Prevent unauthorized posting, enforce approval matrices, and maintain audit-ready financial control inside Odoo.
Real-World Control
“A vendor bill enters the system — but cannot be posted until the right financial authority approves it. No manual chasing. No accidental validation. No audit exposure.”
Request Approval button on draft vendor bill — When a bill exceeds the configured threshold (e.g. over $1,000), the 'Request Approval' primary button appears automatically in the bill header — the accountant simply clicks it to start the workflow.
Hard Enforcement
If anyone tries to confirm a bill that requires approval without going through the workflow, Odoo raises an error. There is no way to bypass it without Force Approve rights.
Posting blocked — approval required first — Trying to post a bill that requires approval without submitting it first raises this error. The system enforces the rule with no workaround for regular users.
How It Works
Waiting for Approval state — After submitting, the bill shows a yellow banner with the current approver's name. Approve, Reject, Cancel Approval, Force Approve, and Force Reject buttons are all visible. The chatter logs every state change with timestamps.
Approval Request — approved — The linked Approval Request shows full details: which rule triggered it, total amount, request date, and the Approval History table showing each level's status, approver, and timestamp. An automatic email notification was sent at submission.
Bill approved — ready to post — Once all approval levels pass, the bill shows a green 'Approved' banner. The Confirm button is now active. The chatter shows the full trail: amount change, submission, approval decision — permanently recorded.
Rejection recorded on approval request — The rejection reason ('Rejected for overprice') is stored on the request. An automatic rejection email is sent to the requester with document details and a link to review.
Rejected bill — resubmit flow — The bill shows a red 'Rejected' banner. The 'Request Approval' button reappears — the accountant can revise the bill and resubmit without any admin intervention.
Configuration
Configure which bills trigger approval, what the amount thresholds are, and who approves at each level. Everything is done through a standard Odoo form — no customization needed.
Vendor Bill Approval Rule — Amount Based — Rule name: 'Vendor Bill Approval (Over $1,000)'. Applies to Journal Entry (Vendor Bills). Condition: Amount Based with $1,000 minimum. Approval level: Finance Manager Review, Sequential mode, 24h SLA. Add as many levels as needed.
Visibility
Color-coded approval status badges appear directly in the vendor bills list. Filter by Pending, Approved, or Rejected workflow state in one click.
Approval status badges + workflow filters — The bills list shows Approved (green) and Rejected (red) badges at a glance. The filter dropdown includes three new workflow filters: Pending Workflow Approval, Workflow Approved, and Workflow Rejected — making AP queue management immediate.
Key Capabilities
Posting gate enforcement
Vendor bills cannot be posted until all required approvers sign off
Amount-based routing
Configurable thresholds automatically trigger different approval chains
Re-approval on changes
Significant bill edits while pending automatically restart the workflow
Automatic notifications
Approvers receive instant emails with approve/reject links
Audit-ready activity history
Every approval decision logged with user, timestamp, and reason
Approval status filters
Filter bills by Pending / Approved / Rejected workflow state instantly
Operational Impact
Finance teams gain full visibility and control over what hits the books — eliminating the gap between receiving a bill and it being posted without review.
Compatibility
⚙️ Requires ApproveFlow Platform Engine
This control pack runs on the ApproveFlow Platform Engine — the approval rule engine, SLA system, inbox management, and audit trail used by all control packs. The Platform Engine is available from €79 launch price.
Learn about the Platform Engine →Pricing
Approval framework — required for all control packs
Vendor bill approval enforcement with full audit trail
Deploy both together for €148 during launch
Buy on Odoo App Store →Already have the Platform Engine?
Add the Accounting Control Pack for just €69 — no bundle required.
Deployment Effort
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use multiple approval levels for vendor bills?
Yes. You can configure sequential multi-level chains — for example, Finance Review → Controller Sign-off → CFO Approval — each with independent SLA timers.
Does it completely block the Post button?
Yes. The bill state is locked at 'Waiting for Approval'. The Post button is disabled for all users without Force Approve rights until the workflow completes.
Can approval rules vary by supplier?
Yes. Rules can be configured to trigger based on vendor category, account code, company, or any combination of conditions.
Is any data migration required?
No. The module integrates with standard Odoo data structures. Install, configure your rules, and it applies to new bills immediately.
Install in minutes. Stop unauthorized postings before they happen.