Set up automated approval workflows to verify your business purchases and sales. Approval flows help ensure every transaction is checked based on your custom rules, reducing errors and streamlining your processes.
Who can manage Approval workflows?
Practice Admins
Can create and edit approval workflows at both the client and practice level.
Have full access by default.
Client Admins & Standard users
Can access client approval workflows for any client they already have access to.
To create or edit approval workflows at the practice level, they must enable Manage the practice’s business under their user settings. This is turned off by default.
Grant practice users approval permissions in client workflows
To allow practice users to be selected as approvers in client workflows:
Go to Clients > Manage (next to a client) > Practice access
Enable the Approval permissions toggle next to the relevant user
Alternatively:
Go to Team > Manage (next to a colleague) > Client access.
Enable the Approval permissions toggle next to the client.
Note:
If you don’t see Client access, that user is likely a Practice or Client Admin.
Admins already have access to all clients by default. In that case, enable approval permissions from the Clients page.
Only practice users who already have access to a client can be added as approvers in that client’s workflows.
Business Admins & User Admins
Can fully manage approval workflows.
Standard users
Cannot create or edit workflows.
Can be set as approvers.
Can view documents sent to them during the approval process - even if they don’t have permission to Access all documents. Once approved, the document will no longer be visible to them.
Creating an approval workflow
You must have the Admin role in Dext to set up approval workflows.
Step 1: Go to Approvals
Go to Business settings > Approvals.
Choose either the Costs or Sales tab, then click Create workflow.
Step 2: Name your workflow and define criteria
In the Approval workflow creator, enter:
Workflow name
(Optional) Description
Under Apply approvals to, configure the criteria:
Item type
Documents
Document owners
Suppliers
Categories
Projects (if applicable)
All criteria are selected by default until you narrow them down.
Use Clear selection to reselect all.
Step 3: Add approval stages
Under Create approval flow, define your approval stages:
Select the Approver type
Choose the Approver(s)
Set the Condition (e.g., Always)
Define the Amount threshold
Choose whether approvers can edit documents
Click + Add stage to include additional approval levels if required.
Step 4: Configure workflow behaviour
Before saving, choose whether to:
Switch workflow on (recommended)
Auto-publish once approved
Allow self-approval
When ready, click Save.
Workflow tips
Workflow structure
You can create up to 5 approval stages per workflow.
Workflows are linear - each defines a single approval route.
You can create up to 50 workflows across Costs, Sales, and Expense Claims.
Approvers
At each stage, you can assign:
A manager, or
One or multiple users
If multiple users are assigned at a stage, only one needs to approve.
Both Admin and Standard users can be approvers - approval permissions are independent of user role.
Using “Manager” as approver
If you select Manager as the approver type:
The request goes to the submitter’s assigned manager.
If no manager is assigned, the approval cannot be requested.
Admins must assign managers via:
Users > Manage > Edit user details
Self-approval
Enable Allow self-approval if users should be able to approve their own items.
Practice users
Practice users can be added as approvers in client workflows (if they have approval permissions for that client).
Even if not assigned as approvers, Practice users can still approve or reject items by default.
Workflow priority: How rules are applied
When multiple approval workflows could apply to a document, the workflow with more specific rule criteria takes priority.
Specificity is evaluated field by field, following the same top-to-bottom order shown in the workflow setup screen, for example:
Item type → Documents → Document owners → Properties → Units → Suppliers → Customers → Categories
How specificity is determined
The system checks each field in the above order. At every step, it looks for the workflow that best matches the document.
If one workflow becomes a clear match for the field currently being checked, it becomes the winner - and the system stops checking the remaining fields.
Example
Workflow A: Applies to all cost items, across all suppliers - Approver is Bob.
Workflow B: Applies only to Flora’s Florist and Karl’s Koffee - Approver is Anita.
If a document is from Flora’s Florist:
Both workflows may match for the earlier fields (such as Item type).
But Workflow B becomes more specific at the Suppliers field.
Because a clear winner is found at that point, Workflow B applies, and the system does not check any further fields.
Key rules to remember
Only one workflow applies to a document at a time.
A workflow that matches a higher-level field (e.g., Item type) can be overridden by a more specific match in a later field (e.g., Supplier), but only if no earlier field produced a clear winner.
Tip: Create a “catch all” workflow to cover any documents that don’t match other workflow criteria. This can help handle new suppliers, categories, or projects automatically.
Editing or deleting Approval workflows
To edit an approval workflow:
Go to the Approvals settings page
Click on the workflow you want to edit
Update criteria, stages, or toggle settings like auto-publish, self-approval, or workflow activation
Click Save
To delete an approval workflow:
Go to the Approvals settings page
Open the workflow you want to delete
Click Delete workflow
Confirm the deletion
Tip: If you want to temporarily stop a workflow, consider switching it off instead of deleting it.
What happens when a workflow is deleted?
Any items currently in the approval flow will return to the Inbox
Previously approved items are not affected
Reviewing items for approval
To review and take action on items:
Open the Approvals tab in the Costs Inbox
Approve directly from the list or click into the item to review it
To reject an item, click Reject - it will return to the submitter’s inbox
Admins can:
View and act on others' items (Approve/Reject/Edit, if allowed in workflow)
Standard users can:
Approve documents assigned to them
Lose access after approval
See only their items (if Access all documents isn’t enabled)
Note: Once approved, item details can’t be edited.
Managing notifications
To manage approval email notifications:
Click your Profile icon in the top right.
Select User Settings.
Scroll to the Approval email notifications section.
Adjust your preferences.
Setting approval reminders
To send automatic email reminders for pending approvals:
Go to Business settings > Approvals > Reminders.
Set the Enable approval reminders toggle to Yes.
Choose your preferred day and time for reminders to send.
Only Admin users can configure these reminders.
FAQ
Can standard users approve documents?
Can standard users approve documents?
Yes, standard users can be assigned as approvers. They can approve items sent to them, but won’t be able to edit or view them after approval unless they have the Access all documents permission.
What happens if no manager is assigned when using the Manager approval type?
What happens if no manager is assigned when using the Manager approval type?
The approval request won’t be sent. An Admin must assign a manager to the user under Users > Manage > Edit user details for the workflow to function.
Can practice users be added as approvers to the clients’ Approval workflows?
Can practice users be added as approvers to the clients’ Approval workflows?
Yes, as long as they have access to the client and approval permissions are enabled for that client. Still, Practice users with access to the client can approve items, even if they are not set as approvers.
Is it possible to pause an approval workflow?
Is it possible to pause an approval workflow?
Yes, you can switch a workflow off without deleting it. This allows you to pause it and turn it back on later.
What’s the maximum number of workflows I can create?
What’s the maximum number of workflows I can create?
You can create up to 50 workflows across all categories - Costs, Sales, and Expense Claims.