What is an Invoice?

An invoice is a document submitted to a customer, identifying a transaction for which the customer owes payment to the issuer. It provides documentation and a reminder to the customer that it owes the seller the amount stated on the invoice. It may be issued on paper or in an electronic format. It is the basis upon which the seller recognizes revenue and the buyer recognizes an expense or an asset.

How to Avoid Approving Invoices

Approvals should be avoided as much as possible in the accounts payable process. There is a significant bottleneck involved in waiting for a manager to approve an invoice, so use as many other alternatives as possible. Several examples are noted below.

Use Purchase Order as Approval

If the purchasing department has already issued a purchase order, then the purchase order itself should be sufficient evidence that an invoice can be paid.

Eliminate Approvals for Small Amounts

Establish a threshold invoice amount, below which there is no need for an approval.

Use Negative Approvals

Send an invoice copy to an approver, with instructions to only respond if there is a problem with the invoice. The accounts payable staff will assume that all other invoices have been approved by default.

Obtain Approvals in Person

If it is absolutely necessary to obtain an approval, have an accounting person hand-deliver the invoice, answer any questions posed by the approver, and bring back the signed invoice. Doing so is time-consuming, but ensures that invoices will be returned in a timely manner.