Overview

The Invoice Approval workflow controls how invoices are reviewed and approved before finalisation in Efimis.

• Workflow can be set at the Firm level, applying to all matters by default.
• If your firm has multiple teams, workflows can also be configured at the Team level, overriding the firm-wide configuration where applicable.

Team-level settings take precedence over firm-wide settings when both are configured.

Available Approval Workflows

Efimis supports four types of approval workflows to match different firm structures:

1. Person Acting Only

• The invoice is sent directly to the Person Acting assigned to the matter. 
• No additional approvals are required.

Best for:

Firms with a simple approval structure or where the Matter Fee Earner has full billing permissions.

 2. Person Acting, then Person Responsible

• A two-step approval process.
• Step 1: Invoice is sent to the Person Acting.
• Step 2: Once approved, the invoice is automatically forwarded to the Person Responsible for final approval.

Best for:

Firms that require management oversight before invoices are finalised.  

3. Person Assisting, Person Acting, then Person Responsible

• A three-step approval process.
• Step 1: Invoice is sent to the Person Assisting on the matter.
• Step 2: After approval, it moves to the Person Acting.
• Step 3: Final approval is completed by the Person Responsible.

Best for:

Larger teams or complex matters where multiple staff members contribute to billing and review is required at multiple levels.

4. None

• No automated approval workflow is applied. 
• Invoices do not require approval before proceeding.

Best for:

Firms that manage invoice review manually or do not require a formal approval process.

How to Set the Invoice Approval Workflow 

1. Navigate to Settings → Firm Settings from the navigation menu.
2. From the Billing section, select Matter Billing Defaults.
3. Locate the Invoice Approval Workflow drop-down menu.
4. Select the desired approval method and click Save.

Workflow settings can also be applied at the Team level. Select the relevant team from the Scope drop-down when configuring team-specific workflows. Repeat this for each team as needed.

User Permissions

Before assigning users as invoice approvers:

• Ensure users have the correct permissions to approve invoices.
• Without the necessary permissions, users cannot complete approval actions, even if included in the workflow.
  

For managing user permissions, refer to the Roles & Permissions guide

Tips & Best Practices

• Ensure user roles are correctly assigned - as Approval Workflows rely on the Person Acting, Person Assisting and Person Responsible fields being accurately set on each matter.
• Choose a workflow that matches your firm size - Smaller firms often benefit from a single approver, while larger teams typically require multi-step approvals.
• Review workflows periodically - as staff roles or firm structure change, revisit your approval settings to ensure they still align with internal processes.
• Use multi-step approvals for risk management - adding additional reviewers can help reduce billing errors and improve compliance.
• Communicate approval expectations to staff - let users know how approvals work so invoices are reviewed promptly and do not delay billing cycles.