HOW-TO

How to route vendor bill records by amount, vendor or project in NetSuite

Short answer

In NetSuite, set bill approval routing rules by amount, vendor or project. Put specific rules first, then a default for everything else and test with a real vendor bill.

Last checked

Routing bills means sending each bill to a different approver depending on its amount, supplier or job. What is approval matrix?

Before you start

  • SuiteApprovals SuiteApp or NetSuite Approvals Workflow SuiteApp
  • Approval Routing feature and the Vendor Bills routing preference
  • Vendor Bill Approver, Vendor Bill Approval Limit and Vendor Bill Entry Limit set on employee records

The NetSuite way

Where to find it: Setup > Accounting > Accounting Preferences > Approval Routing; Lists > Employees (Human Resources subtab); SuiteApprovals rules

  1. Turn on Approval Routing (Setup > Company > Setup Tasks > Enable Features > Employees) and tick Vendor Bills on the Approval Routing subtab of Accounting Preferences.
  2. On each employee record set Vendor Bill Approver, Vendor Bill Approval Limit and Vendor Bill Entry Limit.
  3. Install SuiteApprovals and create an approval rule for the Vendor Bill record. Tick Route Approvals Based on Amount and set the Record Amount Limit (bills up to the limit are approved automatically).
  4. Choose Standard Employee Hierarchy or Define Custom Approval Chain (supervisor, specific approver, project manager, department approver, group or role).
  5. To route by vendor or other fields, make a saved search of bills and select it in the rule as the Saved Search Condition.

Limits in NetSuite

  • Amount routing is native. Routing by vendor or department uses a saved search condition or a custom SuiteFlow workflow.
  • Bills created by CSV import, script, web service or RESTlet are not routed for approval by SuiteApprovals.
  • Needs an admin or partner to set up.

Words NetSuite uses

  • Department. A tag on each line used to report costs by team or cost centre.
  • SuiteApprovals. A SuiteApp that adds ready-made approval routing for bills and other records.

The Pulsify way

  1. Open Approvals in Pulsify and add a step.
  2. Add rows to the step. Each row can match a supplier, an amount range, an account or a tracking category.
  3. Choose who approves each row: a person, a role or a team.
  4. Add a second step for large amounts, or a review step for coding checks.
  5. Set an auto-approve rule for trusted, small bills.
  6. Use Try an invoice to see where a real bill would go.

Pulsify connects to NetSuite. We set up the connection for you.

What Pulsify does not do here

  • Pulsify does not reassign approvals and does not send reminders.

Common mistakes

  • Setting the Record Amount Limit but not the Vendor Bill Approver and Approval Limit on the employee records.
  • Importing bills by CSV and expecting them to go through approval routing.

More help

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-19. Confidence: confirmed.

Common questions

Can NetSuite route a vendor bill by amount?

Yes. In SuiteApprovals tick Route Approvals Based on Amount and set the Record Amount Limit. Bills up to the limit are approved automatically. Employee records carry a Vendor Bill Approval Limit and Entry Limit.

Can I route by vendor or department?

Not as a simple setting. Make a saved search of bills and select it in the rule as the Saved Search Condition, or build a custom SuiteFlow workflow.

Why was an imported bill not routed?

Bills created by CSV import, script, web service or RESTlet are not routed for approval by SuiteApprovals. Enter them in the user interface or approve them another way.

Pulsify setup guides

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