Bill approval means a bill is checked and signed off by the right person before it is paid. A setup says who approves what. What is segregation of duties?
Before you start
- Approval Routing feature
- SuiteFlow
- Vendor Bills box ticked under Accounting Preferences > Approval Routing
- Supervisor set on each bill creator
The NetSuite way
Where to find it: Setup > Company > Enable Features > Employees > Approval Routing; Setup > Accounting > Accounting Preferences > Approval Routing
- Enable A/P, Purchase Orders, Advanced Receiving, Approval Routing and SuiteFlow.
- Tick Vendor Bills on the Approval Routing subtab of Accounting Preferences.
- Install the NetSuite Approvals Workflow SuiteApp (bundle 537941) or SuiteApprovals.
- Give every bill creator a supervisor.
- Give supervisors Edit on Vendor Bill Approval and Bills.
Limits in NetSuite
- The approvals workflow SuiteApp does not support other languages. SuiteApprovals does.
- Standard routing sends to the supervisor. Anything more needs SuiteFlow.
Good to know in NetSuite
- With the 3-way match workflow, bills with no exceptions approve automatically.
Words NetSuite uses
- SuiteFlow. The built-in workflow tool used to build custom approval and routing rules.
- SuiteApprovals. A SuiteApp that adds ready-made approval routing for bills and other records.
The Pulsify way
- Connect NetSuite to Pulsify. We set up the connection for you where needed.
- Open Approvals. Every company starts with a default rule: any Admin or Approver can approve.
- Add steps for amounts, suppliers or accounts. Choose a person, a role or a team as approver at each step.
- Add a review step if someone should check coding before approval.
- Use Try an invoice to test the rule on a real bill.
- Add auto-approve rules for small or trusted bills if you want.
Pulsify connects to NetSuite. We set up the connection for you.
What Pulsify does not do here
- Pulsify does not reassign an approval to someone else.
- Pulsify does not send approval reminders.
Common mistakes
- Turning on Approval Routing but not giving each bill creator a supervisor, so bills have nowhere to go.
- Forgetting to tick Vendor Bills on the Approval Routing subtab of Accounting Preferences.
More help
- How to set up vendor invoice approval in Dynamics 365 Finance
- How to set up AP invoice approval in Kinetic
- How to set up supplier invoice approval in IFS Cloud
- How to keep an audit trail for vendor bill records in NetSuite
- How to approve vendor bill records in bulk in NetSuite
- How to route vendor bill records by amount, vendor or project in NetSuite
- All NetSuite how-to guides
- Pulsify setup guides
Sources
Last checked 2026-10-19. Confidence: confirmed.
Common questions
What do I need switched on for bill approval?
Approval Routing and SuiteFlow, plus the Vendor Bills box under Accounting Preferences > Approval Routing. Every bill creator also needs a supervisor, and supervisors need Edit on Vendor Bill Approval and Bills.
Which approvals app should I install?
Install the NetSuite Approvals Workflow SuiteApp (bundle 537941) or SuiteApprovals. The Approvals Workflow SuiteApp does not support other languages. SuiteApprovals does.
Does standard routing do more than send a bill to the supervisor?
No. Standard routing sends the bill to the supervisor. Anything more needs SuiteFlow. With the 3-way match workflow, bills with no exceptions approve automatically.
Does Pulsify support multi-step approvals?
Yes. You can set steps by amount, supplier or account. Approvers can be people, roles or teams. A review step is available.
Pulsify setup guides
Want this done for you?
Book a call to see how Pulsify handles supplier bills in NetSuite.