# Invoice approvals in Sage 300 for manufacturers

Sage 300 has no built-in invoice approvals. Month end piles up because most invoices land in the last week. If approvals run through one person, the books close late.

## Why it matters for manufacturers

- Different spend needs different approvers. A maintenance bill goes to the plant manager and a raw material bill goes to purchasing.
- Auditors want to see who approved what and when, with limits that match the role.

## For manufacturers in Sage 300

- Sage 300 Accounts Payable has no invoice approval step. Security groups limit who can enter and post invoice batches, and the approver reviews the batch listing before posting.
- Requisition approval controls a planned component purchase before it becomes an order. Select Require Approval in P/O Options, turn on system-wide security in Sage 300 Database Setup and assign approvers the Requisitions Manual Approval authorisation. It does not approve the supplier invoice.

## What Sage 300 does on its own

Sage 300 Accounts Payable has no invoice approval step of its own. Batches are reviewed and posted together, and security groups limit who can enter or post. Purchase Orders has requisition approval, and partners such as Pacifictech sell invoice approval workflows.

- Security and batch posting rights only.
- No native routing by amount, supplier or job in Accounts Payable.

Requisition approval applies to requisitions, not to the purchase order itself.

What you need and the setup steps: https://www.pulsify.tech/invoice-approvals-for-sage-300/

## Example

Example Hydraulics Pty Ltd sends a repair bill of $6,400 ex GST for a press on the Plant 2 line. The plant manager's limit is $5,000.

- Press seal kit and labour: $4,700.00 (Under the $5,000 limit on its own)
- Call out and travel: $1,700.00 (Brings the bill to $6,400, past the $5,000 limit)
- GST: $640.00 (10% of $6,400)

The bill is routed to the operations manager because it is over the plant manager's limit. The approval record shows who signed, when and under which limit.

## Common mistakes

- One approver for every bill, so approvals pile up in the last week of the month.
- Limits that never change, so every raw material order goes to the director.

## Step-by-step guides for Sage 300

- How to route vendor invoice records by amount, vendor or project in Sage 300: https://www.pulsify.tech/how-to/route-bills-by-amount-supplier-or-job-in-sage-300/

## What Pulsify adds

Pulsify adds approval steps by vendor, amount, account or project, with approve, reject or send back from a phone. Pulsify connects to Sage 300. We set up the connection for you. More: https://www.pulsify.tech/approval-workflows/

## Common questions

### Can Sage 300 approve a supplier invoice before it is paid?

Not in Accounts Payable. Security groups limit who can enter and post invoice batches, and the approver can review the batch listing before posting. Requisition approval in Purchase Orders only controls the order. Partner add-ons add invoice approval workflow.

### What do auditors ask for on approvals?

They want to see who approved, the date, the limit that applied and any change to the bill after approval. Keep that record with the invoice.

### Is there bulk approval of bills in Sage 300?

No native bulk approval exists. In plain Sage 300 batches are reviewed and then posted together. Ask an add-on partner whether their tool approves several invoices at once.

## Sources

- https://cdn.na.sage.com/docs/en/customer/300erp/2023/open/Sage300_PurchaseOrders_UserGuide.pdf
- https://cdn.na.sage.com/docs/en/customer/300erp/2023/open/Sage300_AccountsPayable_UserGuide.pdf
- https://www.pacifictechsol.com/sage-300-product/payables-workflow
- https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/gst-excise-and-indirect-taxes/gst/tax-invoices

Source: https://www.pulsify.tech/invoice-approvals-in-sage-300-for-manufacturers/ (last checked 2026-10-19)