Best Practices for approval cycles
Set a fallback approver: This ensures no expense gets stuck without an approver
Use cost center approvers for projects: Assign project managers as cost center approvers for better project oversight
Leverage approval limits: Require additional approvers only for high-value expenses
Set stand-ins proactively: Ask approvers to set vacation stand-ins before going on leave. OBS! Nobody can be their own approver, so avoid being stand-in for your own approver.
Assign Public Approver role appropriately: This role allows employees to select these users when changing approval cycles
Review approval settings periodically: Ensure approvers are still valid when roles change in your organization
How Approval Rules Work (Then/Or)
Approval cycles use two logical operators to control the flow:
THEN (Sequential Approval)
Approvers must approve in a specific order. The expense moves to the next approver only after the previous one has approved.
Example: If Martha THEN Rose is set, Martha must approve first before the expense goes to Rose.
OR (Parallel Approval)
Multiple approvers are notified simultaneously, but only one needs to approve for the expense to progress.
Example: If Martha OR Amy is set, either one can approve the expense.
Combining Rules
You can combine these two operators to create sophisticated workflows.
Example: "Martha OR Amy THEN Rose" means either Martha or Amy approves first, then Rose must approve afterward.
OBS! You can't be your own approver, so avoid logical rules that would make you one, e.g. being a stand-in for your own approver.
Approval Priority Order
Bezala applies approval cycles based on a priority hierarchy. Higher priority approvers are added first, and lower priority ones are only applied if no higher-level approvers exist for that expense.
Priority | Approver Type | When Applied |
1 | Company approvers (start) | Always first |
2 | Expense-specific approvers (cog icon) | If set on expense |
3 | Cost center approvers | If no expense-specific |
4 | Account approvers | If no expense/cost center |
5 | User approvers | If 2-4 above doesn’t exist |
6 | Company approvers (end) | Always after others |
7 | Stand-in approvers | Replaces vacationing approvers |
8 | Money checkers | Always last |
9 | Fallback approver | If no other approvers exists |
Special Considerations
Money Checker Role: This role forces approval at the end of any cycle. No expense can be sent to accounting without their approval if they've been set as an approver in any part of the approval cycle for the expense.
Approval Limits: Additional company approvers can be triggered for specific expense amounts (e.g., expenses over €1000 require extra approval).
Stand-in Approvers (Vacation Coverage): When an approver sets a stand-in while on vacation, the stand-in is added using the OR rule. This means either the original approver or the stand-in can approve.
Money Checker and Vacation Settings: The Money Checker role should not be combined with vacation settings because the Money Checker will be forced to approve anyway, making the stand-in ineffective.
Chart of Bezala's approval cycles
How To Set Up Approval Cycles
When you reached the edit section of the location (see 1-5) you can:
Create new approver: Click “+Add approver” and choose name(s) from drop-down list.
Change approver: Choose another name in drop-down list.
Delete approver: Click “trash icon” next to approvers name.
Remember to lastly click “Save” in the lower right-hand corner to save new or edited approval cycle.
1. User-Level Approvers
Location: Settings > Users > Edit user > Approvers section
Set approvers for individual users (typically their direct supervisors). These can be:
Manually configured
Automatically imported via NetSuite, Mepco, or Severa integrations
Priority: Applied if no cost center or expense-specific approvers exist.
2. Cost Center Approvers
Location: Settings > Cost Centers > Edit cost center
Assign approvers to specific projects or cost centers (e.g., project managers). These override user-level approvers when the cost center is selected on an expense.
Sync Options:
NetSuite integration
Severa integration
SFTP file sync
Priority: Overrides user-level approvers.
3. Account-Specific Approvers
Location: Settings > Accounts > Edit expense/asset account
Set approvers for specific expense categories or payment methods. These are applied after cost center approvers but before user-level approvers.
Split Expenses (affects Cost Center and Account-Specific approval)
When an expense is divided across multiple cost centers or accounts, Bezala automatically combines all relevant approvers:
Cost center approvers are added first for each involved cost center
Account approvers are added next for each involved account
Other approvers follow the standard priority order
4. Company-Level Approvers
Location: Settings > "Basic Settings"-tab > "Approval"-tab
Configure organization-wide approval settings:
Start Approvers: Added before all other approval cycles
End Approvers: Added after all other approval cycles
Fallback Approver: Used when no other approvers are configured
Approval Limits: Set amount-based thresholds for additional approvers
Approval Limits Configuration:
Approval limits allow you to require additional approvers based on expense amounts. This is available at both company and cost center levels.
Limit from: The approver will see expenses greater than or equal to this amount
Limit to: The approver will see expenses less than or equal to this amount
Example Setup:
At company level, you might configure:
Martha: Limit from €1,000 to €9,999
CFO: Limit from €10,000 (no upper limit)
Result:
Expenses under €1,000: Standard approval cycle only
Expenses €1,000 - €9,999: Standard cycle + Martha
Expenses €10,000+: Standard cycle + CFO
5. Expense-Specific Approvers
Location: Expense detail page > Cog icon > "Change approval cycle" > “+Add approver” > Save
An accountant can change the approval cycle on individual expenses for existing ones that haven't been sent to accounting yet.
Important notes:
Changes to approval cycle settings at user, cost center, or company level only affect new expenses created after the change.
Existing expenses keep their original approval cycle unless manually changed using this method (see 5. Expense-Specific Approvers)
Accountants can also use the cog icon to select "Return to approval" to send approved expenses back to the approval cycle (only available for expenses not yet sent to accounting)
Stand-In Approvers (Vacation Coverage)
When an approver goes on vacation, they can designate a stand-in to approve expenses in their absence. The stand-in is added using the OR rule, meaning either the original approver or the stand-in can approve the expense.
Location: Profile icon ==> Personal Settings ==> Vacation Settings-box
Select Stand-in user in drop-down menu
Select vacation time:
Proactive: Set vacation start and end time.
Right now: Check "On vacation now" and add start and end time.
Click "Save" in the lower-right hand corner.
Important Notes
Stand-ins replace only that approver's position: They don't inherit other roles or approvals
Employees' limitations: Regular employees can only select users with the Public Approver role as their stand-in
Money Checker incompatibility: Vacation settings should not be used with the Money Checker role, as Money Checkers will be required to approve regardless
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I see certain approvers when changing the approval cycle?
Regular employees can only see and select users with the Public Approver role. This is intentional to prevent employees from seeing all users in the system.
Solution: Ask your manager or administrator to:
Add the Public Approver role to the user you want to select
Or, have a manager/approver make the change for you
Why did my expense go to the wrong approver?
Check the approval priority order. Cost center approvers (priority 3) override user approvers (priority 5).
Why do my existing expenses still have the old approvers after I changed the approval cycle?
Approval cycle changes only affect new expenses created after the change. Existing expenses keep their original approval cycle unless you manually change them using the cog icon.
How can I require approval for high-value expenses?
Use approval limits with company-level approvers (also possible for cost center approvers in cost center edit view):
Go to Settings > Basic Settings > Approval-tab
Add approver(s) in "Approvers added after all other approvals"
Set "Limit from" to your threshold amount (e.g., €1,000)
Leave "Limit to" empty for no upper limit
Can I skip approvers for small expenses?
User, company and cost center approvers can be skipped but not account -specific approvers.
Skipping user approvers
Go to Settings > Basic Settings-tab > Approval-tab ==> Approval cycle-box
Set "Fill in to skip user approvers for expenses of less than" to your threshold.
To skip Company/cost center approvers: Fill in the "Limit from"-function in the approval/edit view with the maximum small amount you want to see (e.g. fill in 50, if you don't want to see amounts equal to or less than 49).
What happens if an approver is deleted or deactivated?
If an approver in an existing approval cycle is deleted or deactivated:
For pending expenses: The expense may become stuck. (See 5. Expense-Specific Approvers).
For new expenses: The system will use the current, active approval settings
Can I have multiple approval cycles running in parallel?
Yes, by using the OR operator. Multiple approvers can be notified at the same time using "Martha OR Tom", meaning either one can approve. However, if you need both to approve, you would need to set them sequentially with THEN: "Martha THEN Tom".
What's the difference between "before" and "after" company approvers?
Before: These approvers see and approve expenses first, before any other approval cycles
After: These approvers see and approve expenses last, after all other approval cycles complete
Need More Help?
If you have questions about setting up approval cycles or need assistance with your specific workflow, contact Bezala support at any time. We're here to help you configure the approval process that works best for your organization.