Configure bookkeeper behavior in the approval flow

Two settings in Approval settings control how the bookkeeper fits into the document flow. They are mutually exclusive in effect — choose the one that matches how your client’s bookkeeper works.

What do these settings do?

By default, every document passes through the bookkeeper before going to approvers. These settings let you change that: either make the bookkeeper optional (only handling errors), or keep them as the first stop for every document.

Where: Approval flow → Groups and settings → Approval settings tab

1. Go to Approval flow → Groups and settings in the left sidebar.

2. Click the Approval settings tab.

3. Set the bookkeeper behavior using these two toggles:

   Toggle	Effect
   Bookkeeper receives documents first	Every document goes to the bookkeeper before any approval routing, regardless of whether accounting is already complete. The bookkeeper reviews, does any cleanup, then sends to approval. This is the most common setup.
   Bookkeeper manages accounting	Documents only go to the bookkeeper if accounting is incomplete (for example, if the account field is empty). Documents with complete accounting skip the bookkeeper and go directly to first-approval routing. Use for clients where the bookkeeper only handles errors, not every document.

4. Optionally enable Block forwarding of documents with errors (Bookkeeper). When on, the bookkeeper cannot forward or send a document to approval if there are unresolved errors on it — missing fields, validation warnings, or balance issues. This prevents problems from being passed downstream.

5. Confirm the save prompt by clicking OK.

Related: Enable or disable the approval flow · Configure global approval settings