How to build an automated invoice request workflow

Build an automated invoice workflow that reduces back-and-forth

A multi-step invoice workflow keeps all requests organized in one place, ensures approvers only see what they need, and automates alerts at every handoff. Teams in finance, operations, consulting, and procurement use this setup to eliminate lost invoices, centralize communication, and speed up approvals.
📘 Learn more: Create your first form, app, or portal in a flash

Why this helps

• Reduces manual follow-ups by auto-notifying managers and finance reviewers at every stage.
• Ensures clean handoffs: reviewers see admin-only sections and their assigned fields, requesters see only what they need.
• Tracks the full lifecycle with a single status field (“Pending Manager Approval → Finance Review → Approved/Rejected”).
• Enables dashboards and portals for finance/accounting teams to track volume and bottlenecks.
  📘 Learn more: Build personalized and time-saving flows with logic and automation

Step 1 – Create your invoice request form

You can start from scratch or use a template from our Template Gallery (for example, Invoice generator with product selector). You can also use Magic Create, try:
“Invoice request form with requester info, invoice details, file upload, manager approval section, finance approval section, and status field.”

Add these requester-facing fields:

• requester name (short text or auto-captured if logged in)
• department (dropdown)
• amount requested
• invoice description
• vendor name
• invoice upload (file upload)

Add workflow fields (admin-only):

• status (single-choice: Pending manager approval, Under finance review, Approved, Rejected)
• manager comments (long text)
• finance comments (long text)

💡 Tip: Use admin-only fields so submitters never see internal approval data.
📘 Learn more: Form editor and field types

Step 2 – Add conditional manager and finance sections

This workflow uses one single form, with hidden sections that unlock only for internal reviewers.

Manager review section

Admin-only fields inside:

• manager decision (Approve/Reject)
• manager comments
• status → change to “Under finance review” or “Rejected”

Finance review section

Show this section when:

• status = Under finance review

Fields inside:

• finance approval (Approve/Reject)
• finance comments
• status → change to “Approved” or “Rejected”
  📘 Learn more: Show/hide logic

Step 3 – Automate notifications with On Submit + On Update

Your workflow requires two types of logic:

1) On Submit: Notify the requester’s manager

Trigger: submission
Action: send email to manager
Content may include fields like @field_ID for requester name, amount, vendor, etc.

2) On Update: Notify the next reviewer

Examples:

When status changes to “Under finance review”
→ Send email to finance@yourcompany

When status changes to “Approved”
→ Send email to accounting@yourcompany

When status changes to “Rejected”
→ Notify the requester with comments**

💡 Tip: Use multiple On Update rules, one per status.
📘 Learn more: What is On Submit logic and how it works
📘 Learn more: What is On Update logic and how it works

Step 4 – Build your internal finance dashboard

Turn the form into an app to give finance and accounting a clean workspace.

Recommended views:

• Kanban board grouped by status
• Table of all requests
• Charts for total amount approved per month
  📘 Learn more: How to showcase charts based on form responses

Step 5 – Optional: Create a finance portal for approvers

Turn your app into a secure portal so finance reviewers can:

• log in
• view only their assigned requests
• update status
• upload or attach final invoice files

Enable portal mode, then adjust permissions so only finance roles can view internal pages.

📘 Learn more: How to create a portal and manage users' access

Step 6 – Add automatic PDF or email summaries (optional)

If needed, generate:

• a PDF invoice summary for accounting
• auto-emails to vendors or external stakeholders
• a packaged approval trail for audits

📘 Learn more: How to send and receive email notifications

Pro Tips

💡 Use dropdown + field search to pre-fill manager emails automatically when a department is selected.
📘 Learn more: Answer piping

💡 Add a second file upload in the finance section for attaching validated invoices or payment proofs.
📘 Learn more: Customize your form/app layout and design

💡 Add a chart showing the total approved amount over time to detect spending trends.
📘 Learn more: Customize charts

Real-world example

A consulting firm used this workflow to replace email-based invoice submissions. Managers now review requests inside the same form, finance performs a second-level verification, and accounting receives only fully approved requests. Review time dropped from days to hours thanks to automated status-based notifications.
📈 See more examples: Formaloo use cases

FAQ

1. Can each department have a different approver?

Yes. Add a department field → use On Submit logic to send the notification to the correct manager.
❓ Learn more: Advanced logic

2. Can finance edit requester data?

Yes. Admins can open a submission and edit any fields, including admin-only sections.
🔒 Learn more: Edit form responses inside your app

3. Can we restrict requesters from seeing approval comments?

Yes. Keep manager/finance sections marked as admin-only.
🛠️ Learn more: Form editor field settings

4. How do I allow accounting to download invoices easily?

Add a table view or gallery with file upload fields visible.
📘 Learn more: Customize tables

5. Can I turn the workflow into a full finance portal?

Yes, enable portal mode and set custom roles for requesters, managers, and finance.
📘 Learn more: Add user roles to your portal

Keep scaling your finance workflows with Formaloo

You’ve now built a complete multi-step invoice approval flow, with a single form, automated notifications, hidden reviewer sections, and dashboards for finance. Your next step is to expand it with PDF summaries or a full finance portal for accounting.

🎉 Learn more: Expand your workflow in Formaloo

Last updated November 2025