Approving Invoices
Approving Invoices
Once an invoice has been assigned, it is ready for approval. Vendor users that have been defined as approvers may be notified by email when invoices are pending their approval.
NOTE: If the vendor isn't linked, a check is issued instead of an ACH payment. For information on how to link a vendor for ACH payments, see Setting Up and Managing ACH Payments for Vendors.
To receive notifications, the feature labeled Receive Pending Approval Invoice Notification Email must be turned on in user setup under System > Users. If you are using universal navigation, click Settings > User Management > User Management.
If you are unable to see pending invoices on the Pending Approvals screen that you think you should be able to see, make sure:
Your user name is listed in the Authorized column on the Invoicing tab of the Setup > Association Setup screen. (see Setting User Invoice Preferences) If you are using universal navigation, click Associations > Associations > View All.
The user group you are assigned to has the correct Vendors - Invoicing permissions on the System > Security Permissions screen. If you are using universal navigation, click Settings > Security > Security Permissions.
You have the proper user invoicing privileges on the Invoicing tab of the System > Users / User Information screen. (see Giving Users Permission to Approve Invoices) If you are using universal navigation, click Settings > User Management > User Management.
To approve an invoice:
Select Vendors > Pending Approvals (List Or Image). If you are using universal navigation, click Payables > Invoices > Pending Approvals (list Or Image).
NOTE: Users can choose between two views of the pending approval screen. Save the current view by clicking Save View.
Search for a single association or all associations to see all invoices pending approval for associations that have been assigned to the current user:
Vendor: Defaulted to ALL vendors.
From: Default to today’s date.
To: Defaults to the last day of the next month.
Expense For: Date is blank and may be used to override the system default (invoice date). The optional date entered in this field must be a date that is in an open fiscal period (this applies only to accrual communities).
A yellow box will appear to show the number of invoices that are on hold. Select the Show checkbox to include those invoices.
A legend with descriptions (color-coded dots) is shown to highlight potential invoice errors that may need to be addressed prior to invoice approval.
Use the green bar to filter the list of invoices by:
Invoice Date
Due Date
Invoice Number
Invoice Amount
Pay To
A gray bar showing the name of the association will be shown and divide the list of invoices if All Associations is selected.
Just below the association will be details regarding the current bank balances for accounts used for payment for the list of invoices:
Bank Account Name
R: Shown to represent a reserve bank account.
Account Balance: Based on the GL recorded for this account in CINC (rather than from the bank).
Ready for Payment: Indicates total amount of invoices that have been approved but not yet paid.
Remaining Balance: Used to determine if the association has sufficient funds to pay invoices.
Click the Information icon to review additional invoice information, including insurance information and the GL accounts that were debited and credited as part of the transaction.
Approve the invoice by selecting the checkbox next to each invoice or using the select all checkbox, then click Approve. If there is an issue with the approval, a popup will display with an error message.
For those associations operating in accrual accounting mode:
Complete the Expense For date field to override the date of the expense GL; otherwise, the expense will be dated for the date of the invoice.
The default Expense For date is the date of the invoice unless the invoice date is in a closed fiscal period, then the expense GL will be written for the current date.
For example, the Expense For date field may be used if the first day of the month falls on a weekend day and associations are scheduled to be billed on the first (10/01/2021), then on Monday 10/03/2021, enter 10/01/2021 in the Post Date field.
The Expense For field cannot be set for a future date. For those associations operating in cash accounting mode, this field will not be used as the expense record is written upon payment/posting of the invoice.
Clicking Approve will change the status of the invoice to Ready for Payment status, move it out of the Pending Approval List, and place it in the Vendors > Invoices screen. If you are using universal navigation, click Payables > Invoices > Invoices.
Approve ALL associations’ invoices by selecting all checkboxes if parameters have been set to filter the list of pending approval invoices to only invoices paid to the management company.
Alternately, select each invoice individually by selecting the checkbox beside the date of the invoice.
For quick approval, check the check all checkbox and uncheck individual associations while reviewing the list to make sure adequate funds are available to pay the invoice. The invoice will then be ready to be posted for payment.
For those associations and/or management companies operating in accrual accounting mode, the approval of the invoice will create the expense GL entries to debit the Expense GL and credit the Accounts Payable GL. Expense GL will be created for both the association and the management company if both are set for accrual accounting.
IMPORTANT: If multiple approvals are required, the invoice status will not change until all listed Required Approvers have approved the invoice, regardless of the Total Approvals Required count. These two numbers may not always match, as Required Approvers take priority. Additionally, Board member approvals must be submitted by logging into WebAxis as a Board Member. If a board member logs in through CINC Accounting instead, their approval will be counted as a management company approval.
NOTE: If board approval is required first, the board member must approve the invoice through the CINC website. If an invoice is pending board approval, a red dot will highlight the invoice, indicating that it is awaiting approval. If a vendor has insurance that is required and the policy has expired, there will be a blue note (Insurance Expired)/(Vendor on HOLD) under the vendor’s name.