- As a payer — A payable is a bill you need to review, approve, and pay. It shows up in your inbox when a vendor submits it.
- As a payee — A payable is an invoice you create and send to your customer, requesting payment.
Payable lifecycle
Every payable moves through a defined set of statuses from creation to completion.Draft
The payable has been created but not yet sent. The payee can edit all fields, add line items, attach files, and make changes freely before submitting.
Submitted
The payee has submitted the payable to the payer. The payer’s team can now review it. The payee can no longer edit the payable unless it is declined.
Approved
The payer’s team (or an approval workflow) has approved the payable for payment. It’s ready to be scheduled or paid immediately.
Scheduled
A payment has been scheduled for a future date. The payable is approved and waiting for the payment to be initiated on the scheduled date.
Paid
The payment has been successfully processed. The payable is closed. Both sides can see the payment record.
Payable statuses reference
| Status | Who can take action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Payee | Created but not submitted. Fully editable. |
| Submitted | Payer | Awaiting payer review or approval workflow. |
| Approved | Payer | Approved and ready to pay or schedule. |
| Declined | Payee | Payer declined the payable. Payee can revise and resubmit. |
| Scheduled | Payer | Payment is scheduled for a future date. Can be cancelled. |
| Paid | — | Payment completed successfully. |
| Cancelled | — | Payable was cancelled. No payment was made. |
Key payable fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Amount | The total amount due. Can be auto-calculated from line items. |
| Due date | The date by which payment should be made. Can be based on net terms configured on the connection. |
| Invoice number | A reference number for the payable. Can be auto-generated or manually entered. |
| Memo | A free-text note visible to both payer and payee. |
| Line items | Itemized breakdown of goods or services. Each line item has a description, quantity, unit price, and optional accounting category. |
| Attachments | Files attached to the payable (e.g., a PDF invoice, receipt, or supporting document). |
| Tags | Labels for internal organization and filtering. |
| Custom fields | Additional fields defined by the payer business to capture data specific to their workflow (e.g., department code, purchase order number). |
Approval workflows
Payer businesses can configure approval workflows that require one or more team members to approve a payable before payment can proceed. This adds a layer of internal control over outgoing payments. When a payable is submitted and an approval workflow applies:- The payable enters a pending approval state after submission.
- The designated approvers are notified.
- Each required approver reviews and approves (or declines) the payable.
- Once all required approvals are collected, the payable moves to Approved status.
Approval workflows are configured at the business level and apply to incoming payables. Payees do not see or interact with a payer’s approval workflow directly.