Advance approvers
Advances have their own approval route, separate from expense claims. That is deliberate: an advance releases money before anything has been spent, so it warrants a different decision from reimbursing a receipt.
Where: Settings › Expenses › Advance approval flow You need: the expense settings right
Why advances route differently
A claim is a request to be repaid for money already spent, evidenced by a receipt. An advance is a request for money now, on an estimate, with the accounting to follow.
The consequence is that the approver is deciding on judgement rather than evidence — is this purpose legitimate, is the estimate reasonable, and does this person already have an advance outstanding? See Managing advances.
What the flow defines
| Setting | Decides |
|---|---|
| Advance approvers | Who approves advance requests |
| Advance payers | Who releases the money |
| Notify payers | Whether payers are told when an advance is approved |
| Notify liquidators | Whether those handling liquidation are told |
Approver and payer are separate roles here for the same reason they are separate in claims: one decides, the other releases. There are matching rights — an advance approver and an advance universal approver — see Expense user rights.
Notifications are what keeps advances moving
💡 Turn both notifications on. Advances stall in two predictable places: approved but not disbursed, because nobody told the payer; and disbursed but not liquidated, because nobody is chasing. The notifications exist precisely to close those two gaps, and they cost nothing.
How to set it up
- Open Settings › Expenses and open the advance approval flow.
- Assign the approvers.
- Assign the payers — a different group from the approvers.
- Enable notify payers and notify liquidators.
- Test with one real advance, end to end, before offering advances generally.
What Happens Next
- Advance requests route to the assigned approvers.
- Approved advances become payable by the assigned payers.
- Notifications fire if enabled, at approval and at liquidation stages.
- An advance stays open until liquidated, regardless of who approved it.
Tips
- Assign more than one approver. A single approver on leave stops people being funded for travel they have already committed to.
- Keep approvers and payers separate, and make sure nobody appears in both lists.
- Agree a liquidation expectation — a number of days after the activity — and communicate it at approval time.
- Review the flow when finance staff change. An advance routed to someone who has left is invisible until someone complains.
- Test the whole path once, including a deliberate failed disbursement if you can, so you know what it looks like before it happens for real.
Troubleshooting / FAQ
Q: An advance request is not reaching anyone. Check the approval flow has approvers assigned.
Q: Approved advances are not being paid. Check payers are assigned and that notify payers is on — most commonly nobody knows there is anything to pay.
Q: Who chases unliquidated advances? Whoever handles liquidation. Enable notify liquidators so they are told rather than having to look.
Q: Can an approver also be a payer? Technically yes; it removes the separation that protects both them and the company. Do not.
Q: Does this flow apply to expense claims too? No. Claims have their own approval route, and expense types can override it.