Entering AP Unapproved Invoices

Entering AP Unapproved Invoices captures invoices that must route for review before they post to AP. Workflow: enter → review/approve → check status → post. Use AP Transaction Entry instead when no electronic approval is required. Do not mix the two paths for the same invoice.

Before you start

• The vendor exists in Setting Up AP Vendors.
• You know who should review the invoice (header reviewer or reviewer group), or that job-driven defaults will supply reviewers.
• Reviewer groups, optional reviewers, dollar thresholds, approval sequences, and responsible persons are already configured for the routing you expect.
• AP Company Parameters invoice options that affect unapproved entry (for example Auto Ready for valid unapproved, compliance warn behavior, Unique AP Reference) are set for this company.
• You have vendor number, AP Reference, dates, invoice total, and enough coding to route (or a Description note for data that is not available yet).

Steps

Month and sequence

1. Open AP Unapproved Invoice Entry.
2. Set Month for entry and tracking. Month does not lock the GL posting month and does not restrict later posting to that month. Choose the GL month later on Posting AP Unapproved Invoices. Prefer the current month for day-to-day entry unless your process tracks another period.
3. Start a new sequence: press N or use + in Seq #.

Header fields

4. Enter the required header:

   • Vendor (F4)
   • AP Reference
   • Reviewer Group (and/or header reviewer when you assign at header)
   • Description
   • Invoice and related dates
   • Inv Total

5. Optionally complete payment and control fields before save:

   • Hold Code (prevents payment until released; see Using AP Vendor Hold Codes)
   • Pay Control
   • Payment method
   • CM Acct
   • Separate Payment
   • Optional 1099 fields
   • Address override

   Defaults often come from the vendor or Company Parameters.

6. Payment-method gotchas at entry:

   • N (ePayments): needs ePayments setup on Company Parameters / services before it behaves correctly.
   • E (EFT): addenda may need to be added later in AP Transaction Entry after approval and before final batch process.
   • S (Credit Service): needs Comdata/EFS (or equivalent) plus CM, and possibly remittance email, when that method is used.

   Missing payment-method setup may warn but still allow save.

Reviewers and incomplete data

7. Assign a header reviewer or reviewer group. Leave the header reviewer blank when job-driven defaults apply. Header reviewers default onto lines; you can add line reviewers separately. The review process requires at least one reviewer per invoice line.
8. You can save with incomplete validated data, but any job, PO, or subcontract values you enter must be valid. F5 can open setup for a missing PO or subcontract. Use Description to document data that is not available yet.

Detail lines and Ready status

9. Enter optional detail lines before routing (job, inventory, GL, equipment, EM work order, PO, subcontract, SM work order, as applicable). Complete required coding for each line type you use.
10. When ready to route, mark the invoice ready via Change Status or set Invoice Status to 1-Ready. Company Parameters Auto Ready for valid unapproved can move valid invoices to Ready without a separate manual status change when that option is enabled. Do not leave finished invoices sitting unready.

Notes

• Wrong reviewer or group delays approval. Routing depth (groups, optional reviewers, dollar thresholds, approval sequences, responsible persons) is exercised on Reviewing AP Unapproved Invoices; keep this article focused on entry fields and Ready handoff.
• Hold Code blocks payment until released; it does not replace the approval workflow.
• Month is tracking for entry. GL expense month is chosen at posting.
• Related: AP Transaction Entry, Reviewing AP Unapproved Invoices, Posting AP Unapproved Invoices, AP Company Parameters, AP Vendors, AP Vendor Hold Codes.