Bills — User Guide
Module: Accounting
Audience: Accounts payable clerks, accountants
Version: 1.0.0
Last updated: 2026-07-22
Overview
Bills is where you record money owed to vendors, approve them for payment, and track paid or voided bills. Each bill is tied to a vendor and can include line items and account splits. After approval, bills can be paid individually or in bulk (same vendor only).
Go to Accounting → Bills.
Prerequisites
| Role | Typical permissions |
|---|---|
| View bills | Accounting Bills → View |
| Add bills | Accounting Bills → Create |
| Edit or delete bills | Edit/Delete may be required in role setup — confirm with your administrator (permission matrix is incomplete in product) |
Vendors are managed through the Purchase module vendor list (pur_vendor). Ensure vendors exist before creating bills.
Bill statuses
| Status filter | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Not yet approve (unpaid) | Bill entered but not approved for payment |
| Approved | Approved for payment; GL entries posted |
| Paid | Fully paid, voided, or partially paid (status 3) |
Row labels also show Unpaid, Paid, Not paid completely, or Void.
Step-by-step: Find bills
- Go to Accounting → Bills.
- Optionally filter by Vendor, From date, To date, and Status (default: not yet approved).
- Review the list: vendor, dates, amount due, check numbers (if paid by check), and status.
- Click a vendor name or Open to preview the bill in the side panel.
Step-by-step: Add a new bill
- Click Add new bill.
- Select the vendor, bill date, due date, and amounts/lines as required.
- Assign debit and credit accounts and/or items on the form.
- Save.
Expected result: The bill appears in the list with status not yet approved.
Step-by-step: Approve a bill for payment
- Filter to Not yet approve if needed.
- Open the bill or use row actions.
- Click Approve payable.
Expected result: Bill moves to Approved; accounting entries are created. If blocked, check close the books date under Accounting → Setting.
Step-by-step: Pay an approved bill
- Filter to Approved or locate the bill.
- Click Pay bill on the row (or use Pay bill management for workflow entry).
- Complete payment details (date, amount, payment method).
- Submit.
Expected result: Bill status becomes paid (or partially paid). Check numbers may appear if paid by check.
Step-by-step: Pay multiple bills (bulk)
- On the bills list, select checkboxes for bills from the same vendor.
- Use the bulk Pay bill action (via Pay bill management form).
- Confirm payment.
If you select bills from different vendors, the system shows a warning and stops the action.
Step-by-step: Delete a bill
- On an unpaid or approved bill (where delete is shown), choose Delete.
- Confirm.
Expected result: Bill removed. Paid bills cannot be deleted — you may need to void instead.
Common issues
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No vendors in dropdown | Purchase vendors not set up | Add vendors in Purchase (or Accounting Vendors when Purchase is off) |
| Cannot approve | Books closed for bill date | Adjust date or closing settings |
| Pay bill missing | Bill not approved or wrong status filter | Approve payable first |
| Bulk pay blocked | Mixed vendors selected | Select bills from one vendor only |
| Edit/delete missing | Role lacks capability | Ask admin to review Bills permissions |
| Amount due incorrect | Partial payments applied | Check Paid filter and payment history on preview |
Related features
- Checks — bill payments may reference check numbers
- Chart of accounts — accounts used on bill lines and approval postings
- Accounting → Setting — default expense accounts and close-the-books
- Purchase — vendor master data