner and an office manager might just need two roles: you review, and they release. 

A larger client might need something more layered. Several people submit bills, a controller handles routine approvals, and the CFO only gets involved above a certain amount. You can set that up too, and it all lives in QuickBooks Online, alongside the books you're already managing.

The threshold options make this practical. If you set up a 3-person approval group, you don't have to choose between “anyone can approve” (fast, but risky if it's the wrong person) and “everyone must approve” (thorough, but it stalls when an approver is out). A threshold of 2 of 3 keeps things moving without losing the check.

What the approval trail shows when a payment comes into question

Every approval action is recorded on the bill page in QuickBooks Online as it happens, including when the driver approved each stage. No email threads to dig through.

When a client has a question about a payment, you can walk them straight to the bill. The whole story is there, and because it's in QuickBooks Online, it's part of the same record you're already using to close their books.

One workflow, one system for bill pay

The approval workflow exists all within QuickBooks Online, not a separate tool. Each bill approved and payment released is already part of the financial record. There’s no need to sync and no gap between the AP activity and the books. When you close the books at month-end, the AP trail is already there. Every payment, every approval, every step.

FAQs about QuickBooks Bill Pay 

How do I set up separate steps for bill approval and payment release in QuickBooks Bill Pay?

In QuickBooks Bill Pay, bill approval and payment release are two separate workflows, each configured within the client's account. For bill approval, you assign who holds the Clerk, Approver, and Payer roles and set any conditions or thresholds. For payment release, you configure who has to authorize before funds go out. Both workflows are available with a Bill Pay Elite subscription or a QuickBooks Online Advanced account with any Bill Pay subscription.

What is an approval group in QuickBooks Bill Pay?

An approval group lets you assign up to 7 people to a single workflow stage. All group members are notified at the same time when a bill reaches that stage. A threshold setting determines how many group members need to approve before the bill advances. It may be one person, a specific number, or the full group.

Can I use different approval workflows for different clients in QuickBooks Bill Pay?

Yes. Each client's approval workflow is configured independently within their own QuickBooks Online account. You can set different roles, groups, thresholds, and sequential chains for each client without affecting any others. Workflows are available with a Bill Pay Elite subscription or with any QuickBooks Online Advanced account that includes Bill Pay.