Every invoice in an approval workflow has an assigned approver for each approval state whose job it is to review and approve the invoice. Apperio assigns approvers automatically based on matter ownership and approval group membership, but you can change the assigned approver at any point - from the invoice page, the invoice list, or directly when approving an invoice.
All approver assignments and changes are recorded in the invoice history, giving you a full audit trail of who was assigned and when.
Who can change invoice approvers?
| Role | What they can do |
|---|---|
| User in an approval group | Change the assigned approver for invoices in their approver stage that they have access to |
| User with Manage Invoice Workflows permission | Change the assigned approver for any state in any invoice they can access |
| Admin | Grant or remove the Manage Invoice Workflows permission via Settings → User Management |
Law firm users are not involved in approver assignment — this is a business-side action only.
Viewing the assigned approver
On the invoice page
Each approval state in the workflow tracker shows as a pill beneath the approval action buttons. Hovering over a pill displays a tooltip showing the name of the assigned approver and how many days the invoice has been in that state. If no approver is assigned, the tooltip reads "Approver unassigned".
If you have permission to change the approver for a state, the pill displays a pencil icon and is clickable. If you do not have permission, the state is shown as plain text with no pill.
On the invoice list
The current approval state is shown as a pill in the invoice list. Hovering over the pill shows the assigned approver's name. If no approver is assigned, a warning indicator is displayed.
If you have permission to change the approver, the pill displays a pencil icon and is clickable. If you do not have permission, the pill is still shown but is not clickable.
Changing the approver from the invoice page or invoice list
- Open the invoice, or locate it in the invoice list.
- Find the approval state pill you want to update. If you have permission to edit it, it will display a pencil icon.
- Click the pill to open the Edit approver modal.
- The modal shows the name of the approval state and a dropdown listing all active users in that approval group.
- Users with matter access are listed at the top.
- Users without matter access are highlighted and labelled with a tooltip: "Assigning this user will grant them access to the matter." Assigning them will automatically grant them access.
- The currently assigned approver appears at the top of the list, highlighted.
- Use the search field to filter by name or email address.
- Select a user from the list.
- Click Assign to confirm.
Note: The Assign button is disabled if no selection has been made or if you have selected the user who is already assigned. Click Cancel to close the modal without making changes.
If the assigned user does not already have access to the matter, they will be added as a matter owner automatically. If the invoice is currently in the state you are updating, the newly assigned approver will receive an email notification that the invoice is ready for their approval.
Changing the next approver when approving an invoice
When you approve an invoice, the approval modal shows the next approval state and who is assigned to it. If you have permission to change the approver for the next state, you will see a dropdown to update it before confirming your approval.
- Click Approve on the invoice.
- In the approval modal, review the Next approver section.
- If you have permission to change the next approver, a dropdown is shown. Use it to select a different user from the next approval group.
- If you do not have permission, the next approver's name is shown with an information tooltip: "Contact your admin if you need to change this approver."
- Add any notes if required.
- Click Approve to confirm.
The newly assigned approver for the next state will receive an email notification when the invoice reaches their step.
Viewing approver assignment history
Every approver assignment and change is recorded in the invoice history. To view it:
- Open the invoice.
- Click History to open the history modal.
Each assignment entry includes:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Date | The date of the assignment (DD MMM YYYY) |
| Action | "Assigned [state name] approver" for manual assignments; "Automatically assigned [state name] approver" for auto-assignments |
| Changed by | The name of the user who made the change; shown as "Apperio" for automatic assignments |
| Previous approver | The user who was assigned before the change, or "—" if the state was unassigned |
| New approver | The user who was assigned |
Enabling Manage Invoice Workflows for a user
The Manage Invoice Workflows permission allows a user to change the assigned approver on any approval state for any invoice they can access. It is managed per user from Settings.
To grant the permission:
- Go to Settings → User Management.
- Find the user and open their profile, or use the General Access tab.
- Enable the Manage Invoice Workflows toggle.
- Save the changes.
To grant the permission when adding a new user:
- Go to Settings → User Management → Add user.
- Under the General Access section, enable the Manage Invoice Workflows toggle before saving.
Frequently asked questions
Can I assign someone who isn't in the approval group? No. The assignment modal only lists active users who belong to the relevant approval group. You cannot assign a user who is not a member of that group.
What happens if I assign someone who doesn't have access to the matter? They are automatically granted access to the matter when you confirm the assignment. A tooltip in the modal will warn you before you proceed.
Will the newly assigned approver receive an email? Only if the invoice is currently in the state you are updating. Users are notified when an invoice reaches their step — not when they are assigned to a future step.
Does changing the approver affect other invoices on the same matter? No. The assignment applies to that invoice only. It does not affect the matter owner or the default approver for other invoices.
What happens to assigned approvers if an invoice is resubmitted or queried? Assigned approvers are retained when an invoice is resubmitted, replaced, or moved to queried. The workflow resumes with the same approver assignments.
Can I assign multiple users to a single approval state? No. Each approval state can have one assigned approver at a time.
Who can see approver assignment history? The invoice history is visible to all business users who have access to the invoice. Law firm users do not see approver assignment history.