At a glance
In Circula, expenses follow a standard process. This can be adjusted upon request.
For project-based organizations, approval can be based on Cost Units.
Accounts payable invoices can be approved by the Supervisor of the assigned Cost Centre.
Trip pre-approvals can be approved before expenses are incurred.
Note
The following standard process for expenses and travel expenses is set up for every new Circula account:
Submission by submitter → approval by Supervisor and control by Accountant run in parallel → export by Accountant.
📌 Overview
Workflows for control and approval define how expenses, incoming invoices, and trips are controlled and approved in Circula.
Depending on the setup, submissions can be routed to a Supervisor first, to Accountants first, or only to Accountants. In addition, there are dedicated workflows for project-based approval, incoming invoices, trip pre-approvals, and Supervisor replacement during absences.
🛠️ Standard workflows for expenses
The following configurable workflows are available for expenses per entity:
Approval first
Expenses are routed to the Supervisor first. After approval, they are sent to Accountants for control.
Control first
Expenses are routed to Accountants for control first. They are then sent to the Supervisor for approval.
Control only
Expenses are routed directly to Accounting. There is no additional approval step by a Supervisor.
Parallel workflow
Control and approval can be completed independently of each other.
🛠️ Approval by project via Cost Units
For project-based organizations, approval can be based on the assigned project.
Supervisors are assigned at project level, for example via the Cost Unit settings.
📝 Note
Folders are currently not part of project-based routing.
For more information about approval by project, click here.
🛠️ Cost Centre approval for accounts payable invoices
Two workflow options are available for incoming invoices:
Control & approval
This is the default workflow. Accountants control the invoice first. The invoice is then routed to the Supervisor of the assigned Cost Centre.
Control only
The invoice is only checked by Accountants. There is no additional approval step.
📝 Note
For more information about the approval logic for incoming invoices, see below:
🛠️ Approve trip pre-approvals
With trip pre-approvals, trips can be approved before expenses are incurred.
📝 Note
If the actual costs exceed the estimate, a warning is displayed. This warning does not block approval.
❗️Important
Trip pre-approval is only compatible with the workflows “Approval first” and “Parallel workflow”. It is currently not compatible with “Control first” or “Control only”.
📝 Note
For more information about approving trip pre-approvals, click here.
🛠️ Supervisor replacement during absences
The Supervisor replacement feature is currently being rolled out gradually.
With this feature, Supervisors can assign one or more replacements.
📝 Note
The original Supervisor keeps access to the approvals.
❗️Important
The replacement feature currently only supports Supervisors of expense groups and company wide Supervisors. Project-based approvals and Cost Centre approval workflows for accounts payable invoices are currently not supported.
📝 Note
For more information about Supervisor replacement, click here.
Do you still have questions?
Circula Compass - Your learning platform
💬 Chat Support
✉️️ More contact options